"Blood Diamond" **1/2 (out of four): Important but flawed indictment of "conflict diamonds" is a bit too self-righteous when it should let the facts speak for themselves.

The folks at DeBeers aren’t going to be very happy about “Blood Diamond”, director Edward Zwick’s indictment of the diamond industry, but they can take comfort in one thing: at least it’s not a very good movie. It’s a shame since all the pieces seem to be in place for an exposé of so-called “conflict diamonds” (stones that are sold to finance wars): a talented cast and a director with a penchant for political grandstanding. But Mr. Zwick’s film, from a screenplay by Charles Leavitt, is so sure of itself that it rarely rises above a “message movie”.

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