Diamonds may be 'a girls best friend' but the blood price paid sometimes to win these remarkable baubles is horrendous. Edward Zwick's masterpiece reminds us of that price, a timely reminder too, especially with some banks in meltdown and people turning again to the 'hard' currencies of gold and diamond. For those for whom diCaprio will forever be the immature stowaway on the Titanic, think again: his performance here as a mercenary South African diamond smuggler, complete with gruff cynicism and a near-perfect Afrikaan's accent, is nothing short of astonishing. It's also good to see Djimon Hounsou cast in more than a minor 'supporting' role too - his brilliant portrayal of a man whose family are caught in the swirl of diamond and drug-fuelled anarchy is a powerful reminder of the human price of blood diamonds. But the biggest star of this superb movie is Africa itself. I was in Sierra Leone in the mid 90s just as the blood diamond-funded civil war reached its peak. The horrors of mutilation; drunk and drug-maddened child soldiers armed to the teeth with pangas and AK47s; the overwhelming madness and the strange calm of the few westerner-friendly drinking holes is all perfectly captured here. The only thing missing is the indescribable smell.