When a diamond smuggler, an American journalist and a man in search of his family embark on a journey to get a blood diamond in war-torn Africa, a cinematic powerhouse occurs. “Blood Diamond,” a story about the corrupt African diamond industry profiting from violence, is also one of the best films of the year and the most powerful movie I have seen in years.

“Blood Diamond” takes place in Sierra Leone in 1999. The country is in the middle of a civil war over the diamond trade. The rebels of the war, known as the Revolutionary United Front, tear through the villages, destroying families, kidnapping innocent children and brainwashing them to support the cause, killing as they go.

During an attack on his town, Solomon Vandy, played by Djimon Hounsou, manages to help his family escape the RUF but is caught in the process. He joins the line of people the rebels are maiming and killing, but they decide to put him to use in the diamond mines.

It is here Vandy discovers a very valuable stone known as the Blood Diamond. During a violent battle between the RUF and the government of Sierra Leone, he buries the stone before being captured and imprisoned by the government. He tries to keep the knowledge of the diamond to himself, but he is seen and word gets out about the large diamond, which is revealed to be approximately 100 carats.

Word gets around to Danny Archer, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, who was arrested for smuggling diamonds to a neighboring country so buyers can claim the diamonds were conflict-free. Archer seeks Vandy after he is released in hopes of finding the diamond so he can settle his debt and leave the country safely. He persuades Vandy to help him, promising he can help find his family.

Archer later enlists the help of Maddy Bowen, an American journalist played by Jennifer Connelly, who says she is tired of writing tragedy pieces. She flirts with Archer, hoping to come across a story that will open people’s eyes. She is looking for the true story of the diamond trade and the corporate scandal that profits from the war, but she needs hard evidence before she prints anything. The three begin a journey to find the Blood Diamond, using each other to get what they want.

The plot thickens as Vandy finds his family in a refugee camp but realizes they cannot be released because the government isn’t sure who is a rebel. His family bears terrible news. Vandy’s son, Dia, has been kidnapped by the RUF and has likely become a child soldier. Vandy becomes desperate to find his son, who has ambitions of becoming a doctor. The stakes of the diamond are raised, as it now has the power to save a family and help Archer escape the country. Archer and Vandy must go deep into the RUF territory and into the middle of the battleground to recover the precious diamond.

“Blood Diamond” is an intense action movie with phenomenal acting and gripping plot twists. DiCaprio is sensational as Archer, having mastered a believable accent. He certainly has progressed from the teenybopper image that I have had of him since “Titanic.” With “The Departed” on his list of movies this season, he will without a doubt be a strong contender for an Oscar for best actor.

However, the real star of the movie is Hounsou, who acts with such intensity and emotion that he can’t help but break your heart again and again. He single-handedly delivers one of the strongest performances I have seen in a long time. His struggle to find his son under impossible circumstances will move you and leave you in awe.

This movie also introduces a exceptionally talented child actor, Caruso Kuypers, who is very convincing in the difficult role of a child soldier, at first appalled at the heinous acts he is forced to commit, but becomes more brainwashed as each day passes.

The storyline keeps the audience on edge for most of the movie, though it is slow in some parts. Unlike many movies of our time, the violence is shown in a bad light, painfully showing us the brutal reality, and sometimes overwhelming the audience, but overall sending a message that comes through clearly.

This film is intense and touching. It is unruly in its harsh reality, yet beautiful in the hope the characters in the story convey. “Blood Diamond” is a powerful picture that sends out a message without being too preachy, letting the images speak for themselves.