DoppelgÃ¤ngers of New York

Rating: 6/10 (27 December 2002)

Oh Marty Scorcese!
Well, I finally saw it and I must say the word I came away with was: empty. Now the movie had a lot going for it and for the first hour I was hooked but there were several things that ended up working against it:
Daniel Day-Lewis's performance while technically excellent was dry and left me wanting for emotion. This was a man who exemplified the very core of everything I hate yet somehow I didn't hate him. More often than not he reminded me of Dustin Hoffman in 'Hook,' although Hoffman was meaner.
Leonardo DiCaprio's performance ,however, was very raw and emotionally charged despite his wavering Irish accent. His scenes are some of the more impressive along with Henry Thomas' amazing turn, he only continues to grow as an actor and is truly underrated.
Where Gangs of New York suffers is towards the end. First, off it loses momentum by taking 30 to 40 minutes too long to end.
The backdrop of the draft riots get too involved in the film and nearly ruin it.
The confrontation between Amsterdam and Cutting is too short.
Then there's a corny closing images meaning the graves with bad CGI, and this cost 97 million dollars?
While the opening sequence of the film is fantastic and is what keeps you going. Scorcese leaves you wanting in the action sequences. Only showing you effect and not cause. If it were not for the importance of the scene and the good cutting it would've been a waste. He improves some in the middle but at the end shows but a little.
While it's one of those films you know could end in 5 minutes. Gangs of New York is a film that could've been great that missed the mark. 6/10