Confronting drama that's definitely worth it!

Rating: Null/10 (11 March 2003)

With Gangs of New York, I believe Scorsese wanted to make a confronting drama with enough realism to shock and hopefully even educate the audience. It is a movie you have to think long and hard about, and so yes, it can be a difficult film to follow. However, if you give the movie your full concentration, it's definitely worth it.
To me, realism was what Gangs of New York was all about. Maybe I'm wrong - maybe Scorsese didn't make a film that was entirely historically accurate. I can't say because I don't know the history of that time. However, from what I've read about his passion for this project, I would like to think the story was set in an accurate historical setting.
The cinematography was amazing, and the set design breath taking. I read that Scorsese insisted that huge sets be built, rather than relying on the ever increasing popularity of digital sets. I admired him for achieving such a realistic setting. In fact, in several scenes, I fully felt like I was right there in New York slumming it on the streets of Five Points. It was a chilling experience, that's for sure! But also a rather exhilerating one, as it helped me get involved with the story and feel more for the characters.
The violence - yes, there was a lot of blood and gore in this film. And it's the violence that seems to have annoyed many people. But again, I think the violence contributed to the realism Scorsese was trying to convey. Back then, New York really was that violent, and the people on the streets were exposed to it every day. I believe that since Scorsese wanted the audience to fully realise what it was like on the streets of New York, then this is what we needed to see. It takes a brave director to shed blood so openly onscreen, and I commend Scorsese for not attempting to make it less gorish than it really was.
The acting was superb - I couldn't fault anyone. Daniel Day Lewis certainly stood out as Bill the Butcher and gave a masterfully chilling performance. I also liked the way Cameron Diaz portrayed her character. It could have been a kitsch role, but Diaz gave Jenny depth and compassion, which made her all the more believeable and likeable. I am glad the character of Jenny was included to show life in New York from a female perspective, and what the women of that time had to go through as men behaved crazily around them.
Finally, I'm happy to say that Leonardo DiCaprio's portrayal of Amsterdam has given me even more faith in his acting ability. After seeing his great performance in Catch Me If You Can, I was expecting a brilliant role in Gangs of New York, and that's exactly what I got. I am now very confident that Leonardo will make a perfect Alexander in Baz Luhrmann's upcoming epic, Alexander the Great.