Fear preserves the spectacle of life.

Rating: 8/10 (21 January 2003)

Martin Scorsese directs a savage and brutal masterpiece. A young boy(Leonardo DiCaprio)witnesses the killing of his father the Priest Vallon(Liam Neeson). Amsterdam Vallon(DiCaprio)returns from a fifteen year or so stay in reform school to the Five Points area of NYC seeking revenge against Bill the Butcher(Daniel Day-Lewis), his father's killer. Bill is a racist bully and believes he is the king of New York, or at least his own little corner of the world. Amsterdam gets in the good graces of the Butcher only to plot his demise. Along the way the young Vallon meets a pocket picking whore Jenny(Cameron Diaz)and reluctantly falls in love. The tribes of the city are summoned for the mother of all knock down drag out duels with the Butcher and Amsterdam intent on slaying the other.
The scenes of 1840s and 1860s New York City are awesome. Great photography and camera work. The most dramatic scene is of the blood covered and body cluttered snow at the film's beginning. This of course seems tame compared to the carnage that brings this epic to a close. Day-Lewis is commanding in his role of the Butcher, one the most egotistical and racist savage characters unable to escape your memory. DiCaprio seems an awkward choice for his role and at times seems unlikely to achieve his character's accomplishments. Diaz was down right fetching and I still believe she could tempt a dead man. Also in the cast are Jim Broadbent, Brendan Gleeson, David Hemmings, Joseph P. Reidy, Henry Thomas and John C. Reilly.

Sometimes a little bit too wordy and slow, but still this almost three hour film is strong enough to hold your interest and imagination. In spite of the nay-sayers I believe Scorcese is a master among his peers. And being Irish is no requirement for feeling some pride or sorrow.