The Anti-Leo

Rating: 8/10 (8 July 2003)

To be honest I was not expecting this movie to be as good as it was. I am not a big fan or follower of Leo Dicaprio in any way. As a matter of fact i was planning to explicitly avoid this film because of his involvement in this movie. However as fate played out on a cold Saturday night with 2 friends and nowhere to go. External influences created the opportunity that allowed me to be pleasantly surprised with this film. This movie was good on so many levels that i can't cover everything i liked about it because i liked it so much i can't separate all the parts of the film that i enjoyed. The acting, first of all has to be mentioned. As does the directing, the visual effects, the colours, the costumes and the great plot.
This is certainly not the kind of movie one would expect from a typical Leo movie so in that way this is kind of a "Anti-Leo" movie. The performance of Daniel Day-Lewis was astounding and the fact that he lost out on the Oscar to the Adrien Brody, is unfortunate. Day-Lewis is clearly heads and shoulders above 99% of actors in the world and his talent is clearly evident in this role, Bill the Butcher Cutting. This is coming from a person who previously despised his earlier movies and refused to watch them. He changed my mind about him and thats a hard thing to do. although i loved this movie, i didn't not change my view of Leo and would not change it unless he pulls off something the way Day-Lewis did, which i can't perceive occurring.
As I was watching this movie I couldn't help but to think that this explains why New York is the way it is now. I mean I don't want to knock an entire city but it's pretty much the same way they portrayed the beginnings of it in this film. Crime everywhere, filthy streets and crooks trying to swindle you any chance they can get. Pretty much the way it is today. Lets not kid ourselves, even New Yorkers know it. I apologize to the decent people in New York but give me a break, this movie mimics real life with an artistic twist and there's no denying it.
So the acting is great, the visuals are powerful and it's an interesting look into the origins of the Great City of New York. I also liked the historical content and accuracy as they added in the scenes of the Irish landing in friendly New York as the escape the horrors of the Irish Potato Famine. 9 out of 10. A surprising hit!