Pretty fair but misses being great

Rating: 6/10 (26 July 2003)

This is a drawn-out story of the battle of the Irish to be accepted in NY. I mentioned drawn-out because that's its main flaw - it's too long. The story could be shortened and the film would gain by losing some footage. The acting is pretty decent throughout, though nobody is particularly outstanding in this one. The strongest performance is by Daniel Day-Lewis as Bill the Butcher, and he outshines both Pitt and Diaz. Overall, I'm not sorry I watched it, but I'm really glad I didn't pay more than a rental fee to see it.