Too Long, Average

Rating: 6/10 (23 March 2005)

(Possible Spoilers)
Gangs of New York. Something most people would never think of. Probably a response would come of how all the gangs were in Chicago. However, this movie is set before the birth of Al Capone and his Italian gang. Set in 1863 New York, as the Civil War rages on, the movie let me down a little.
Amsterdam Vallon is the son of murdered gangs leader Priest Vallon of the Dead Rabbits Irish gang. After a grotesque battle at the start of this film, the movie takes an awkward turn into a slow drama in which Vallon goes to work for his fathers murderer Bill The Butcher (Daniel Day-Lewis) and then begins to plan against him.
Gangs of New York was long, too long yet it was fascinating. Seeing how the Irish were actually treated coming from a famine stricken country and how they weren't afraid to stand up against government and society was interesting. I've researched this era and am quite familiar with what actually happened. The riots at the end of this film were portrayed accurately being based solely on the issue of drafting immigrants and Tammany Hall's sway in office.
The city design and filming location was excellent.Acting was alright. Daniel Day-Lewis was solid as Bill, DiCaprio did a surprisingly good job as a main character yet Cameron Diaz as a main character in a historical drama made no sense. Visually the film was stunning and the history was accurate to a degree.
Gangs of New York. Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Cameron Diaz, Jim Broadbent, and Brendan Gleeson. 2 1/2 out of 5 Stars.