A lucid approach to American history

Rating: Null/10 (3 February 2003)

Certainly, not Scorsese's best movie, but a very interesting and lucid approach to American history. A better editing would have probably improved it a lot: the first part of the movie is excessively filled with gratuitous violence, which turns out being narratively redundant. The second part manages quite well to intertwine the individual plot with historical events. Scorsese's perspective on the Civil War might not appeal to the average American spectator - mainly for its lack of manicheism - but it is certainly deep and accurate. A "western" of the East Coast, from a stylistic point of view, Gangs of New York seems to be shot with Sergio Leone in mind.