Memorable enough yet flawed.

Rating: 7/10 (5 January 2005)

This was the first Scorsese movie I ever saw and at first I thought Gangs of New York to be a masterpiece. Since viewing Scorsese's superior earlier works (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull etc) my feelings about Gangs of New York have changed somewhat.
One of the films major flaws is its casting of Leonardo Dicaprio. Leonardo DiCaprio appears to be trying incredibly hard in his lead role, yet he still looks to clean cut and boyish to be taking on the role of a New York Gangster. Cameron Diaz is feisty and does her job in an apt enough fashion but the only memorable performance in the movie comes from Daniel Day-Lewis. He excels as the ruthless Bill the Butcher and he turns the aggressive notch down in his compassionate speech about his troubled upbringing. Where Gangs of New York goes down slightly in my estimations is in its execution. Too many minor and in the end insignificant characters are introduced instead of there being development to other characters such as Diaz's Jenny Everdeane.
All said and done though "Gangs" is a highly entertaining movie with well executed, brutal fight scenes, lavish set and costume design and an acting masterclass from Daniel Day-Lewis.