A little long but very good

Rating: 8/10 (26 November 2004)

This film will make you feel depressed after watching it - it is just the mood of the film, not the film itself or its message.
The acting was great except for Cameron Diaz (why she was picked to play an Irish pickpocket does not make sense and she cannot fake her accent well - nor Leonardo DiCaprio for that matter), and Daniel Day Lewis definitely was perfect for this role.
The cinematography, editing, sound were all great and conveyed the mood well. The costumes were pretty good but makeup was lacking - everyone still seemed very clean despite the filthy living conditions of the day, although apparently this was the fault of producers and test audiences who felt DiCaprio seemed unattractive so historical accuracy lost there.
On that note, this film does not shy away from violence and corruption which founded America, which is particularly brave considering the times we live in and our fear of admitting we ever did wrong. Some of the fight scenes - in particular the introductory fight - were a little long and overdone but overall they were well done.
This is not Scorsese's best film but it is a good film - as Ebert stated in his review, it would have been a triumph for someone else but compared to his past work it is fairly average (which still means very very good) compared to his other films.
I can't really find anything wrong with this film but it does run long so expect that. Definitely worth a watch for some great performances but not a classic as it is a downer.
OVERALL SCORE: 8 out of 10. Great film so long as you're in the mood.