Flawed diamond

Rating: 9/10 (10 December 2002)

Anyone expecting an historical chronology along the lines of The Godfather will be disappointed by this. Not that they should be - the sets are superb and the acting mostly first-class (yes, even Di Caprio). The film is set in a period of American history that (to my knowledge, at least) has rarely been used in film before. The whole tale of Five Points (sited where Wall Street is today!) is a fascinating depiction of a country in the making. It might be almost three hours long, but it certainly isn't boring. Perhaps Gangs of New York should be seen as a cinema counterpoint to Sleepy Hollow - that periwigged world between the Georgian colonists of the turn of the century and the frontier Wild West of the 1870s. Eat your heart out, LA gangs - America has never been so lawless... What lets the film down is the parallel plot of the affair between Di Caprio and Diaz which, for me, had too many overtones of Titanic without the water. Not that it's particularly bad, just that it's unneccesary in the context of such a big story. It's a pity, really - when you should be getting The Godfather, you feel you've somehow ended up with West Side Story... Di Caprio is the surprise - it's nice to see the man can act. Cameron Diaz is bewitching as the pickpocket who steals his heart. But it's Daniel Day Lewis who really takes the honours. Overwhelmingly charismatic as Bill the Butcher, this man has power on screen. If he doesn't get an Oscar, I'll eat my stovepipe hat... Gangs of New York is by no means without faults. Don't let any of this put you off, though - this is a powerful film that's worth seeing. And don't worry Mr Scorsese - if it bombs now, it will be seen as a classic in the future.