Martin misses the bull's eye....

Rating: 4/10 (26 November 2005)

It's very difficult for me to criticize Martin Scorsese, but he really didn't live up to some of the other titles in his catalog with this one.
It starts off set in pre-Civil War era New York with a well-picked cast and an overall look and feel that creates an eye-catching backdrop for a less interesting story. Daniel Day-Lewis creates an extremely charismatic and likable villain as Bill the Butcher, which is really the films only saving grace. The first hour of the film is good, but it soon fizzles into a predictable plot and thereafter becomes a Peter Pan vs. Captain Hook-like epic between Bill the Butcher and the Priest's Son, played by Leo DiCaprio. Leonardo DiCaprio has a boyish tone in his voice and overall look that makes any 'grown-up' role he tries to play seem over-stretched. I'm really not a fan of him, I might have liked the film a bit more if someone else was cast as the lead. Like I had mentioned before, I found myself not caring about the plot or the characters about halfway through the film. Very Disappointing.
On the other hand, if your a fan of Daniel Day-Lewis, I'd recommend it just to watch him be the only person who even TRIES to salvage this film. In all honesty its worth it to stomach this film once through the watch his performance.
If your a fan of Leonardo DiCaprio, I'd recommend it for the typical role he plays in it.. (Titanic, anyone?)
If your a fan of Martin Scorsese, I don't recommend it at all. Fans of 'Raging Bull' and 'GoodFellas' probably are not going to sit through it.