A perfect gore-fest buried in nonsense

Rating: 1/10 (29 December 2002)

Historically questionable, the plot, if there is one, is nothing more than a collection of misguided social statements from the director, Martin Scorsese, mixed with old-hat themes of vengeance and sex. Viewers are expected to take in a whole range of simplistic stereotypes that serve only to blur the weak story:
Minority immigrants are poor victims of racism, but we are to ignore the racism they bring with them and the very real economic threat they presented to an already crowded area.
White Anglo-Saxons are greedy, self-serving oppressors, even though they built the city, let alone the nation, to which the immigrants willingly came.
All Christians are hypocrits, which is an asinine theme Scorsese crams into all his works, whether such a point fits or not. It was Christian principles and the selfless toil of missionaries and churches that ended the sorts of human depravity that did take place in that time and place, despite the ever present contrary behavior of those who call themselves Christian yet live as pigs and dogs. Viewers are not expected to know the difference. Women are helpless and good even when they are whores, thieves, and murderers.
All of the characters in this movie are cowards, except when they fight each other. It's okay to be a coward as long as one is also a savage.
If you're looking for an historical film, this one is too focused on petty barbarism to give a worthwhile sense of life in early New York City, and awfully slanted to support the director's obtuse views. If you want drama, this offers only hatred. For entertainment, see just about any other film.
If you want senseless gore without any good guys or fun then this movie is a perfect 10.