Place and Time But not People Picture

Rating: 8/10 (17 July 2003)

If you have an interest in obscure corners of history that affected the development of what we are today then you will enjoy this picture. If you are looking for pure entertainment, a classic story, or an appealing romance, then you probably want to just move along.
But I am one of the former and I enjoyed the spectacle. Watching the movie prompted me to head on out to the net and do some "Five Points" surfing to get the real facts behind a story I had not heard before. This is a "place and time" picture that is visually rich and does a great job of capturing the mood and atmosphere of an obscure, and not very pretty, moment of our history.
But the people who inhabit this world are pretty much cardboard cutouts, or worse, with the exception of the villain who successfully possessed the body of Daniel Day Lewis. Despite Lewis's grand attempt this is not a character driven movie. The real main character was the city of New York.
Lewis puts on an incredible performance. One of the finest characterizations of the villain I've seen. Even though the character is palpably evil every time he appears on screen, Lewis makes you understand him and, at times, empathize with him.
Nothing of the sort can be said for the supporting cast. Leonardo DiCaprio waltzed through this film without even bothering to maintain his fake Irish accent in half his scenes. The idea that any character played by DiCaprio could have survived 16 years in an 1846 New York Reform Prison is ludicrous. Miscast AND bad acting is an unpleasant combination
Cameron Diaz went to the outer edge of her limited range, but unfortunately that range does not extend to any role that takes place earlier than 1994. Seeing Cameron Diaz in this picture was, in some ways, more shocking than seeing a Chevy Corvette driving past Boss Tweed's carriage would have been.
Speaking of Boss Tweed, a passable job of acting in that portrayal. But in this movie, passable acting stands out.
But I did enjoy the movie. I was able to concentrate on Lewis, ignore all the rest, and learn something about an interesting place and time.