Daniel Day-Lewis Is Too Good

Rating: 6/10 (31 March 2012)

Daniel Day-Lewis absolutely steals the show in Gangs of New York as the antagonist, Bill "The Butcher" Cutting. His performance is so unbelievably enjoyable that the audience becomes more excited to see him on the screen than the protagonist, Amsterdam Vallon (played by Leonardo DiCaprio). The plot is Scorsese's take on a simple revenge plot, but Day-Lewis' portrayal of the villain turns that on its head with more of his brilliant acting. It also doesn't hurt that he is in a movie that "stars" Cameron Diaz, who is less-than-mediocre, especially in this movie. Her performance is incredibly unbelievable, and it still baffles me that Scorsese trusted her acting.
The other major problem that I find with this movie is that it is cluttered with details. Scorsese's ambitions were too high for this film, in my opinion, and it shows quite brightly. There are too many characters, accents, and historical events taking place to actually have a real focus to the film. The tension is unclear because there are so many different things happening at once. It's really messy. Because of this, it felt like I was watching a movie, rather than being immersed in a story, because I had to try with intent to understand the different levels of the film.
Pros: - Daniel Day-Lewis' acting - Editing - Decent cinematography - Costume/wardrobes - Portrayal of mid-19th century politics
Cons: - Cluttered/messy - The acting (besides Day-Lewis) - Length of the movie - Screenplay (at times, characters' reactions were unrealistically written) - No driving tension
I would recommend this movie to anyone who wants to watch an electrifying performance by one of the greatest contemporary actors. But do not go into this movie thinking that it is like Scorsese's other films. It doesn't compare to Goodfellas or The Departed, but it's worth watching.