Visually Stunning

Rating: Null/10 (25 June 2007)

These are my impressions of this movie: It was very powerful. I missed the beginning; saw most of the rest on TV today. Hope to see the whole thing sometime.
I was not able to see this movie when it was new. I can remember wanting to see it for the nerdy, goofy plaid pants and giant top hats of the main male characters. I am interested in historic fashion design.
Bill the Butcher almost comical. Daniel Day-Lewis was very striking with his accent, since this character was nowhere near Day-Lewis' elegant gentleman of "The Age of Innocence" or his rustic Hawkeye in "Last of the Mohicans".
DiCaprio: Like Day-Lewis, good in historical dramas. For DiCaprio, this movie was made in between "Titanic" and "The Aviator". I saw them both, and also first saw DiCaprio in "Romeo and Juliet". I was thinking how I had seen "Titanic" many times, remembering Jack's ending scene where he was being frozen and then slipped beneath the waves soon before Rose was rescued. I feel that DiCaprio really inhabits his characters. I was so amazed that he became Howard Hughes in "The Aviator", and in "Gangs" he does not disappoint. The cool thing is that Amsterdam is a quick learner, and learns to use Bill the Butcher's instructions to do-in the old buzzard himself, LOL.
I am a History Major at The Ohio State University. I know that the draft riots happened, but did not know that they occurred during the background of this story. I will do research on the draft riots.
Since I didn't see the early part of "Gangs", I must have missed where Day-Lewis' and DiCaprio's goofy clothes were untouched by all the blood, gore and destruction of their final battle. The duel was very scary, but looks like Superman beat Lex Luthor again.
Kudos to Director Scorsese!
12/10