A good film, but not a great film.

Rating: 7/10 (24 August 2011)

Gangs of New York is a very fine example of style over substance, with a bit of acting that just hauls it into the 'good' ratings.
The initial plot is one of interest. A war between supposed 'natives' and 'Irish immigrants' in the middle of Five Points in 1800's New York was a very good idea that handled correctly could have made a real statement. And this film certainly had the cast to do it with - Daniel Day Lewis as the leader of the natives, and Liam Neeson as the leader of the Irish immigrant. The problem is that rather than focus on the war, it chooses to then focus on a somewhat clichéd revenge story. Bill the Butcher (Day-Lewis) kills the Priest (Neeson), and the Priest's son then comes back to kill Bill.
And here's the first problem that shows the story is wrong - A Priest can't have children if they've been ordained before marriage etc. That's actually quite a slip from the film-makers and immediately the film loses a sense of realism.
It then goes on to try and tell too many other stories. To add to the Five Points war, you then have the Civil War, a love story that doesn't seem to make sense and corrupt politics. Scorsese tries to make the film an epic, but doesn't explore it enough and leaves a few too many lose ends.
However, there are many plus points in this film that make it entirely watchable and entertaining. First of all, Scorsese's direction is very, very good. He directs some slick action scenes, some brutal fight scenes and the overall look of the film is outstanding. The set is exceptional, and clearly was researched properly even if other elements of the film weren't.
Also, generally the characters are defined enough that you know their motives, and were the cast exceptionally well so there is at least realism in the acting. Liam Neeson as the Priest at the beginning is a solid role. Brendan Gleeson as "Monk" is good, and even Leo DiCaprio is competent enough. But this film really is about the acting between Daniel Day Lewis as Bill Butcher and Jim Broadbent as 'Boss' Tweed, the corrupt politician. They are both outstanding.
Overall, this is a well acted, stylishly directed film. It's good to look at and there's enough plot development that it is entertaining. But I do feel that if they'd not bothered with the revenge plot and had instead focused on the political story, they'd have had a far better film.