A bit pretentious, but very good

Rating: 8/10 (19 July 2003)

"Gangs of New York" is a very powerful film about events in American history that we usually don't learn about: the absolute squallor of the poor sections of cities, the hate which met immigrants as they left the boats, and very widespread opposition to the Civil War, especially amongst those poor who could not afford to buy their way out of the draft.
Unfortunately, it's a Scorsese film, so we have to sit through sequences that could have been done shorter and still conveyed the same meaning and power, we have to sit through plenty of pretentious garbage (although here it's not that awful), and far too many sweeping shots of, well, everything. Don't get me wrong, Scorsese's talented, I just get tired of his style sometimes.
The performances are good; Daniel Day-Lewis is just incredible as the cold-blooded Bill the Butcher. DiCaprio and Diaz do well, although their Irish accents are questionable most of the time (Diaz's especially). I was far more impressed by the supporting cast, which moved in and out of each scene beautifully.
Overall, you should definitely check this movie out. Be warned though: one, it is very violent, and two, you are going to see a very realistic portrayal of the poor in the 19th century, and it isn't a bunch of loveable scamps like you see in most movies.