It had potential...

Rating: 1/10 (20 July 2003)

Reading the many post on the movie, I was taken aback by the rosy comments. What was I missing? When the movie ended, I thought, "That's it?' This was nominated for best picture? I do not fault Martin Scorsese. The blame is on the awful script: So many ideas but not a good story to tie them together. The ending was just hollow and flashy.
Going back and watching it a second time, I appreciate the efforts of Daniel-Day Lewis and Martin Scorsese. The set design was also phenomenal. I think one of the main flaws in the movie is Leo's character. His character seems more designed like a background character instead of a main character. At the end of the movie, I could care less if he survived or died. Cameron Diaz's character was tacked on and useless. If the movie focused more on Bill the butcher and followed his story arch, I would have like the movie a lot more. The movie would have been more engaging. I believe this movie will be remembered for Daniel-Day Lewis's performance. I am interested in seeing people's opinion ten years from now. For now, I give it a 4/10 rating. It had potential but just did not work.