Underrated

Rating: 10/10 (15 November 2009)

This is probably the most underrated movie of 2002. I have to admit that certain details of the movie are cheesy, but I still think that it's a good movie. The best thing of course, by far, is Daniel Day Lewis. The interesting thing is that the grittiness makes you speculate about the foundations of the gangs that exist today. Even the recreation of some aspects of the gang wear makes you think about this. The sort of flair, in other words, utilized by some gang members today. That said, there is something definitely eerie about Daniel Day Lewis' performance. I guess you could call it a caricature, but a definitely fascinating one. We can only speculate at the amount of melodramatic style gang members of that day would behave as, but Day Lewis' helps in bringing you into the cartoonish world that must have been. I sort of don't know if DiCaprio resigned himself to be worked around by Day Lewis, or what; but his acting and character still remain at least vaguely interesting (and yet completely eclipsed by Daniel Day Lewis' performance). This movie is good historical fare, and one of Day Lewis' best performances. While it isn't Martin Scorsese's best movie, (I think that Goodfellas takes care of that..) it is definitely a step up above most movies. Completely evocative.