too much of a good thing

Rating: 7/10 (21 January 2015)

It's 1846 in the Five Point neighborhood in NYC. Bill "the Butcher" Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis) and his U.S. born gang kill Priest Vallon (Liam Neeson) in a mass gang fight. Little Amsterdam Vallon runs away taking the knife that killed his father. Sixteen years later, Amsterdam (Leonardo DiCaprio) returns to the neighborhood from reform house to avenge his father. Johnny Sirocco (Henry Thomas) is a boy from the old days who joins him. He is taken with pickpocket Jenny Everdeane (Cameron Diaz). Bill leads the most powerful gang and everyone are loyal to him. Boss Tweed (Jim Broadbent) in Tammany Hall are in league with him. The country is deep into the Civil War and the city is on the brink of riots. The Priest's old colleges are scattered. Amsterdam insinuates himself into Bill's circle.
This is a massive movie from Martin Scorsese. It is an admirable undertaking. Once again, Daniel Day-Lewis delivers a pitch perfect performance. He is exactly Bill the Butcher. He overshadows everybody including Leo. The story is a mess of characters and relationships. The plot really doesn't flow. Everything is played to the fullest. It needs to lay out the story more simply. There is too much here but all of it is impeccably done.