The Hands that Built America

Rating: 10/10 (21 April 2007)

Gangs of New York, in a nutshell, is a masterpiece. Not just any masterpiece, but yet another Scorsese masterpiece overlooked at the Academy Awards. This film makes you cringe at the very fitting gore, it makes you wonder about that whole period, and it fascinates you till the last scene, which is one of the best scenes in the whole thing. One of the best parts of the film is the riots, with superb cinematography and the 'commentary'. Daniel Day-Lewis is absolutely stunning here. He plays William "Bill the Butcher" Cutting amazingly well. He constantly has us mesmerized by fear - his presence is just electrifying. Cameron Diaz is also surprisingly good, in one of her deeper roles. Admittedly she is playing the love interest, but she really does bring her character to life. DiCaprio once again delivers, true to form. I would recommend this to anyone who doesn't mind a bit of gore and violence.