So much potential...such a disappointment

Rating: Null/10 (4 July 2003)

The potential for the making of this film was tremendous but, in my opinion, ultimately failed to deliver. The setting for the picture - an incredibly interesting chapter in the history of New York City - was not utilised to it's full potential by Scorcese.
I was fascinated by the small historical lessons that were drip fed to me throughout the film. Although, I appreciate that the studio is not in the business of financing 3-hour history lessons, I felt that the viewer could have learned a lot more and still have been entertained at the same time, had the movie been structured in the right way.
The visual effects of the film are quite stunning and in this respect it truly is an epic. The performance of Daniel Day-Lewis is, as you come to expect from this fine actor, quite extraordinary. His screen presence alone makes up for most of the film's shortcomings. By this, I mean that I would recommend seeing the film purely to experience this particular performance. It is fair comment to say that Leo DiCaprio was miscast, although, I also feel that his character, Amsterdam, was out of place in this mid-19th century New York setting.
I couldn't help but feel, as the final credits were rolling, that this movie falls into the same tragic category as `Pearl Harbour'. The time, place and high emotions running in these settings provide a background with endless possibilities for intriguing characters and riveting plots but both, for me, fail miserably to deliver. Similarly with "Pearl Harbour", the inclusion of the Amsterdam & Jenny characters and their sickly-sweet romantic tale seems wildly out of place in this violent and crude setting.

Would not tales of the earlier, on-going battles between Bill the Butcher & 'Priest' Vallon and their respective gangs have made for a more realistic and interesting film in this particular background? Particularly as the wonderful talent of Liam Neeson wouldn't have been so tragically under-utilised (imagine, DD-L and Neeson in a running battle of wills & arms, head-to-head throughout the majority of the film!). I suspect that it is the `money men' of the industry who insist upon including these soppy romantic sub-plots, maybe it is the writer & director themselves, but they only serve to drag down movies in which, they have no place.
An acknowledgement to Jim Broadbent for his convincing portrayal of "Boss Tweed" is also well deserved. Along with Day-Lewis, his performance virtually saves the movie.
Apologies to those of you who enjoyed `Pearl Harbour', by the way, but I figured the numbers would be so few, that the damage done would be minimal :-)
Only just makes 7/10 (thanks to Daniel Day-Lewis).