Everything About This Film Is Overshadowed By Daniel Day-Lewis' Astonishing Performance

Rating: Null/10 (25 March 2018)

Beginning the director-actor collaboration between Martin Scorsese & Leonardo DiCaprio on a promising note, Gangs of New York paints a fascinating portrait of its era and is a meticulously researched period drama but pretty much everything about it is overshadowed by the exceptional performance from Daniel Day-Lewis.
Set in mid-19th century New York, the story of Gangs of New York follows an Irish immigrant who witnessed his father being murdered by the leader of an opposing gang as a kid and returns to the place years later to avenge his death. Meanwhile, the forced conscription in the ongoing Civil War ultimately leads to city wide riots.
Directed by Martin Scorsese, the 19th century New York comes to cinematic life in splendid detail and is a result of painstaking research & era appropriate set pieces. Scorsese's direction has the drama going up & down throughout its runtime, for many segments are highly engaging while others are poorly handled & tediously paced.
Production design team does a spectacular job at transporting the viewers back to its timeline and the entire cityscape has an authentic feel to it. Camera is expertly operated, utilising many of the director's trademarks. The pace only gets worse as plot progresses plus there are many scenes that the film could have done without. And Howard Shore turns in a fitting score.
Coming to the performances, Gangs of New York is spearheaded by a memorable showcase from Daniel Day-Lewis whose rendition of Bill the Butcher easily ranks amongst his finest acts. Leonardo DiCaprio also chips in with a strong input in his supporting role and so does the rest of the cast but none of them hold a candle to Day-Lewis magnetic screen presence & sheer commitment to his role.
On an overall scale, Gangs of New York nails the period details of its story but the drama isn't entirely compelling and the only aspects that keep it together are its historical depictions & Daniel Day-Lewis' electrifying performance. Opening on a violent, chaotic & instantly gripping note but losing its grasp in the middle, Gangs of New York impresses in bits n pieces but it's nonetheless worth a watch for Day-Lewis' riveting act alone.