A big load of hooh-hah over nothing really

Rating: Null/10 (18 November 2003)

STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs
Martin Scorsese takes an Oliver Stone esque stab at the American dream/ideology with his latest offering,seeking to shatter anyone's illusions that America was a land built on hope and prosperity with his tale of the war that waged on New York's Five Points area between 1846 and 1863 between the American natives and Irish immigrants,interwining it with the tale of young man Amsterdam Vallon's (Leonardo Di Caprio) quest for vengeance against the leader of the native's Bill 'The Butcher' (Daniel Day Lewis) because he was the one who murdered his father (Liam Neeson).
It's directed by Martin Scorsese,it's epic in scope and length,it has an all star cast (including,by the way,Cameron Diaz as a female pick-pocket) and it's the kind of thing the Academy usually lap up anyway.Of course oscars were in the air in the case of Gangs of New York.
Personally,though,I couldn't help but feel the movie was trying to send me to sleep,a meandering,lengthy hodge-podge of bland characterization,ineffective characters,disjointed plotting and a script that always seems to be trying too hard.On the plus side,I suppose,there is Day Lewis's engaging performance to bear in mind (he did win the oscar,didn't he?),as well an absorbing feel to the time and place setting.And to be honest,it's got far too much interesting themes and ideas to explore to be completely not worth your time.But,bearing the length in mind,if you manage not to nod off (or switch off,for that matter) before the end,maybe you deserve to win an oscar.***