I missed something, particularly the last hour; 5 out of 10

Rating: 5/10 (27 February 2004)

I fell asleep shortly after the beginning of the 2nd act so you might say that I am not entitled to write a review on a film that I haven't even finished. Well, tough.
Having received so much positive buzz at the Academy Awards I was more than eager to watch GoNY. I always intend to watch any movie with open ears and an open mind, while trying not to listen to the opinions of others. This was the very rare film that I just could not get through. Do not get me wrong, there were several aspects that I did find redeemable. The meticulously designed sets and costumes are certainly nice eye candy and the cinematography was occasionally stunning. However, visual impressions can only carry a film so far.
The acting was mediocre, save for Daniel Day-Lewis who breaks free from the weak script and gets more out of his character than probably was written. His portrayal of Bill the Butcher is razor sharp and always believable as he easily creates one of cinema's most memorable villains. Cameron Diaz is okay at best but I just had a hard time accepting her as an Irish woman, in a period piece epic no less. Now let's move on to Leo Dicaprio. I have never been too fond of his acting, except in What's Eating Gilbert Grape and Titanic, and his performance in GoNY is no exception; he was grossly miscast as the young lead. He always seems distant and uninterested throughout, not to mention the fact that his Irish accent is shaky and is ALWAYS coming and going which is incredibly annoying. Supporting performances were fine but forgettable because of weakly written characters, especially John C. Reilly who I kept wanting to see more of. All of his other roles in 2002 (Chicago, The Hours, The Good Girl) were terrific as he would have been here but he is sadly held back by other problems.
The script was very weak and did not have much direction; it just meandered here and there for too long. It was not until Bill is spouting a monologue to Amsterdam that things get somewhat interesting and the story might have a definite course. Unfortunately but by that time my eyelids were so heavy from the material that proceeded this that the monologue was not able to compensate. Most of the dialogue was contrived, constantly awkward and at times extremely uncomfortable. It just seemed to me that the writers were trying to cram in as many racial derogatory terms as they possibly could. The "love story between DiCaprio and Diaz," which was the worst love/hate relationship I have ever seen on screen, was unnecessary. If there is going to be an inclusion of a love subplot it has to be done right or not at all. Their obligatory love scenes were awfully forceful and hard to swallow.
Howard Shore's score greatly disappointed me, especially since I have been such a fan of his past work. In the opening battle scene he oddly picks an alternative rock piece that is as out of place as could be and all of the compositions were awfully simplistic.
Scorsese's direction was fine, and that is all it was, fine. Oscar-worthy? Hardly. Nothing at all special compared to what he has done in the past. For me it was just lacking something.
I can understand how critics and audiences can just eat this film up because of how manipulatively patriotic it is after the 9/11 tragedy. I, however, did not buy into it. I just do not understand how much attention this film got. I should try watching it again without falling asleep which I do intend on doing. But as it is, GoNY, so far, gets a 5 out of 10 from me.