Interesting, but far from entertaining

Rating: 5/10 (7 March 2005)

We all heard the rumours that were hurtling around Martin Scorsese's latest film, as the release date was continually delayed and stories of on set tensions were common place. None of that matters, but it did create a great deal of added publicity and anticipation. It is because of this that much of the cinema going public began to expect a popcorn blockbuster. Especially as it stars Hollywood pretty boy Leonardo DiCaprio who is now better known for the prole friendly films, such as Titanic, than his earlier grittier roles. Scorsese's films are often dark and disturbing, with unglamourous violence, in which the narrative is put before entertainment. This is true for Gangs of New York, which is actually a gangland period drama set against the backdrop of the Civil War. It is not a pleasant film to watch, and is a story of revenge and survival. It is also not a noble story of good versus evil, but of petty squabble's over race, colour, religion, politics, power and territory.
It is set in the 19th Century as Irish immigrants escape the potato famine by turning up on American shores in their hordes. This leads to gang wars between the natives, led by Bill the Butcher (Daniel Day-Lewis), and the Immigrants, led by Amsterdam (DiCaprio), who is also on a crusade of vengeance for his fathers death. The story is told around an overcrowded, corrupt cesspit called Paradise Square, which was actually built as a fantastic, sprawling 2-mile set piece. This set is the best thing about this film, especially when blue screens and computer-generated effects are all the rage. All the actors give fine performances, (although some of the accents do waver occasionally), especially Day-Lewis, who came out of a semi-retirement in which he was working as a Cobbler. Diaz has a strong meaty role which she makes the most of, and is certainly not there just as eye candy, as there is no place for femininity in this squalor. It is a fantastic story that almost feels like a documentary due to the superb attention to detail. It should be watched as a reminder of the darkest sides of human nature, especially as the same bigotry and irrational hate is still a part of all of our lives today. Unfortunately the uncharismatic leads fail to win us over, and we watch out of a morbid fascination that people could actually live like this, instead of caring about the outcome for the characters. There is also the tease of a great gang battle at the end of the film, which is snatched from us in a hail of cannon fire. Perhaps that would have been too much of a Hollywood ending, but I wanted it, and felt cheated as I came out of the cinema. Gangs of New York is a raw look at a brutal moment of history in which the ragged, desperate masses do anything to survive, and are then told to go and fight for the right to starve in the gutter. A powerful film, with a couple of scenes that will haunt you for a long time to come, but I just wanted to be entertained.