`America Was Born In The Streets.' DAMN RIGHT!!!

Rating: 8/10 (9 April 2003)

Gangs of New York {GONY} is an amazing historical rare gem. Mr. Scorsese has out done himself with this one. A fascinating journey of New York City in 1863. The civil war, the draft riots, the gangs, the violence, the crime, the culture, the politics, the city, and everything in between. Another outstanding directing accomplishment by Mr. Scorsese, with the passion a lot of directors only dream about. No matter what you say about Scorsese or about his directing, you can't knock his passion for filmmaking. The film starts in 1846 with a fight over the five points between the Natives and the Irishmen. The five points is five streets that come together in lower Manhattan. During the fight the leader of the Irishmen, Priest Vallon {Liam Neeson}, gets killed by William Bill The Butcher' Cutting {Daniel Day-Lewis}. During the fighting the son of the Priest, Amsterdam Vallon {Leonardo DiCaprio}, sees his father die. He is then put into a boy home for seventeen years. The film fast forwards through those seventeen years and picks up in 1863. The boy has become a man in his middle twenties and wants to revenge is father's death by taking the life of the man that took his father's. He finds it hard to kill the man that killed his father as he takes a liking to Bill The Butcher, and vise versa. The film is rich in history and beauty. The only thing that I do not like about the film is the character Jenny Everdeane {Cameron Diaz}. There is no reason for her part in the film. But I guess Hollywood needs that key female role. Only during her parts does the film drag. She slows it down too much. Not because of Diaz herself, just her role. Nothing really important happens during her time on the screen. There are a couple of scenes with her that are entertaining. But that's only because of the written, directing, and the other actors, not because of her. They could have had any actress for those scenes. All they had to do is cut most of the scenes out and keep the entertaining ones. All she does is keep some hostility between Vallon and The Butcher, which is important. But any whore can do that, that's what women do. The biggest reason I don't give GONY four stars and a 10/10 is because of the Jenny character. I already saw the film three times in the theater, so I don't think one more viewing would change my mind about the character. But I won't know until I view it again. The film has everything down to a science, from the set direction, costume design, and cinematography, its all fantastic. I give Gangs of New York * * * ½ {out of four stars} & a 9/10.