Grandiose.

Rating: 9/10 (18 December 2007)

While I do have some complaints with the way that Scorsese handled the film's style I found it to be a very enjoyable film highlighted by one of the finest performances of all time. The editing during the fight scenes happens way too quickly and becomes convoluted, and the way that he introduced us to the era seemed far too rushed and never really let us understand the surroundings that we were placed in. The script does a good job of explaining the politics of the time period and what was happening in New York at that time in history, but the introduction to it all felt really forced and rushed. But once I got used to that, it was quite easy to immerse myself into the setting. The art direction and costume design is phenomenal and all of the actors do a great job of making us feel like we're there with them.
In order for me to like a film I have to like the story and Gangs of New York has the benefit of being a sensational, almost Shakespearean, tragedy which I absolutely adore. The story centers around Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio) who, as a child, sees his father slain in battle by the menacing Bill "The Butcher" Cunning (Daniel Day-Lewis). He flees the scene and lives at the church for sixteen years before returning to the place where his father died and is re-introduced to the world that he once knew which is almost exactly the same, with the addition Bill running everything with an iron fist. Amsterdam succeeds in becoming a close associate of Bill's, eventually becoming basically his right-hand man and saving his life at one point. He does all of this for the chance to avenge his father and murder The Butcher in cold blood. As I said, the story is very Shakespearean and that's what I love about it and that's why the ending was a bit of a let-down. It doesn't follow continue with it's tragedy roots and that disappointed me but it was still handled quite nicely.
Of course with Daniel Day-Lewis being my favorite actor and his extremely strong selection process I'm more than likely going to adore his performance, and that's very true for his portrayal of Bill. His brooding intensity, flawless accent and ability to strike cold fear into someone while saying the most polite things truly make it one of the most astonishing performances of all time. Just plain brilliant. Everyone else in the cast is quite nice; DiCaprio is great, Diaz is above average, John C. Reilly and Brendan Gleeson provide fine support but it's ultimately Daniel's show and he amazes us as always. Overall, Gangs of New York really is a great film, regardless of some flaws scattered along the way, which follows a brilliant story and holds one of the finest performances of all time.