Day Lewis on top form in good period drama

Rating: 8/10 (18 May 2008)

Leonardo Di Caprio (Titanic) stars as Amsterdam Vallon, a young man coming back to New York to find his father's killer, William Cuttings and gain retribution.
Nominated for 10 Oscars, Martin Scorsese's period drama brings a tale of vengeance, loyalty and honour to vibrant light with a dramatic tale involving stunning performances, effects, direction and cinematography.
Di Caprio performs well as Vallon, a quiet but hurting inside man who wants vengeance for his father. It is not the best performance of his career but Di Caprio depicts the character well and comes out of his hell brilliantly towards the end of the story.
The Titanic star is outshone by Daniel Day-Lewis (My Left Foot: The story of Christy Brown) who plays Bill the Butcher. Oscar nominated for his performance, Lewis is the most sophisticated actor in this film. His anger, sophistication and ease make the Butcher the most enjoyable character to watch.
Diaz (Charlie's angels) gives the best performance of her career as thief Jenny and her on screen performance alongside Di Caprio is good, despite the dialogue and situation a bit of a cliché.
The plot is good and consistent, revolving around strong issues such as religion, honour, friendship and family. Vallon and Cutting both had strong passionate fathers and this ideology is good to drive the characters on. Though the dialogue can sometimes lack, most is sharp and energetic, revealing the passion of the time.
The costume design is excellent, depicting the time brilliantly, as does the cinematography. The settings, direction and everything about this film is brilliant, except for the plot which could have just been a bit sharper and not run on a few clichés but a great watch with Daniel Day-Lewis in top form.