Day-Lewis impressive, DiCaprio less so

Rating: 7/10 (15 April 2003)

It is a well known fact that there is a peculiar fascination for the outlaws of American history; in the US as well as the rest of the world. One of the results of this are the countless movies that deal with the activities of people like Al Capone and the gunslingers of the Old West. Until now, one of the aspects of criminal history in America that have not been commercialised to such an extent is the activities of the gangsters of 19th century New York. This is the subject of Martin Scorsese's movie 'Gangs of New York'.
The story revolves around the characters Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Bill the Butcher (Daniel Day-Lewis). Amsterdam is the son of 'Priest' Vallon (Liam Neeson), a gang leader who was killed by Bill when Amsterdam was still a child. After 'Priest's' death, Amsterdam spent his remaining childhood in a reform school, but now he has returned to take vengeance on Bill, who is blissfully unaware that the young man he takes under his wing is in fact the son of his old antagonist.
The racial tensions in 19th century New York are an important element in the story, as 'Priest' Vallon's old gang, called the 'Dead Rabbits', consists of Irish immigrants whereas Bill's gang  the 'Native Americans'  consists of people who are born in the US and as such consider themselves to have a birthright to that land. Another prominent feature is the division between the rich and the poor, and the class-related resentment in early New York. While I cannot vouch for the historical accuracy of the descriptions of life in New York during this era, I nevertheless found it interesting to see these subjects dealt with in the movie. Having said this, one must of course bear in mind that this is an action movie loosely based on historical events, not unlike 'Braveheart', for example. It does not pretend to be high brow entertainment and should not be judged by such criteria.
I have to say that the one actor that truly stands out in this movie is Daniel Day-Lewis. He is the classic movie villain, deranged and bad to the bone as only movie villains can be. One of the details about his performance that has stuck in my mind is the scene where he throws knives at his terrified protégée Jenny Everdeane (Cameron Diaz) on a theater stage; before his knife throwing act he makes a little speech to his audience, and I remember his voice twitching during the speech in a peculiar way which, given the nature of the situation, reinforces the impression that we are truly dealing with a man insane. Outstanding!
I didn't find Leonardo DiCaprio quite as impressive, however. There is in my opinion something boyish and immature about that actor's appearance and manners which rarely corresponds with the parts he gets to play, and it makes him look particularly unconvincing as a tough and hardy New York gangster. Cameron Diaz, finally, does an apt performance as Jenny Everdeane, but somehow I feel that she is too talented an actress for such a marginal part. She may not be the most well respected actress under the sun, but having seen her excellent performance in "Being John Malkovich" I would say that she has more talent and potential than many people give her credit for.
In conclusion, I give this movie a seven out of ten, mainly because of the interesting subject matter and the brilliant performance of Daniel Day-Lewis.