An American Masterpiece

Rating: 9/10 (11 January 2003)

Martin Scorsese's long awaited dream project, Gangs of New York, was well worth the wait. The nearly three hour film is breathtaking in its scope and attention to detail, immersing the viewer completely in the brutal streets of 1860s New York City.
Leonardo DiCaprio turns in a solid performance as Amsterdam Vallen, a young man who is bent on revenging his father's murder. Although his Irish accent is sometimes a little shaky, DiCaprio proves here that he is more than the matinee idol that most people think he is. His Amsterdam is brooding and haunted, the fire of rage present in every move he makes.
In her most serious role yet, Cameron Diaz gives a well-rounded turn as Jenny Everdeane, a gutsy pickpocket. Diaz is an actress of extreme beauty, and she uses it to her advantage here. Her Jenny is a damaged woman, with scars on the outside and on the inside. She is filled with humor and also has the grit and instinct needed to survive. Unfortunately, Diaz nearly disappears in the film's last forty-five minutes, as the revenge plot takes center stage. She manages to make the most of her rather truncated screen time, and in doing so creates a woman that the audience cares about.
Also very impressive is Jim Broadbent as the corrupt politician Boss Tweed. Broadbent, who won an Oscar last year for his remarkable work in Iris, is one of the best character actors working today. He is nearly unrecognizable as Tweed, and gives the character an oily charm that makes the viewer both revile and like him.
Towering above everything and everyone is Daniel Day-Lewis as Bill the Butcher. Day- Lewis makes Bill the most utterly cinematic character to grace the silver screen in many years, terrifying even as he fascinates. His monologue to Amsterdam in the middle of the film, delivered while draped in an American flag, is a stunning piece of acting, and shows a deep and infinitely complex characterization. With his stove-pipe hat, enormous moustache, and glass eye, Bill is a murderous and charismatic leader. Towards the end of the film, as Bill and Amsterdam circle one another, it is difficult to decide who you want to win.
Scorsese's Gangs is an unqualified triumph, and one wishes that it were even longer than three hours. If the film does not win Best Director, and Actor for Day-Lewis at the Oscars this year, it will be a supreme and unforgivable injustice.