You know how this movie survives this long. All these years? Fear. The spectacle of fearsome acts.

Rating: 7/10 (7 March 2013)

Quotes the best part of the movie: Bill the Butcher Cutting (Daniel Day Lewis). Yes, this movie is famous for its endless amount of violence acts put into film. Honestly I found this to be one of the weaker Martin Scorsesse films, due to the reason that the movie can't find a plot. Inspired by Herbert Asbury's 1928 non-fiction book, The Gangs of New York. The book didn't have no plot to it, so the movie searches for one for it, and can't decide on one. The movie jumps from plot to plot, with many unnecessary scenes. And just when you think we've settled into a plot line for the rest of the movie, bam! Something else come into view. I'll explain it. The movie starts out with two gangs fighting over a New York neighborhood known as the Five Points. One gang is the Natives (those born in the United States) lead by Bill the Butcher. It's kind of funny, that the Irish actor is playing a American while a American is playing a Irish immigrant named Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio). Amsterdam's father Priest Vallon (Liam Neeson) leads an Irish gang known as the Dead Rabbits against the Natives. Before Liam Neeson can make an impact in the film, he is quickly kill off. A downer for the film, due to the level of acting he could have gave the film. Instead, we get a very green actor Leonardo DiCaprio playing a young man looking for revenge for the death of his father. Leo has gotten much better as an actor, but here, he was pretty mediocre and looks miscast. This revenge story get stretched for far too long, and was not a satisfying conclusion to the movie due to the other plot lines coming in and taking its ton on the script. In the middle of this revenge story arch, we're also focusing on the Civil War tensions that lead to the Draft Riots, the battles between the Catholic and Protestant groups, with the corrupt politicians like Boss Tweed (Jim Broadbent) waiting in the shadows. Jim is really great in the role, as he sees people only as votes to help him keep in power. The movie implies that America is corruption, how politicians and rich people are evil, and how the country exploits immigrants. Granted, there are lots of ways to show the underclass rooting against oppression and corruption, but you first have to make it look like the underdogs are worthy of triumph, which this movie didn't do. The people we seeing are just as bad as the politicians. Anyone who's read about New York knows that the street gangs of that day and age were pretty bad. In a city of about 800,000, you had close to 100,000 of them were criminals. It was definitely a colorful and dangerous world about which a cool story could be told. Still, it would be nice to see some redemption morality arch in there. I suspect this movie does not fully represent all the population. There had to be poor immigrants who were desperately trying to live honest lives and had some sense of decency. In general, the characters have few if any redeeming qualities. Instead we have violence for the sake of violence. The killing is drawn out and overemphasized. By the end of the film, you're just glad they are killing themselves off. Nudity and sex is also overdone. Breasts all over the place, triage, women hanging on men over and over again. Too much of everything, except story. The only two positive things I can comment about this movie is that Daniel Day-Lewis put in a wonderful performance as The Butcher. Daniel Day Lewis is the finest actor to ever grace our screens. Completely without parallel! While other actors does characters acting, Daniel Day Lewis does method acting, basically turning himself to the role. You just have to watch Daniel Day Lewis work in two of the best scenes in the movie, "Poor Rabbit" and 'Honorable Men' speech. Of course Bill's a man of principle. He is the classic American archetype of a principled man in the mold of a Mark Twain character. A violent street thug, though ethically flawed, consistently loyal to his own principles, not necessarily yours. Still, lots of irritating details that makes you questions. He displays eloquence and vocabulary on par with an English professor yet living in the slum and also have pinpoint accuracy when tossing axes and knifes. I thought that required depth perception. There is a few Historical accuracy, for a film that is set in 1800's New York's ghetto- it gets the MGM musical clean treatment for sets and set dressing. The clothing is clean colorful and you expect at any moment the actors will break into song, the film need to looks appropriate dismal and dirty. I love the scene where New York gradually morph into the city it is today under the song U2, The Hands That Built America. Still, the movie has it fails, but it was still worth watching. It just didn't come anywhere near expectations.