Day Lewis is Stunning

Rating: 7/10 (22 March 2020)

'Gangs of New York' is one of Scorsese's more inconsistent films, but it's still an adequately chaotic and thrilling tale of corruption and revenge. It's yet another sprawling story about the politics of organized crime in which no one can be trusted, loyalties are tested, and a whole lot of people die. But this time around, Scorsese swaps out the twentieth century mafia families moviegoers have grown accustomed to, for the brutal street gangs of Five Points in the 1860s. The performances are what really make the film, particularly Daniel Day Lewis, who delivers an expectedly electrifying take on the notorious gang leader Bill the Butcher. While there are some scenes I'm a bit iffy on, 'Gangs of New York' is generally another solid epic for Scorsese.