Visually stunning

Rating: 8/10 (22 February 2003)

I'll get the movie's few detractions out of the way first: it is long, Cameron Diaz should not have been cast, DiCaprio's performance was a bit uneven and those seeking historical accuracy should look elsewhere.
That said, Gangs of New York is a magnificent film. It begins in the mid-1800's with a fight in the 5 Points section of New York between the the "American natives" (bitterly ironic considering they got the land from the Indians) and the largely Irish gangs of foreigners. Under the command of Bill the Butcher (Daniel Day Lewis), the natives emerge triumphant. The leader of the opposition, Priest Vallon (Liam Neeson) is slain before his son Amsterdam's (Leonardo DiCaprio) eyes. Amsterdam goes into a 16 year exile, only to return and work as a theif for the all-powerful Butcher. Cameron Diaz is thrown into the mix as a fellow thief/love interest and Jim Broadbent comically portrays corrupt politician "Boss" Tweed. As Amsterdam seeks to avenge his father and restore the power of the gangs, the draft for the Civil War looms.
Gangs of New York is visually striking (note the transformation sequence at the end) and Martin Scorcese's attention to detail really shows. As with many of his other movies (Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, Casino), there is an abundance of violence; without which, the film would not succeed. The script is nothing terribly special (just your run of the mill revenge story with some historical flavor), but the acting is superb. Daniel Day Lewis delivered one hell of a powerful performance. If it weren't for Nic Cage in Adaptation, I'd say he would be an automatic for the Oscar.
Some say Scorcese reached his moment of glory with Taxi Driver and Raging Bull. Others claim he found it later on with Goodfellas and Casino. Because of his paramount reputation, Scorcese was working against his past sucesses (as well as the current competition) with this film. Many have been overly critical of it, citing it as a noted decline. If this is a decline, then we can expect many more fine films to come before Scorcese's career bottoms out. Decline or not, he has not lost the ability to tell a good story and Gangs of New York is well worthwhile.
8/10