Pointless Bloodshed Over Facial Hair

Rating: 2/10 (20 January 2003)

It would be fitting if Daniel Day Lewis followed the first Oscar for a body part ("My Left Foot") with an another for his moustache in this film. His moustache dominates a film that otherwise lacks anything other than random mayhem, unlikeable characters and a predictable showdown.

Two gangs dominate the "Five Points" of New York. One gang are as nice a bunch of raindancing, Oirish cut throats as you are ever likely to meet in a Hollywood movie. The other led by Lewis's "Bill the Butcher" are the "Natives", a bunch of nasty native-born Protestant patriots, who don't dance and who throw stones at Irish immigrants as they first step foot in the new world.
Scorsese clearly found the Irish more interesting that the "Natives" because despite Butcher Bill's religious bigotry, most of his gang seem to consist of Irish Catholics, not to mention his favourite pickpocket/
prostitute (played by Cameron Diaz). In fact poor Bill doesn't seem to have a single real "Native" friend except when a big street fight is in the offing, when large gangs of WASPs (presumably Wall Street brokers) come downtown to beat the Irish.
Not since "Heaven's Gate" has there been a movie with such huge scenes of poor immigrants constantly surging through the streets but never getting anywhere.
The film is basically a simple story or revenge that attempts to say something meaningful but fails. I wish I could write that "I'm not saying anymore because it would give away the plot" but I'm afraid that is the plot.
The film does have its occasional moments in a "Far and Away" kind of way and to be fair to Daniel Day Lewis, his performance (moustache and all)is brilliant, given the limitations of the script.
In the long-term this film could take two paths, it could slowly fade into obscurity or after the inevitable 4 hour director's cut it could emerge even duller to be acclaimed as a misunderstood masterpiece.