Day-Lewis shines through

Rating: 8/10 (1 February 2003)

You could say that this is Scorsese's best film for years -- but then that's not hard as he has made some rubbish down the years.
The tale of the gang warfare that surrounded the growing pains of New York City in the early days needed telling, and he does an excellent job of it.
It's a shame that the always annoying DiCaprio was cast in this, as he really gets on your nerves [as usual] within the first 5 minutes. And for a film of this length, that is cruel and unusual punishment!
Cameron Diaz makes up for it with her best performance in a serious role, but the star is Daniel Day-Lewis as the Butcher, and he was as superb as he always is in an utterly breathtaking and outstanding performance. If he doesn't take away an Oscar for this role, my opinion of the Academy will be set in stone.