Daniel Day-Lewis carries the movie

Rating: 9/10 (5 January 2003)

Martin Scorsese brings us this excellent period piece set in the tumultuous mid-1800s in New York's Five Points. It takes place during the real events leading up to the 1863 draft riots. I admit I don't know how historically accurate it is, but it gives the appearance of being authentic. I had been anxiously awaiting this film, but had some slight reservations regarding the casting of Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz. I like them, but weren't sure if they'd be right for these roles. Both did admiral jobs. Leo surprised me a bit with how well he came across and Cameron definitely did her best though occasionally seemed slightly unbelievable for the time. The success of this movie was the casting of Daniel Day-Lewis as William "The Butcher" Cutting in his first role in several years. He carried this movie with his excellent and believable portrayal of this bad man. The movie runs a bit long, but to it's credit, it does cover a lot of ground.

***1/2 (Out of 4)