Gangs of New York Has Its Epic Moments, But Also Some Flaws

Rating: 7/10 (18 June 2014)

I've always thought of Martin Scorsese as a perfectionist and this movie proves it again. Scorsese rebuilt a believable, accurate portrayal of New York during middle of the 19th century. Thanks to the great images and shots the movie has the right to be regarded as an epic although the whole movie (particularly the story) has its weaknesses.
The movie is about vengeance. So it is nothing that we haven't seen before (and we will see lots of other movies about the same subject.) The interesting thing about the plot is - or could have been - the historical background. It is set during a developing America. However, I didn't get a satisfying view of American culture during that time. Yes, Scorsese presents us the rivaling gangs and the mob on the streets, but still the view stays superficial.
The main problem for me were the characters.
I've never considered Cameron Diaz as a great actress and here she seems absolutely miscast to me. It was a good idea to create a female character in that violent, male-shaped environment, but Cameron Diaz' doesn't do anything instead of being bitchy and annoying without giving her character any likable strains.
Leonardo DiCaprio's main character stays pale throughout the whole movie. I don't think that this is DiCaprio's fault, he is quite good in his role, but nothing more. There is no much character development (although he is the protagonist), his character isn't supposed to show much emotion what doesn't make him likable and I think there aren't a lot of moments where we can really empathize with him.
However, the movie's salvation is Daniel Day-Lewis. His performance is a revelation, every scene he appears is pure entertainment thanks to his savage turn as Bill the Butcher. What he does isn't only acting, it's a complete transformation. He changes his voice, his accents, his movements, his expression so that it's hard to believe that Bill and Daniel Day-Lewis are the same persons.
Jim Broadbent gives also a good performance as the corrupt William Tweed and he grants us some moments of humor.
All in all I'd say the movie is good and (without a doubt) greatly made but it has its flaws and its lengths, I lost my interest in DiCaprio's story and in most of the other characters. I doubt that the movie would be the same without Daniel Day-Lewis and without Scorsese's name on it.