Gangs of New York

GANGS OF NEW YORK (18)

D: Martin Scorsese

Miramax (Alberto Grimaldi & Harvey Weinstein)

USA 🇺🇸 2002

167 mins

Drama/Historical

W: Jay Cocks. Kenneth Lonergan & Steven Zaillian

DP: Michael Ballhaus

Ed: Thelma Schoonmaker

Mus: Howard Shore

Pd: Dante Ferretti

Cos: Sandy Powell

Leonardo DiCaprio (Amsterdam Vallon), Daniel Day-Lewis (William 'Bill The Butcher' Cutting), Cameron Diaz (Jenny Everdeane), Liam Neeson (Priest Vallon), Jim Broadbent (William 'Boss' Tweed), John C. Reilly (Happy Jack), Henry Thomas (Johnny Sirocco), Brendan Gleeson (Walter 'Monk' McGinn), Gary Lewis (McGloin)

In mid 19th century New York, a young man seeks to avenge the murder of his father while native gangs battle Irish over the land they live on in the five boroughs.

Nominated for 10 Oscars, but leaving the awards ceremony empty-handed is a record which doesn't surprise me, since I found this film grossly overrated.

Leonardo DiCaprio & Cameron Diaz are terribly miscast and it's only Daniel Day-Lewis' sublime performance as 'Bill The Butcher' which makes this at all watchable. The last 30 minutes fall apart, as though someone had butchered the negative and left it on the cutting room floor (perhaps this was Bill the Butcher too).

For the most part, it's incredibly well filmed, designed and constructed, but it lacks anything deeper. Martin Scorsese is capable of much better.

7/10