Review of Gangs of New York (2002) by Spangle — 04 Jun 2014

Gangs of New York is extremely ambitious and Scorsese tries to cover a lot, but in doing so, he really covers none of it. A lot of things were touched on, but none of it ever felt satisfying. In spite of that, the film was far too long.

Thus, a lot of things could have been cut since they did not have a major impact on anything and then the film could have focused in on more important aspects of the film in better depth. Finally, the film is a little violent for my taste, though shortening it would undoubtedly satisfy the issue.

Ultimately, the scope Scorsese attempts to go for is the film's true undoing, as everything else is great. The sets and costume design are marvelous. The foundation laid by the film for the rivalry between the "natives" and the Irish, plus the desire for revenge is great.

The corruption aspect was very welll done as well. Then the final shot of New York over time and the final words by DiCaprio are beautiful and perfect for the moment. In terms of acting, Daniel Day-Lewis is phenomenal.

Cameron Diaz was also fine, I have no idea why she gets so much hate for this role, as I had no issues with her. She was not phenomenal by any means, but she was fine. I love DiCaprio, but he was certainly spotty in parts, though he was fine for the most part.

However, there was far too much fluff added onto the main plot that really comes off as extra. I wanted to love this one, but I simply cannot.