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12/27/02

2 hrs. 20 mins.
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Cameron Diaz, Henry Thomas, Brendan Gleeson, Liam Neeson, Jim Broadbent, John C. Reilly, Donnie Wahlberg
Directed by: Martin Scorsese

Rating: ** ½ stars (out of 4 stars)

Martin Scorsese is a critically acclaimed filmmaker who LOVES the movies. He will tell you for certain that he’s an ardent student of contemporary and classic film. Scorsese is definitely one of the most passionate and astute storytellers ever to capture a movie audience’s imagination. Always the masterful moviemaker when it comes to tackling genres that appeal to his keen vision, Scorsese doesn’t waste time in overseeing his ambitious but surprisingly flawed period piece epic Gangs of New York.

Scorsese and highly touted screenwriters Steven Zaillian (Schindler’s List), Kenneth Lonergan (You Can Count On Me) and Jay Cocks (The Age of Innocence) collaborate on a challenging albeit uneven venture that highlights a hostile 19th-century struggle involving selective dominate groups hoping to control New York during the Civil War campaign. Although Gangs of New York is a gritty and raw fictionalized account of mayhem set against the backdrop of Scorsese’s historical landscape of desperate people and the territory they reluctantly share with noted animosity, the film fails to settle into a coherent groove therefore resembling an erratic and long-winded narrative.

Gangs boast an impeccable casting of talented actors led by a resilient and skillful director in the person of Scorsese. Plus, the film has a murky definition that accentuates the provocative overtones with the incessant brutality that paints a penetrating portrait of this showcase’s caustic convictions. But with these aforementioned touches aside, Scorsese’s labor of love feels uncharacteristically labored and unfocused.

Enter William Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis), the cutthroat power hog that controls the top gang Native Americans. Aptly nicknamed “Bill the Butcher”, Cutting is serious about his stronghold on the area. Among his accomplishments include ruthlessly eliminating the competing Irish immigrant gang the Dead Rabbits. The leader behind the Dead Rabbits was Priest Vallon (Liam Neeson). Unfortunately through bloody combat, Vallon lost his life to the victorious Cutting. And through sheer deadly force, Cutting managed to overtake the Five Points region (lower Manhattan) while reducing the Irish he conquered to mere subservient pawns.

Nearly twenty years later, Vallon’s son Amsterdam (Leonardo DiCaprio) arrives on the scene. He’s apparently looking to right a wrong in the name of his slain father. In a nutshell, Amsterdam has a score to settle with the overbearing Cutting. He does this by infiltrating the Native American group and eventually winning the confidence of his old man’s murderer in the likes of the treacherous “Bill the Butcher”. Consequently, Cutting starts to educate his protégé Amsterdam about the finest tactics in physical intimidation. In essence, Amsterdam is learning from the master.

Things are looking up for the revengeful Amsterdam due to his tight-knit relationship with the calculating man responsible for his father’s untimely demise. But somehow Amsterdam’s heart doesn’t seem as congested when he contemplated the eradication of the notorious Cutting. In fact, Amsterdam finds himself actually caring for his parent’s killer as Cutting looks upon the intriguing youth as a reliable confidante-a surrogate son if you will. Can he respect an individual who massacred his own flesh and blood? Or carry out his original plan to eliminate Cutting based upon a solemn promise to avenge his father’s death?

Amsterdam’s dilemma regarding his ambivalent feelings for Cutting becomes more complicated when he falls for curvy pretty pickpocket Jenny Everdean (Cameron Diaz). The existing problem with getting intimate with the attractive thief is that she’s romantically involved with his mentor Cutting. Since Amsterdam already has pending issues about trying to take down Cutting once and for all, will his desire for the juicy Jenny finally convince him to confront the powerful Butcher out of hormonal desperation?

As a production, Gangs of New York is convincingly vibrant in its presentation. The film is a sprawling endeavor that incorporates the beauty of its scope via a sweeping jolt of the grandiose, revealing cinematography by Michael Ballhaus. This of course is coupled by the sensational squalor-infested sequences enhancing the glossy violence (stabbings, beatings, gunplay, brawling, etc.) meant to give this feisty fable its defiant urgency. Gangs of New York is a feast for the eyes and the audience will ultimately gorge themselves on the ribald images. At times, it appears that Scorsese’s exposition takes on too many plot devices therefore reverting to an expansive, meandering malaise. Hence, the direction feels scattershot and incomplete despite all that the revered movie merchant throws our way.

The performances are steady enough for us to appreciate the characters and their gutsy circumstances. DiCaprio is decent as Amsterdam. However, he may have been miscast because physically and emotionally the baby-faced actor is a noticeable liability. DiCaprio has the spunk and charisma to go along with his formidable acting chops. But somehow, his presence doesn’t match up to Day-Lewis’s robust turn as the wickedly appalling William Cutting. Day-Lewis is gregarious and winning as a despicable scoundrel blessed with a horrible and imposing philosophy. Most likely another Oscar nomination will grace the film resume’ of Day-Lewis. In impressive fashion, the actor marvelously infuses his viciousness with a touch of sympathy-a hard sentiment to try and convey in a villainous viper such as “Bill the Butcher” Cutting. While Day-Lewis has a towering and profound impact as the colorful loathsome leader, his astonishing effectiveness practically blocks out the heroic heat of DiCaprio’s lightweight leading man. Diaz is suitable as the object of affection between the partners-in-crime but serves only as a convenient footnote in reminding us how Amsterdam and Cutting’s indiscriminate tastes run in similar circles from a “love and war” perspective.

The supporting cast overflows with a who’s who of durable performers-Brendan Gleeson, Jim Broadbent, Liam Neeson, John C. Reilly, Henry Thomas (of E.T. fame)-but they’re all thrown into the spicy mix arbitrarily much like crunched crackers in tomato soup. In short, Gleeson’s shady Irish politician and Broadbent’s corruptible community leader stand out with frivolous flair.

For Scorsese, Gangs of New York was indeed a massive undertaking. Unfortunately, this overwhelming project needed to be more taut and structured. Sure, it’s not often that one plucks apart the artistic merits from one of our finest filmmakers in the movie industry today (okay, maybe we could excuse Scorsese for putting his guard down for the lukewarm offering Bringing Out the Dead). After all, it’s almost blasphemous for goodness sakes! But still, even at his mediocre best, this potent movie maven certainly knows how to put on an elaborate show.