A powerhouse performance by Daniel-Day Lewis anchors this overlong period piece. Leonardo DiCaprio also does well as the vengeful Amsterdam Vallon, though some of my companions (understandably) had difficulty seeing past his previous life as scrawny teenage heartthrob.

Yet the most salient characteristic of Gangs is its violence. I thought of Scorsese’s beginnings as I watched all the blades and the blood and death they wrought.

If this film is to be believed, New York’s streets are actually safer today. How amusing is that?

This entry was posted on Saturday, February 15th, 2003 at 11:54 pm and is filed under Film.. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.