Rating- * * * * (4/5)
Denying this film the fifth star is a difficult decision for me, since by all other standards and comparisons this is a remarkable film. Part of me thinks that I should judge each film individually and without taking into account anything outside the actual film itself. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that we do not see films in a box. What I mean is, what gives a film its impact is what we as viewers bring to it; the best films tap into something we all have inside us. All of which is to say that I cannot be expected to form an opinion on a film without considering outside factors like the social climate, or in this case the reputation of the director, the great Martin Scorsese. Scorsese, for those who don’t know, is arguably the greatest of our living directors but probably the most unappreciated of our time as well. His films, particularly Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Goodfellas, are consistently ranked among the greatest of all time and Scorsese, although repeatedly snubbed at the Oscars, remains one of the most highly acclaimed directors of the latter half of the twentieth century. The two things you can consistently count on with Scorsese’s films are that they will be extremely personal and extremely dark. Scorsese’s characters are all very flawed and usually encounter some of the worst that the human experience has to offer; but ultimately we feel for them and we connect with them on an emotional level. In his latest film, the long awaited Gangs of New York, all of these elements are there but there seems to be something missing from the usual Scorsese magic. The story is rather simple for a Scorsese film; in Civil War-era New York, the Nativists (those of colonial decent) and the Irish immigrants are fighting a kind of street war for dominance in the area known as the 5 Points. The Nativists are led by Bill “The Butcher” Cutting(Daniel Day Lewis) a ruthless, spectacular villain who has a passionate hatred of all things foreign, from the Irish to the Blacks. Bill is from the old school of gang leaders and he follows a strict code of honor, no matter how evil may seem. The Irish are split up into many gangs but the dominant one at the film’s opening is the Dead Rabbits, led by Priest Vallan (Liam Neeson) the honorable and respected Irish Catholic nemesis of Bill. The film opens with a brutal and bloody battle between the two gangs and sets up the story for the rest of the film, which follows Priest’s son, Amsterdam (Leonardo DiCaprio). Amsterdam, after being orphaned by Bill, grows up in a reform hall, quietly brooding and plotting revenge against the man that killed his father. He becomes a major player in Bill’s gang in order to try and earn his trust so that he might get close enough to Bill to catch him off guard. Along the way we are shown the horrendous conditions of New York in the 1850s, the pain caused by the drafting of immigrants who had only just found peace in America, and some of the interesting and complicated characters who live around the 5 Points, including a beautiful pickpocket named Jenny (Cameron Diaz) who causes problems for just about all the men in the story. The story obviously appeals to the traditional historical epic feel and it excels at that. In terms of storytelling, acting, cinematography and almost every other aspect of the story, this is a great film. It is entertaining, albeit very, very violent, and it feels very big and significant. My only problem with it is that Scorsese’s films usually have a very personal, dark soulfulness to them. Gangs, although extremely well-crafted, seems to lack this soul. It almost feels like Scorsese made this film to satisfy the public rather than himself. All his other films seemed to come from his own life experience and had a notably personal feel to them. As I watched Gangs, I couldn’t help but feel like Scorsese’s heart just wasn’t in it. To wrap up, Gangs of New York is probably one of the best films of the year, but it is not one the best films of Martin Scorsese’s career. I give it a very high recommendation, unless you have a problem with a lot of violence. Expect Gangs to show up at the Oscars, but not in the list of the great films of all time.