6/10
GANGS OF NEW YORK (2002). I like Martin Scorsese as a director, but it doesn’t mean I love all his films. And while this has flashes of brilliance, mainly from Daniel Day Lewis as Bill the Butcher, it lacks the overall genius of his best films. Based on a book which told the bloodcurdling tales of New York in the middle of the nineteenth century, the film comes on as a variation on Hamlet, with Leonardo diCaprio planning to avenge his father’s murder. But that’s not enough to keep us engaged for 3 hours, despite the superb sets and the quality of the actors – though Cameron Diaz isn’t so good.
