Gangs Of New York review

A violent, bloody epic culminating with the New York Draft Riots of 1863, Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York has plenty of cinematic muscle but little heart. The director takes on the role of history professor to portray a crucial and lesser-known period of American history, and while the film is littered with brutal set-pieces involving the warring gangs that ran New York at the time, the viewer emerges with the feeling that they have been bludgeoned over the head for nearly three hours. The strengths the film possesses in its historical depictions are sorely let down by the marked absence of drama and entertainment.

The film begins with a stunningly choreographed battle in which the young Amsterdam Vallon (DiCaprio) sees his father Priest (Neeson) slain at the hands of Bill the Butcher (Day-Lewis), the baddest of all gang leaders.

Fifteen years later and Amsterdam is released from a borstal with only one thing on his mind - to avenge his father's death. Returning to the Five Points, he decides his course of action is to infiltrate Bill's gang, win his confidence and ultimately kill him. Set against the backdrop of a changing city - the influx of immigrants, the abolition of slavery, the first drafts into the army - Amsterdam develops a relationship with pickpocket/prostitute Jenny (Diaz), rises up the ranks in Bill's gang and...well, the trouble is that there is not much more to it than that.

Vengeance, betrayal and crossed love are often gripping elements of the epic saga - and this movie is continually overshadowed by the ghost of The Godfather, a film that fused all of these elements with a gripping drama - and they are present here, but only because the makers of the film realise they need to be. However, the singular lack of suspense, entertainment or even the desire to see what happens next makes for a very hollow experience.

Characterisation is one-dimensional: DiCaprio has to avenge his father. Day-Lewis has to be evil. But a little charming too. As for Diaz, the whole love story is so dull and excessive to the script that her very role smacks of the desperation to create a popular mythological romance akin to DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in Titanic.

Attention to detail is, as you might expect, impeccable. But again this is part of the problem. Overwhelming us with historical data is one thing, but to do so at the expense of a decent screenplay is another. Quite often during many of the seemingly endless dark interior shots in which one or another character discusses the political situation, the mind wonders to the set, the costumes, the design of the piece. Unfortunately, we are rarely left wondering what will happen in the scene itself.

Needless to say there are occasional flashes of cinematic brilliance, but this ponderous film can't help being over-indulgent and disappointingly dull.