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| DIRECTED BY |
| Martin Scorsese
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| STARRING |
| Leonardo DiCaprio |
| Daniel Day-Lewis |
| Cameron Diaz |
| Jim Broadbent |
| John C. Reilly |
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I�d call it an abnormally lavish action film with a cliched love story and some mildly interesting political undertones. But Scorsese probably did deserve the Best Director Academy Award for this epic effort. It�s obvious that no filmmaker could have told this story better than Martin Scorsese, the most �New York� of all revered directors. His passion for the subject shines through in just about every aspect of the production - from the sweeping cinematography to the driven performances.
Both the Irish and the Natives were nihilists at heart, yet their differing senses of pride and morale drove them into the dichotomy that is so well-depicted in this film, but it�s quite obvious that both sides were doomed from the beginning anyhow. It�s fascinating to see the politics and the religion that these gangs forged for themselves, completely ignoring all external influences. This was their world, and it wasn�t until those external influences raged in that their world finally began to crumble.
Some of the battle scenes - particularly the opening one - are less-than-impressive. I wasn�t too enthused with Scorsese�s choice of music during the opening rumble; it seemed far too �poppish� for a film of this nature. The direction wasn�t even that well executed here - endless close-ups on grossly exaggerated expressions almost eliminated the sense of realism that should�ve been conveyed. Scorsese makes up for it, however, eventually taming his direction down and getting back to the basics, creating an anticipatory atmosphere out of such shots as the one following Amsterdam out of the cave-like area after his beating at the hands of Bill. But the fact remains that Scorsese seems to be able to make better films when his focus is less grandeur and more narrow.
The film probably shouldn�t have turned out as entertaining as it did because its subject matter is commonly quite dry. Frankly, I was surprised at how well it retained my interest and it did eventually get me to care for its ruthless-yet-humane characters. Even if predictable, the script rarely gets repetitive or stagnant, which is always an integral part in making any historical epic into a great film rather than a boring flop. �Gangs� doesn�t really come close to evoking the level of emotion of a �Raging Bull� or the philosophical contemplation of a �Taxi Driver�, but it is, as we see in the final, memorable scene - a superior telling of an important period that seemed to have somehow dissolved away into the ruins of time.
