"The Gangs of New York"

Does anyone else think Leo DiCaprio resembles Ice Cube on the �The Gangs of New York� posters? The furrowed brow, the straight-outta-Compton leer? A Nabob With Attitude?

Guess that�s neither here nor there �

GONY, as online disciples are calling Martin Scorsese�s three-decades-in-the-making epic, is a lot to digest in one viewing. Things that have absolutely nothing to do with the story -- alleged tensions on the set, a bloated budget (rumored between $90 and $120 million), a sullied casting couch, a mysteriously long editing process, a final running time of 164 minutes, copious release postponements -- are fodder enough for a separate Homeric-length movie. I see Ken Burns or Michael Moore directing.

Set during the U.S. Civil War and climaxing during the Draft Riots of 13-16 July, 1863, GONY is essentially a tale of revenge populated by elaborately costumed actors, painstakingly authentic sets (primarily a 2-mile-long recreation of Manhattan) and the proverbial melting pot of races, colors, creeds and accents (some more convincing than others). It�s visually engaging, even educational.

Strapping Irish youth Amsterdam Vallon (DiCaprio) returns to New York�s seedy Five Points upon his release from a reformatory/prison where he languished for 16 years after his father, �The Priest� (Liam Neeson), was slaughtered by �The Butcher� (Daniel Day-Lewis) during a gruesome gang fight between The Dead Rabbits and The Native Americans. Perhaps too-effortlessly incognito, Vallon becomes Cutting�s apprentice thug, biding his time before he avenges his bloodline.

And that�s essentially that. Is it a great film? No. Good? Well ... Day-Lewis will probably get some nominations, as will the costumers. It loses its Scorsese bite after the opening sequence. And right at the end Martin stunned me by not taking an unbelievable opportunity to make a statement that not only would have strongly supported the film�s thesis about the ever-changing character of New York but would have paraded the cinematic balls for which he is known and admired.

GONY is pretty much just a long, albeit interesting-to-look-at, Hollywood movie. It�s not as ridiculous as �Pearl Harbor,� but ... We should all know that hype seldom mirrors reality.