Why the wait, is my question. GANGS OF NEW YORK was on hold for more than a year after September 11, as speculation abounded. Anything with New York and violence or destruction, even just showing the towers, was thought to be too taboo so soon after. I never agreed with it, even then. The worst thing we could do is forget. (And look how many have!) Or, you could be a pessimist and believe the other rumor. That GANGS just sucked and Martin Scorsese needed an excuse to either tweak or massively improve upon it. So we waited, and the result is maybe better than it was, but still a mixed bag.

      Unfortunately, or fortunately, movies like this will never have an enduring appeal. GANGS is exceptional for 90 minutes straight, but then buckles under its own weight. The Second Act is filled with so much irrational violence, all of New York on a mob killing spree, that it’s no longer entertaining. The focus is lost, as GANGS ends up being too long and self-indulgent for its own good. And nothing’s worse than a movie that should end halfway through.

      Despite the title, the film was billed as a salute to the Irish contribution to America. That’s not what you get, at least in my opinion. But GANGS OF NEW YORK is a masterpiece in one respect, the performance of Daniel Day-Lewis. If he doesn’t win the OSCAR, and by all accounts he won’t, the Academy will have finally lost all credibility. The sheer brilliance of his portrayal is beyond phenomenal. While considered a good actor already, this performance has solidified him as one of the greats of our time. It’s just sad that he’s all but retired. Now if only Martin Sheen and Susan Sarandon would do the same. :-)