Gangs of New York quickly became one of my favorite movies of all time. I can't think of another film like in recent memory. And the acting in this movie is unreal. DiCaprio is great, this is the role that changed his image from pretty boy to badass. That being said, don't forget about Day-Lewis. He's fantastic. I know, he's always fantastic, but not like this. His character, The Butcher, should go down as one of the best villains in cinema history. But enough about the acting, how about the directing? Masterful. Scorsese is a genius. He takes his movies above and beyond what others are capable of. He's truly in a league of his own. The mechanics of this movie are amazing. The sets, the dialog, the costumes, the camera angles, the sound, the music... all are flawless. The last shot in the movie(the one of the cemetery along the river with New York in the background) is easily one of the coolest scenes of all time, of any movie. Its incredible. I have no idea why this movie is not in the IMDb Top 250, I think it deserves to be in the Top 50!!! If you haven't seen this movie and you enjoy watching movies whatsoever, go watch this movie. ITS INCREDIBLE!!!