Gangs of New York (2002) is such an odd film to watch in today's world. People's responses are you either like it or hate it. Personally, I thought this was such an amazing experience to view on the big screen. This movie further proves that Martin Scorsese is the best director alive, and sadly he always gets overlooked when it comes to the Oscars. Gangs of New York is a revenge tale set around 1863:<br /><br />The first scene we witness is two gangs meeting in the street to determine who will be in charge of the Five Points. The Dead Rabbits are headed by Priest Vallon (Liam Neeson), a highly religious man who is tired of Irish settlers being hated and persecuted. The 'Native' Americans are headed by William Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis), otherwise known as Bill the Butcher. Bill has a special hatred towards the Irish and all who are not American. Equipped with a glass eye and various knifes, the two gangs begin to slaughter each other until Vallon is killed quite cheaply by Bill. Vallon's son Amsterdam is sent away to an orphanage, where he spends the years plotting his revenge against his father's killer. He eventually comes back to the Five Points as a man (Leonardo DiCaprio) and begins to make his way back to Bill the Butcher. Along the way Amsterdam encounters his old friend Johnny (Henry Thomas) and Jenny (Cameron Diaz), a beautiful thief who eventually falls in love with Amsterdam. Bill the Butcher, completely unaware of who Amsterdam is, welcomes him into his gang, making Amsterdam his surrogate "son". Complication arises when Johnny betrays Amsterdam, thus revealing his true identity to Bill and to everyone in the Five Points. Then, Amsterdam's newly formed Dead Rabbits gang challenge Bill's Native Americans gang. This story all plays out against Boss Tweed, Tammany Hall, and at the very end, the New York Draft Riots. <br /><br />The story is good, except for some instances in which we watch people run for office, which seems to not fit in with the rest of the story. The direction is always superb from Scorsese. The editing is so-so, but the acting is brilliant. Daniel Day-Lewis should have received the best actor award at the Academy Awards. He portrays a very complicated, violent Bill the Butcher. The rest of the cast do all right, except for Cameron Diaz, who was in the story to just romance Amsterdam.<br /><br />The violence is very graphic and totally unsympathetic. Scorsese displays violence as it is, which is never graceful or pretty. People are shot, stabbed, blown up, and brutally killed throughout the movie. The thing to understand is that the Five Points of New York were infamous for it's violence and corruption, which was expertly shown in the movie. And I must admit, at the end in which we see Amsterdam's gang and Bill's gang prepare to do battle only to be broken up by the Draft Riots, was very disturbing. The Draft Riots are the worst riots in the history of the United States. It was a truly disturbing experience to watch it in it's bloodiest moments. The final confrontation between Amsterdam and Bill is nothing less than epic and brutal. <br /><br />Violence doesn't really solve anything, except it shows who is left standing/alive. I'm glad I had the privilege to watch Gangs of New York in the theater's. I will definately buy the DVD when it comes out. Don't miss out on this overlooked film. I give this an 11 out of 10.