Release Date:
12/20/2002
It’s a bit of a stretch, but imagine a New York in which bums roam the streets in flocks and violence rules, um, everything. Martin Scorsese indulges here in a bathroom-break worthy feature about a bunch of thugs trying to make ends meet in a nittier, grittier Manhattan. While Leo DiCaprio’s faltering Irish accent calls for a beatdown, Daniel Day-Lewis’s appearance as the snarling gang leader makes the movie. The film could have used some Braveheart-like intense violence, but the fights are plentiful. Just hit the stalls when the sap starts brewing; the “love interest” element (Cameron Diaz) seems forcibly wedged between the action. Scorsese may take some liberties with the film’s epic proportions, but take Gangs for what it is: a glorified history lesson definitely worth checking out.