In his epic film Gangs of New York, director Martin Scorsese shows us New York City as we've never seen it before -- and as most of us probably never knew it existed.

It's the mid-19th century and the place looks more like the Wild West. Immigrants and thieves run rampant on the streets and the gang bosses are in control. The Five Points section is ruled by Bill "The Butcher" Cutting, who uses his meat cleaver not just on dead animals -- but on anyone who dares to stand-up to him.

As the movie opens, it's 1846 and we quickly find ourselves in the midst of an incredibly bloody (this is a Scorsese film) knife battle between two large gangs, one made-up of "native" New Yorkers and led by "The Butcher" -- the other consisting of Irish immigrants led by "Priest" Vallon (Liam Neeson). The natives prevail and "The Butcher" himself kills Vallon as Vallon's young son, Amsterdam, watches helplessly.

Sixteen years later, Amsterdam (Leonardo DiCaprio) returns to the Five Points with revenge in mind. With the help of an old friend (Henry Thomas) and a beautiful pick-pocket (Cameron Diaz), he works his way into Bill's inner circle -- all the while, keeping his father's identity a secret. As Amsterdam displays his skills as a fighter and a thief, Bill takes him under his wing grows to see the young man as the son he never had. In the process, Amsterdam grows to respect the man he plans to one day kill.

But the story is really just an excuse to show us a cinematically unexplored chapter of American history. It's also a vehicle for Scorsese to stage some nice set-pieces. These include the aforementioned opening fight sequence -- and a much more elaborate finale revolving around the draft riots of 1863. There's also an impressive crane shot where, all in one take, we see immigrants coming off the boat, being given their citizenship, being enlisted in the army and going back on another boat to fight the Civil War -- all while one coffin after another is unloaded from the same ship. It's a nice little piece of artistry that reminds you you're in the hands of one of the master filmmakers.

The good visuals compliment the decent storytelling, but the performances, while more than solid, are not spectacular. Bill "The Butcher" is played by Daniel Day-Lewis doing his best Robert DeNiro impersonation (appropriate, since DeNiro was the original choice for the role). He's intense, but often so far over-the-top it becomes comic. DiCaprio fares worse. Despite an attempt at an accent, his speech and attitude come across as too modern. We can always see that he's a Hollywood pretty-boy pretending to be living in the 1860s. He never convinces us he's really in the period. Only Diaz's performance exceeds our expectations. As a thief who'll steal anything, she doesn't quite steal scenes -- but she provides just the right mix of toughness and vulnerability.

In all, Scorsese has made an epic that transports us to a different time and place, shows us a way of life long forgotten, and enlightens us about the interesting origins of a city we thought we knew.
(c) Copyright 2003