My thoughts

It's weird to think that this film was directed by the one and only Martin Scorsese. One of my all-time favorite directors. Cause it certainly doesn't feel like a Scorsese film. But still, that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. It was just an unusual film for him.

The film is definitely flawed. My biggest complaint would be the editing. I mean, seriously, it was astoundingly bad. Better editing techniques would've been an improvement.

My second complaint is some of the casting choices. Now, obviously, I have to give credit to Daniel Day Lewis. His portrayal of Bill the Butcher was amazing. Very memorable performance. I'm not saying that I dislike Leonardo Dicaprio as an actor. I think he's a great actor. But I personally don't believe this role suited him well. His performance just seemed rather unfitting. He looked too clean cut, and I didn't find his accent all that convincing. Henry Thomas and Cameron Diaz were completely unfitting and downright cringe-worthy. So yeah...the casting choices were a problem.

I gotta give the score / soundtrack some credit.

I can't speak on how factual the film was, regarding the real historical events of what took place. But I must say, the overall design and location of the film was impressive in portraying a periodic setting.

I think the narration of Amsterdam (Dicaprio's character) didn't do this film much justice. I could've done without all the narration.

Other than that though...I still enjoyed the film. Yes, it was flawed, but not unwatchable by any means. Lewis's performance alone is worth a watch.

One of the biggest morals to the story, in my opinion, is what happened at the end of the film. Sure, all the gangs ran around with knives, axes, clubs, and blunt objects. But the minute they came up against firearms, they became powerless. The ending really shows how firearms changed violence and conflict.