Dec. 23, 2002 - 9:02 pm
this film will be nominated for Best Picture. take it from me. you might as well go ahead and see it. it'll be worth your time, trust me. as to whether or not this film will win, i'll let you know my verdict on that at a later time...after i've seen the rest of the nominees. Daniel Day-Lewis will, or at least should, win Best Actor for his portrayal of Bill the Butcher. i've said it before, and i'll say it again. this man is an amazing actor. if only there were more awesome films for him to star in. he seems to be pretty choosy as to what he'll act in.
as far as i can tell, the only things that might really be considered flaws in this film are the appearance of Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz. yeah, they're good. and they probably even do better acting than they usually do in this film, but i still have problems with them. i think i do like Cameron Diaz, i'm still not resolved to accept her though as a purely dramatic actress. she seems too quirky to be taken completely seriously. and for DiCaprio, i'm not sure if it's that he's a bad actor, or that i just don't like him as a person. i definitely don't have a full cup of respect for him on some level. it looks like Cameron Diaz has been nominated for a Golden Globe, but i'll be surprised if she gets an Oscar nod.
well this film takes place around 1862 in New York obviously. it's about immigrants, crime, religion, national pride, and violence. lots of issues mixed in together. although the trailer and the title would like to lead you to believe that the entire film is one huge battle scene, that is not the case. it's mainly about one young man's struggle to get revenge against the crime boss who killed his father in a gang battle 16 years earlier, and whether or not he actually wants to carry out that vengence that he's trying to find.
now this is one of the few good Martin Scorsese films that i've seen. he's another one of those directors that sometimes gives us damn awesome films, and very often quite bad ones. it's a fragile beauty. he also again uses his talent for displaying what i would call "elevated violence" in this film. it's like he sort of goes over the top and makes the film too bloody, but then you also think back on it and go..."but it really needed to be that way, and i rather enjoyed it just as it was."
so i have to recommend that everyone go see this. like i said there's a definite possibility that it'll be picking up numerous awards in the coming months. definite possibilities for editing, cinematography, acting, and direction. i really wouldn't be surprised at this winning any of the major awards. it's an important film for 2002. but you really need to see Daniel Day-Lewis in this. it's really a breathtaking performance if i've ever seen one.