I rewatch this every five years or so to see if I’ll like it more. Every time it’s the same. Immaculate costume and production designs. Great use of character actors. Most of all, Day-Lewis’s flawless performance as Bill the Butcher, perhaps my single favorite Scorsese-directed piece of acting.
But… it’s just so pompous. So many thematic threads that never weave with the plot. Amsterdam is a dud of a protagonist, and Leo looks adrift. The romance subplot feels like a contractual…
