Hype machines be damned. Forget the rumors of derision behind the scenes, forget the cost over-runs and lack of onscreen chemistry between two of the leading actors. Forget that Miramax and Harvey Weinstein had anything whatsoever to do with cutting, budgeting or otherwise exercising creative control over the finished product. "Gangs of New York" is pure Scorsese through-and-through and for that audiences should be eternally grateful. We're not force-fed a toned down, been-there-done-that formula film. …showed first 75 words of 582 total…

…showed last 75 words of 582 total…a romantic angle. It didn't need the love story and seemed to bog down when focusing its energies in that direction. But who am I to second-guess Martin Scorsese? Martin Scorsese has been justifiably labeled 'America's best director' and with "Gangs of New York," Scorsese shows his love of our history, his unparalleled skill at telling a story, and his moxey at dealing with a subject matter that resides outside the edges of the norm.