So was Gangs of New York worth the time, effort, and wait? Without a doubt. Scorsese has rightfully been called our greatest living director, which he proves yet again with this stirring masterpiece.

The story is set in 1860's New York, where gangs of different nationalities battle for the right to carve out part of the city as their own. Liam Neeson plays Priest Vallon, leader of an Irish gang known as the Dead Rabbits. He brings together Irish immigrants in a fight to be allowed a place in the Five Points area. Vallon is killed by Bill "the Butcher" Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis), the vicious - but not unmannered - leader of the Nativists, who believe that New York should remain a place for those who were born in this country.

Sixteen years later, Vallon's son Amsterdam (Leonardo DiCaprio) arrives in the Five Points section to exact revenge against Cutting. Each year, Cutting and his gang celebrate the death of Priest Vallon; Amsterdam plans to sidle up to him, then ambush him on the anniversary. Amsterdam gets quite close to his enemy's inner circle. The more time he spends watching Cutting, the more he admittedly becomes fascinated by the man's charisma and fierce determinism. This does not stop him from planning his revenge, though.

During this time, Amsterdam also meets Jenny Everdeane (Cameron Diaz), a pickpocket to whom he finds himself attracted. Jenny has some connections to Bill the Butcher, although they aren't the kind of connections that Amsterdam initially assumes. The subplot isn't really a love triangle so much as it is a triangle of loyalty.

One thing I love about Gangs of New York is its scope. In addition to the three central characters, we also get to know Happy Jack (John C Reilly), a former Dead Rabbit-turned-cop who now is under the influence of Cutting. Another important character is Monk McGinn (Brendan Gleason), another former ally of Priest Vallon's who continues to skirt around the edges of Five Points. William "Boss" Tweed (Jim Broadbent) is a politician struggling to make sense out of the chaos that engulfs the city. Although supporting characters, each of them has a vital role in the plot.

Daniel Day-Lewis and Leonardo DiCaprio star in Martin Scorsese's epic historical drama Gangs of New York

Scorsese's film is a real epic, and it's clear that the director has a passion for the subject. Many of his previous movies were set in contemporary New York, so it's kind of fitting that Scorsese should take a look at the city's origins. The birth of New York was essentially the birth of America, as immigrants stepped off boats and into a whole new world. As a descendent of Irish immigrants, I found Gangs not just fascinating but enlightening as well. Everyone knows that immigrants came to America in search of freedom and a new way of life; we often don't realize just how hard they had to fight to stay here. Scorsese perfectly captures the undeniable force of America's evolution - the way it became a melting pot even as intolerant forces tried to keep it from happening. Despite the violence and bloodshed that took place, there's something patriotic about that idea.

The era in which Gangs of New York takes place allows Scorsese to stage many large-scale fight scenes and to revel in period details. (One fight sequence takes place on the snowy ground amid crumbling buildings; by the time the massacre is over, the snow is stained red.) The director certainly knows how to bring these moments to life, but he also keeps an important emphasis on the characters. DiCaprio, Diaz, and Day-Lewis all play fully-realized characters for whom the outcome of New York is crucial. By keeping a focus on the human faces, Scorsese allows us to experience the importance of the time more fully; Amsterdam in particular serves as the audience's guide.

While all the actors are phenomenal, a special mention needs to be made for Day-Lewis, who returns to the screen after a five-year absence. He plays Bill the Butcher in a very theatrical, larger-than-life kind of way. At first, I wondered if he was going to overact, but he never does. Instead, he gives the character an almost mythic quality that makes him one of the most frightening (and volatile) characters in the history of film. It's a remarkable piece of acting, certain to get an Oscar nomination.

Gangs of New York shows us the fight for control of New York in all its horror, but also asserts that the fight was part of an important revolution. Few of us would be living here today had our ancestors not struggled and fought for the right to be here. The movie ends with a time-lapse montage of New York, taking us from the last moment of the story right up to 21st century New York, complete with a shining image of the World Trade Center. What might have come off as corny instead has a patriotic resonance. New York is an important city because it's a place where people of all nationalities live together, grieve together, and lean on one another in times of trouble. New York is a place where people are proud to live. It is also symbolic of everything that is great about America as a whole.

( out of four)

Gangs of New York is rated R for intense strong violence, sexuality/nudity and language. The running time is 2 hours and 40 minutes.