3.5/5

A strange film, its somewhat of a miracle something like this could be made even by Scorsese at the height of his fame. Day-Lewis of course dominates this movie and makes the other performances look amateur by comparison. While perhaps overwrought, the plot gives much color to the urban violence in American Cities in the antebellum and Civil War eras. Regardless of its historical accuracy any student of the 19th century should watch this, and most Scorsese fans likely already have. While certainly explored, more time dedicated to the inter-denominational and nativist conflicts of the era would have been better than some of the inter-personal drama of the characters.