Just returned from an opening-day screening of Gangs of New York, the much-awaited Scorcese extravaganza.

I haven't made my mind up on this movie yet. Right now, I'm still trying to recover from the orgy of violence and blood that makes up the majority of the film. If you're sqeamish, this isn't the movie for you. If you don't like to see ears ripped off, this isn't the movie for you. If you don't enjoy watching people gutted with knives, this isn't the movie for you. If you enjoy a very fine performance by Daniel Day-Lewis, an on-again, off-again performance by Leo DiCaprio, and a surprisingly good performance by Cameron Diaz, then this might be a movie for you.

One of the more interesting parts for me occured at the end of the movie, when we see the New York skyline progress through the eras to the present day. Or at least almost the present day...the twin towers of the WTC are a quite prominent part of the skyline on the last frame of the film. In fact, they stretch beyond the top of the screen. I thought this was an interesting choice by Scorsese at a time when most directors seem to be removing any reference to the WTC from their films.