BRUTAL and hard-hitting, Martin Scorcese's masterpiece pulls no punches in portraying gang warfare in the early days of New York.

With such a massive name at the helm and a stellar cast which includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz and Liam Neeson, how could this fail to be good?

Add to the mix the fact that Scorcese managed to coax Daniel Day-Lewis out of retirement to play his first role for many, many years and you've got a potential classic on your hands.

And this sprawling epic almost manages to reach the dizzy heights to which it aspires and it's only a few nitpicky details which let it down.

The opening fight sequence, for example, should have the same sort of impact as the opening of Saving Private Ryan but is a bit of a damp squib.

Day-Lewis is a superb comicbook villain - but that handlebar moustache is just way too ridiculous to be taken seriously.

And, a very minor sticking point, it's just a tad too long. Squeeze it into two hours and you're there.

DiCaprio is convincing, as is Cameron Diaz, announcing herself as a serious actress ready to vie for heavier roles.

SC