Gangs Of New York – The Verdict

It was the most sought-after ticket at this year's Cannes Film Festival, but Empire's Alan Morrison had a ticket to see the 20 minutes of Gangs of New York footage, and by God, he was going to use it. Billed as 'an hour with Martin Scorsese', and part of the festival's official programme, the afternoon's events kicked off at the Lumiere cinema with a red carpet turnout worthy of any premiere. The film's stars, Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz joined director Martin Scorsese and the film's producer Harvey Weinstein to wade through a sea of paparazzi to the waiting industry audience who rose to their feet for a standing ovation when Scorsese himself entered the theatre. The first half an hour passed happily enough as Scorsese gave a quick talk on the legendary director Billy Wilder with accompanying clips, saying how much he had been inspired by the director who died earlier this year. Then it was time for the meat and two veg