Two Men, One Vision

After a 30 -year journey, "Gangs Of New York" finally hits theaters on Christmas Day.

The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio and was directed by Martin Scorcese, who told The Early Show's entertainment contributor Jess Cagle, it was a long process, but worth the wait.

"The first day of the new year of 1970, I found this book in somebody's bookshelf — "Gangs of New York" — and read it," says Scorcese. "For many years, I wanted to make a film about this, if not many films about it."

But Scorcese went off to direct other highly acclaimed films such as "Raging Bull" and "Goodfellas," while waiting for scripting and financing problems to be fixed for his dream film.

"Finally, I think it was 1999, it was presented to me," says Scorcese. "It was actually Mike Ovitz who came to me, and he suggested we have the perfect actor for it — Leonardo DiCaprio. So, that was a pleasant coming together of all these different elements."

Since "Titanic," it seems, Leonardo DiCaprio had power to get a movie made. The huge success of "Titanic" has allowed Hollywood to rely on DiCaprio's name to attract an audience. In return, DiCaprio's success has allowed the star to push for movie projects, such as "Gangs of New York."

"The most important thing is to not be in a position like this and squander that opportunity," says DiCaprio. "I'd always wanted to work with [Scorcese] and do this film, "Gangs of New York." I heard about it when I was 18 years old. I knew nothing about the time, and when I actually learned about the history and the period, you know, I was truly blown away."

DiCaprio says he was happy to join Scorcese's team to recreate old New York.

In "Gangs of New York," DiCaprio plays Amsterdam, a young man raised in an orphanage after watching his father get killed. Amsterdam eventually returns home to the Five Point section of lower Manhattan seeking revenge on the man responsible for his father's death — Bill the Butcher, played by Daniel Day Lewis. Scorcese gave DiCaprio some video inspiration to help him get into character.

"I remember [Scorcese] giving me films that I had seen before," says DiCaprio. "It's almost like a mix between a gangster film, and a western. And, the idea of this Samurai coming into town — not wanting to divulge too much of what his intentions are, or his emotions, or who he is."

The actor says the movie slowly examines his character's human attributes.

"A young son of an Irish immigrant, who didn't have a penny in his pocket, coming into the Five Points, who had one intention on his mind his entire life, which was to avenge his father's death," says DiCaprio. "Throughout the course of the movie, you see him sort of be led astray. And, you know, get away from his original intent, which I don't wanna ruin. But [it] has a lot to do with the rights of his people."

Several times, "Gangs Of New York" release date was pushed back by its studio because of recent violent incidents in America, such as Columbine and Sept. 11. Hollywood became concerned about the violence in the film. Slowly, "bad buzz" surrounded the movie.

"It's like the old story, you know, 'Just my luck,'" says Scorcese. "This is what happens in life. I know from one thing, I had a different approach to the violence in the picture than in my other films. It's less graphic. It's more suggested through the editing and the sound. You think you see it, but actually, you don't. This is something that we did way in advance."

The movie also ran into budget concerns during its making, but both men say "Gangs of New York" had to be made.

"It's the story of our democracy," says DiCaprio. "It's a story of the creation of this country, which is a pluralistic society where people are trying to live together — different races and religions. And, the struggles that they have to endure with each other."

DiCaprio says the movie gave him a new appreciation of New York. Learning about the metropolitan city's past and its draft riots helped him understand its transformation into today's Manhattan, he says.