6. Priest Vallon & Bill "The Butcher" Cutting - Gangs Of New York (2002)
I don't think I'd be the only person to say that Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York - despite having so many amazing ingredients - just come out of the oven quite as well as I expected it to. Despite the fact that it stars a whole host of incredible acting talents, and is helmed by the master himself, the final product was far too messy and conflicted to reach classic status. Still, the movie itself has one hell of an opening sequence, doesn't it? Watch in delight as a battle slowly builds from the inside, between native Protestants and an Irish gang known as the "Dead Rabbits." Leading the Protestants is Daniel Day-Lewis's now iconic Bill "The Butcher" Cutting, and on the other side... it's Liam Neeson as "Priest Vallon." The build-up is beautifully shot, and epic in every sense - the resulting battle is as violent and blood-soaked as you'd expect from a Scorsese picture. At this point, you might think you're witnessing the beginnings of a truly great movie. Unfortunately, this is as good as it gets.