Gangs of New York

Gangs of New York is just perfect entertainment. It is an enthralling, bloody, melodramatic epic that more than justifies its two and one half hour running time. In Gangs director Martin Scorsese spins another tale of the New York underworld but with a twist. Instead of the mid-twentieth century organized crime milieu of Goodfellas, Scorsese ventures back to the 19th century to show us the origin of the modern street gang.

It's the early 1860s and the notorious Five Points slum is ruled by the savage `Bill the Butcher'. The viciously nationalistic Bill terrorizes all the immigrant masses jammed into his slum but seems to harbor a particular hatred for the Irish population. Into this seething cauldron wanders mysterious young Amsterdam Vallon who soon works his way into the trust and affection of Bloody Bill. Amsterdam, however, has a past with the unsuspecting Butcher and sports an agenda not unlike a certain Prince of Denmark. Bloody vengeance and dark betrayal soon come to pass, all played against a backdrop of corruption and unrest that lead to up to the horrors of New York Civil War draft riots.

Daniel Day-Lewis is marvelous as Bill the Butcher. His Bill is both recognizably human and a full bore, moustache-twirling villain. Day-Lewis strides his savage and profane way across the screen and steals the whole of the movie. The only other actor to approach Day-Lewis' level is Jim Broadbent as William 'Boss' Tweed. Broadbent is Tweed's spitting image and he makes the grasping old pirate so winning we find ourselves rooting for Tweed against the gaggle of reformers that infest his domain. Though Leonardo DiCaprio is the nominal lead of the picture he is overshadowed by his co-stars. Large, slope shouldered and vaguely brutish looking, DiCaprio is physically perfect for Amsterdam. While he could have used some of the fire and rage of a young James Cagney, DiCaprio's acting is superior throughout the movie. The problem is that Amsterdam just isn't as flashy a role as Bill or Tweed and, as good as DiCaprio is; Day-Lewis operates on a whole other level. Cameron Diaz as the beautiful pickpocket Jenny, never convinces that she is a product of the slums. Despite having considerable screen time, Diaz fades into the background when compared to her more powerful co-stars.

Just as important as the actors are to Gangs is the period atmosphere that drips off the screen. The amazing old New York set has an air of lived in reality that you could cut with a knife. You can almost smell the vermin. Gangs is entirely free of the embalmed feeling you get from most modern period movies. The cast handles the period argot as if it were their true speech and wear their costumes like lived-in clothing. You come away convinced that this is how the world looked and sounded in 1862.

Scorsese does eschew all nuance and subtlety in Gangs. Instead he tells his tale in wide, bold, exploitive and melodramatic strokes that make the movies two and a half hours fly by. Be warned that if you are waiting to see Gangs on DVD you are making a huge mistake. Gangs has to be seen at the theater. The detail and scope of the film cries out to be viewed in all its wide screen glory. This movie is a fantastic achievement.

"Gangs of New York" takes us back to a time when America was a young country and New York was divided. Those who felt they were "native" Americans did not want immigrants to enter their great country, spawning hatred between groups all over the city where many of them landed. In the story we see how much of the town is run by one man, with William Cutting ("Bill the Butcher," played marvelously by Daniel Day-Lewis) being the most feared and well-respected man of the "five Points."

Leonardo DiCaprio plays Amsterdam Vallon, who as a boy watched Bill the Butcher kill his father in one of the Points' great battles. Now a grown man, he returns to the Points to find Bill pretty much running the show. He gets on Bill's good side and eventually becomes his number one man, all the while still plotting for his father's revenge.

While there is a lot of gratuitous violence and gore, the film does an excellent job portraying life as it was in New York. You can be sucked in to the time of the movie, and even though the setting is much before our time you don't need a textbook to understand how things were run and what life was like.

I've never been a big DiCaprio fan, but his effort here (along with his performance from "Catch Me If You Can") have made my opinion start to waver a little. He is good as Amsterdam, and believable in his actions and expressions. Daniel Day-Lewis is simply phenomenal as Bill the Butcher and really should have won the Best Actor Oscar. Overall, I feel this was the best film of 2002 and really was robbed at the Academy Awards.

8 out of 10.

Gangs of New York was is an epic historical crime movie directed by Martin Scorsese and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Cameron Diaz, Jim Broadbent, John C. Reilly, Henry Thomas, Brendon Gleeson, Stephen Graham and Liam Neeson in a special appearance.

The movie is a must watch classic which displays the birth of America and yes through bloody violence and brawls.

The movie displays the greatnesses of Martin Scorsese and his imagination and scope to take out the best from a simple revenge plot.

Acting should be appreciated by all the characters but Daniel Day-Lewis steals the show by his brutal violence in a gentle way.

The screenplay of the movie is slow but captivating and hold the viewers. Location of 1840 America is amazing and background music is good. It wouldn't be wrong to say that this is one of the finest piece of work by Martin Scorsese and a must watch for the viewers who like periodic movies.

Gangs Of New York is a solid action crime drama from director Martin Scorcese who continues to show his skill as a filmmaker with this film. The cast are admirable in their roles including Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day Lewis, and Cameron Diaz. DiCaprio is great as Amsterdam Vallon a man seeking revenge against the one who killed his father. DiCaprio may not have the flashier role like Day Lewis but he's still believable as the hero bringing that intensity he's been know for to the character. Daniel Day Lewis gives a knock out performance as Billy "The Butcher" Cutting a psychotic gangland kingpin who killed Amsterdams father. Day Lewis is terrific in the role of a man whose willing to kill anyone without hesitation. The people are either with him or against him there is no middle ground. Cameron Diaz is good as Jenny Everdeane a woman willing to do almost anything to survive and a potential love interest for DiCaprio's Amsterdam. John C Reilly, Jim Broadbent, Bredan Gleason, Henry Thomas, and a brief appearance by Liam Neeson are effective as the supporting characters but most of them don't have much to do and aren't in it much either. All of them still turn in solid performances none the less in their limited screen time. Most of the movie takes place in New York during 1863 when one of the worst riots in American history took place. The fact that this really did happen gave the movie a realistic fool especially the location where they chose to have this film take place giving audiences a look at what it could've been like back then in New York. The action sequences which mostly involve people getting beat up in brutal ways are well executed especially the riots at the end. The showdown between Amsertdam and Bill was a bit of a letdown but it was fitting for the movie. The film was a bit long with a running time of 167 minutes. The pacing was a little slow at times but the performances by the cast make it worth watching anyway. Despite some flaws Gangs Of New York is still a well made crime drama with enough action, some suspense, a little humor and romance. So if you can get past the long running time Gangs Of New York is definitely worth watching and most of that besides what I already mentioned is because of the exceptional performances (especially Day Lewis and DiCaprio) by the lead actors and the amazing talent of Scorcese who continues to prove himself as a gifted filmmaker with this movie. Well done.

It's so true what people say, that Daniel Day-Lewis doesn't act. He *becomes* the characters he portrays. It's simply astounding to see an interview with the soft-spoken, somewhat effeminate actor and then watch him as the terrifying, dominating Butcher in this, or Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood. Watch Gangs of New York for his performance alone and you won't be disappointed. That isn't to say the story isn't intriguing (it is) or Leo isn't good (he is) but really, Day-Lewis stole the show outright.