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Gangs Of New York
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Plot
As the American Civil War rages, rival gangs battle for New York's Lower East Side. On one side are the Nativists, led by the vicious Bill 'The Butcher' Cutting (Lewis). On the other, Irish-American Amsterdam Vallon (Di Caprio) and the reviled 'foreign hordes', fighting for their place in the city.
Review
Since 1999, when Leonardo DiCaprio signed on with America's greatest living director, expectations have slipped from 'eagerly-awaited', to 'long-awaited', to worryingly 'long-delayed', as Gangs Of New York's US release moved from December '01, to July, then December '02.
It arrives here burdened with gossip of hostilities and an awareness that there's been a lot of fiddling about, all of which gave Di Caprio time to make a Spielberg movie that's opening almost simultaneously.
Masterpiece or muddle, then? Truth is, Scorsese's latest spectacle is something of both. This dark, provocative 19th century epic - with its gorgeously sinister cinematography (by Michael Ballhaus) and stunning period detail - is signature Scorsese. Ambitiously he extends his journey through the violence in America's social fabric back in time to argue that, to quote the poster, the great democracy was born (bloodily) in the streets, and is still kicking and screaming to this day.
This is a bold, brave look at history as it is not taught, brutally contradicting the 'melting pot' fable of the American Dream. These huddled masses are clawing for survival in a cesspit of poverty, cruelty, corruption and greed, ultimately to be engulfed in the Draft Riots, America's worst mass explosion of civic unrest. Gangs' romantic fictional plot - running through the bigger, factual backdrop - is traditional. A poor urchin witnesses his father's gruesome murder by the white Anglo-Saxon Protestant lord of the 'hood, grows up in a grim institution, returns to avenge his father, falls for a tough lovely, and becomes the Moses of his squalid, barbaric patch of Manhattan. This is unnecessarily drawn out when we all know roughly where it's going. Amsterdam's buddy, for example (E.T.'s Elliott, Henry Thomas, as Johnny), might as well have 'I'm going to betray you because I covet your girl' tattooed across his forehead.
The second half of the film, however, feels rushed. The narrative hiccups and jumps around as peripheral characters and wider ideological, racial and religious conflicts envelop the local, personal turmoil. Bewilderment or boredom, choose one.
The film doesn't disappoint, however, in its breathtakingly cinematic - and frequently horrific - set-pieces. Most memorably, a remarkable single shot follows newly-arrived, ragged, starving immigrants disembarking, issued with citizenship, sworn into the army, thrust into uniform and marched up the gangplank of a Federal ship as coffins of the war casualties are unloaded.
Daniel Day-Lewis resists the temptation to twirl his handlebar moustache, but his superb impersonation of Robert De Niro (once set to play the Butcher) is sociopathic, show-stealing Grand Guignol, as he ruthlessly wields cleavers, knives and power with disturbing expertise. A xenophobic monologue he delivers seated by Vallon's bed, draped in a bloody Stars and Stripes, is absolutely hair-raising. DiCaprio, meanwhile, looks the heartthrob but also provides the vital emotional engagement. Diaz is implausibly contemporary and clean for her role, but valuable in the erotic stakes.
It has to be said that funny hats and voluminous checked pants distinguish this decade as a particularly absurd fashion era for men. The gangs look like satirical dastards in a nightmare of atavistic street fights and sadistic entertainments created by a mad Charles Dickens on a very bad trip.
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| Your Reviews |
Average user rating for Gangs Of New York |
| History class...never had been soo much fun! | |
| Gangs of New York, is unlike anything I've ever seen. It is a masterpiece of Scorsece. but can be a show of pure entertainment, with excellent performances. It is a film that is half history, half action, half drama, half crime. The story, as the title says, is about the first gang that existed in New York City before and during the American Civil War, which were mostly composed of Irish, Chinese, German, etc ... The main character is Amsterdam Vallon, the son of one of the most powerful leader... More | |
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Posted by Ralph25 at 21:58, 11 April 2013 | Report This Post | |
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| BEST SCORSESE FILM EVER | |
| Finest Film Ever ... More | |
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Posted by Ciaran McDaid at 12:38, 20 March 2012 | Report This Post | |
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| What the hell was going on in this film, the plot was so confusing and rather pointless i thought. sorry but i really didn't get this film and it was way too long and the irish accents were really annoying . . . except gleeson and neeson obviously ... More | |
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Posted by musht at 22:27, 18 July 2010 | Report This Post | |
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| See it for the peformance, not the film itself | |
| The actual film isn't the masterpiece it was aiming for - quite long-winded - but Daniel Day-Lewis's performance is incredible. Leonardo DiCaprio does his best and its suprsingly good, but DDL just outshadows them all. Its a good watch for a dark and gloomy day. ... More | |
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Posted by MovieAddict247 at 15:49, 06 June 2009 | Report This Post | |
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| very good film | |
| Daniel day lewis's best performance, outstanding acting and should have got the oscar. ... More | |
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Posted by lipton village at 01:25, 08 February 2008 | Report This Post | |
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| stunning | |
| raw story telling, its a bit long but its not 'dead air' every moment is used adn worth watching at elast twice more ... More | |
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Posted by BlueDragon21120 at 23:12, 06 February 2008 | Report This Post | |
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| stunning | |
| raw story telling, its a bit long but its not 'dead air' every moment is used adn worth watching at elast twice more ... More | |
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Posted by BlueDragon21120 at 23:12, 06 February 2008 | Report This Post | |
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| i like this - ok it has problems but underneath its a bloody good watch and a carear best from Day-Lewis. ... More | |
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Posted by bobbyperu at 22:59, 24 October 2007 | Report This Post | |
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| i like this - ok it has problems but underneath its a bloody good watch and a carear best from Day-Lewis. ... More | |
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Posted by bobbyperu at 22:59, 24 October 2007 | Report This Post | |
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| Love It! | |
| I love it! Watch it when i have a chance and enjoy all of it! ... More | |
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Posted by DJ Funktris at 22:09, 10 August 2007 | Report This Post | |
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| Great great film, humble and loyal to historical accuracy. Well Scorsese has done a fab job from the acting to story and characters, reliving this crual, dark, and bloody era during the cival war. Among the cast includes Leonardo DiCaprio,, Daniel Day lewis and Camaron Diaz, which all portray incidents and action's that make this film dashing and brilliant. ... More | |
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Posted by Big Alex at 20:13, 06 August 2007 | Report This Post | |
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| Gangs of so what? | |
| This is undoubtedly the low point of Scorsese's distinguished career. A conundrum from beginning to end, not even Daniel Day-Lewis on mountainous form can save a film that festers so resolutely in its own pretensions. While everything looks spectacular, the plot and narrative have been so completely corrupted by the myriad power struggles over running time and budget, that one wonders if it was really worth the effort after all. What could have been great is instead a lethargic, contrived and u... More | |
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Posted by Eomer_King at 17:44, 10 February 2007 | Report This Post | |
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| brilliant film i dont understand why people dont like it ... More | |
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Posted by casino at 10:34, 05 December 2006 | Report This Post | |
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| Report | |
| I never understood why this got overlooked as the "lesser Scorcese" film, I personally find it to be one of his finest moments. Great performances from the cast with Daniel Day Lewis as an obvious stand out. Gritty realistic violence, gritty realistic world thats true to the book and history despite what many may think (Hell Cat Maggie was very much a real person according to Asbury's book). Maybe a touch over long but with so many stand out moments (the draft riots, the opening battle... More | |
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Posted by LostInTheBackwoods at 12:17, 04 December 2006 | Report This Post | |
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| Violent gangs | |
| Vey good performances from the cast and does contain some tather disgusting violece. Having said that, it were violent time. Not Martin Scorseses best but still very good. ... More | |
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Posted by solid snake at 19:04, 21 October 2006 | Report This Post | |
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| Diaz and Dicaprio are weak but Daniel Day Lewis is astonishing, and it has some great violence. ... More | |
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Posted by Naweed_1 at 14:39, 12 March 2006 | Report This Post | |
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| Mixed feelings | |
| Very very long (bad), good performances (good), very violent (good) but ultimately too muddled and flabby (bad). ... More | |
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Posted by Caster at 20:27, 06 February 2006 | Report This Post | |
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| I'll make this quick | |
| Watched this on t.v last night and was hoping for a good film to keep me going. this film did this and i thought day ewis was brilliant. does anyone know if he got an oscar for it? good movie but some bits could have been cut out. too long ... More | |
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Posted by PhiLdO90 at 16:56, 06 February 2006 | Report This Post | |
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| excellent | |
| perhaps not scorsese's best work but theres no doubt that its one excellent film. The Narrative voice over doesn't seem to work at times and i think the casting of Di Caprio was the wrong choice despite a good performance he doesnt look right and his irish accent is really unconvincing. Day-Lewis performance is simply electric a performance that seem to come straight from macabre styled theatre than anything else is simply genius and one of the great peformances if not the greatest in the last t... More | |
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Posted by doncopey1 at 11:51, 04 January 2006 | Report This Post | |
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