Gangs of New York (2002)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Martin Scorsese

Writers (WGA):

Jay Cocks (story)
Jay Cocks (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

20 December 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

America Was Born In The Streets.

Plot:

In 1863, Amsterdam Vallon returns to the Five Points area of New York City seeking revenge against Bill the Butcher, his father's killer.

Plot Keywords:

Butcher | New York City | Revenge | Riot | Immigrant

Awards:

Nominated for 10 Oscars. Another 32 wins & 59 nominations

Cast

Leonardo DiCaprio	...	Amsterdam Vallon
Daniel Day-Lewis	...	Bill 'The Butcher' Cutting
Cameron Diaz	...	Jenny Everdeane
Jim Broadbent	...	William 'Boss' Tweed
John C. Reilly	...	Happy Jack Mulraney
Henry Thomas	...	Johnny Sirocco
Liam Neeson	...	'Priest' Vallon
Brendan Gleeson	...	Walter 'Monk' McGinn
Gary Lewis	...	McGloin
Stephen Graham	...	Shang
Eddie Marsan	...	Killoran
Alec McCowen	...	Reverend Raleigh (as Alec Mccowen)
David Hemmings	...	Mr. Schermerhorn
Larry Gilliard Jr.	...	Jimmy Spoils
Cara Seymour	...	Hell-Cat Maggie

Also Known As:

Банды Нью-Йорка (Russia) [ru]
Gang of New York (Japan: English title) [en]
Gangi Nowego Jorku (Poland) [pl]
Gangs de Nova Iorque (Portugal) [pt]
Gangs of New York (France) [fr]
Gangs of New York (Spain) [es]
Gangs of New York (Finland) [fi]
Gangs of New York (Germany) [de]
Gangs of New York (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Gangues de Nova York (Brazil) [pt]
Gangy New Yorku (Slovakia) [sk]
Gangy New Yorku (Czech Republic) [cs]
Knufiot New York (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
Les gangs de New York (Canada: French title) [fr]
New Yorgi jõugud (Estonia) [et]
New York çdeteleri (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
New York bandái (Hungary) [hu]
Oi symmories tis Neas Yorkis (Greece) [el]
Pandillas de Nueva York (Argentina) [es]

MPAA:

Rated R for intense strong violence, sexuality/nudity and language.

Runtime:

167 min

Country:

USA | Italy

Language:

English | Irish Gaelic

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #39927) | Iceland:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Brazil:18 | New Zealand:R16 | India:A | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:16 (w) | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 | Israel:PG | Netherlands:16 | Norway:18 | Peru:14 | Philippines:R-18 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) (uncut) | Singapore:NC-16 (edited for re-rating) | Singapore:R(A) (original rating) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:18 | Greece:K-17

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Miramax Films

Trivia:

During the scene at the Chinese theater, Bill the Butcher calls for his boys to play some "American music" and extols it as "patriotic." The tune they play is "Garry Owen," a Gaelic drinking tune, which became the official song of the 7th U.S. Cavalry Regiment, chock full of Irishmen and infamous for their defeat, along with their commander, Gen. George Armstrong Custer, by Indians at Little Big Horn.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Prior to the street battle in 1846, Priest Vallon recites a portion of the Prayer to St. Michael: "St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle! Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil." The prayer was written by Pope Leo XIII in 1888.

Quotes:

Young Johnny Sirocco: Oy! Boyo!
Young Amsterdam Vallon: Johnny.
Young Johnny Sirocco: What you doin', boyo?
Young Amsterdam Vallon: There's a battle. The natives against the dead rabbits.
Young Johnny Sirocco: Which side are you on?
Young Amsterdam Vallon: What do you think?
[points behind him]
Young Amsterdam Vallon: Dead rabbits.

Movie Connections:

References Il gattopardo (1963)

Soundtrack:

The Hands That Built America (Theme from Gangs of New York)

The Blood Stays on the Knife

"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.