Gangs of New York
Composite Score: 85.93
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Daniel Day-Lewis, Jim Broadbent, John C. Reilly, Henry Thomas, Liam Neeson, Brendan Gleeson, Gary Lewis, Stephen Graham, Eddie Marsan, Alec McCowen, David Hemmings, and Lawrence Gilliard Jr.
Director: Martin Scorsese
Writers: Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian, and Kenneth Lonergan
Genres: Crime, Drama, Action, Revenge, History
MPAA Rating: R for intense strong violence, sexuality/nudity, and language
Box Office: $193.77 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
Gangs of New York is Martin Scorsese’s film about the New York underworld in the 1800s, based on the 1927 book by Herbert Asbury, The Gangs of New York. The film follows the quest for vengeance by Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio) against his father’s (Liam Neeson) killer Bill “the Butcher” Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis). This vengeful story is played against the backdrop of the street gang wars of New York City’s Five Points area, with Bill heading up a dominant group of “nativist” gangs who stand staunchly against the influx of immigrants (especially Irish Catholics) to their city. Behind all of this, the Civil War and threats of conscription also loom. Cameron Diaz, Jim Broadbent, Brendan Gleeson, and Henry Thomas round out the principal cast as Amsterdam’s love interest Jenny Everdeane, the corrupt Boss Tweed, former gangster Walter “Monk” McGinn, and other up-and-comer Johnny Sirocco, respectively. The film was nominated for ten Oscars, including Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, Best Lead Actor (Day-Lewis), and Best Picture.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
Gangs of New York might be the single most Scorsese film that he’s ever made – this is not inherently bad, and is in fact pretty good, all things considered. It also happens to be a bit of a mess in a lot of places. I do believe that the mess is intentional, mostly. Some characters feel almost like throwaways, though, and the true “message” of the film (if you want to call it that) doesn’t actually become clear until well into the final act. Scorsese understands the arbitrary nature of death better than many directors, but incorporating that into a revenge film full of bloody and intentional violence comes across as just a bit too hollow, and maybe that’s why Gangs of New York is the director’s messiest film. The Departed and GoodFellas both make sure you know that anyone could die at any moment, pretty much from the jump. The Irishman and Killers of the Flower Moon make it clear that sometimes death can be intentional, and in those moments it’s even more evil and harmful. Gangs of New York feels like it wants to do both, killing some characters wantonly while leaving others alive for seemingly opportune moments, which in the process leaves you questioning what the point of all the violence was in the first place.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
In a film that combines so many of Martin Scorsese’s loves – New York, gangs, crime, violence, history, New York, Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Irish people, racism/xenophobia, class structures, New York, Catholicism, and even some implicit Native American references skirting around the edges, oh and also New York – it becomes clear why the director is one of, if not the greatest director of all time. Every scene feels like it was crafted to convey some idea that he has had, whether it’s the stark snowscape of the first gang clash, the quiet uptown dinner of the wealthy New Yorkers, or the visceral image of a man impaled on a fence to send a message. Everything ties together in this conglomeration of violence and contrast and ideals to give you a picture of how Scorsese views the history of America – it’s a story of the overlooked whose lives and stories matter so much more than those in the spotlight (which could actually be argued in either direction, based on how you want to interpret the film). Regardless, he captures his vision in every moment, every interaction, and every sequence to the extent that you walk away impressed by the sheer scope of what he is trying to do, even if you don’t immediately get it all in one sitting.
Gangs of New York feels like the culmination and combination of the overwhelming majority of Scorsese’s filmography, capturing the filmmaker’s essence, vision, and passions all in a single film that certainly deserves a spot among the Greatest Films of All Time. Its nature as a seeming passion project means that it’s inherently messy in places and inconsistent in themes, but the big picture of the film is one that’s worth revisiting time and again. Currently, you can stream this film on Max if you’d like to check it out.
