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Gangs of New York êêê (R)
Reviewed By Brenda Sexton
Epic blood bath
Amsterdam Vallon: Leonardo Di Caprio
Boss Twead: Jim Broadbent
Bill the Butcher: Daniel Day-Lewis
Happy Jack: John C. Reilly
Jenny Everdeane: Cameron Diaz
Director: Martin Scorsese
30 Second Bottom Line: The story of a young man's quest to avenge the killing of his father at the hand of the underworld boss of lower-Manhattan, in the mid-1800's. Intertwined with this portrayal of the struggles and bloodshed of Irish immigration into New York, are the violent riots by the poor against the civil war draft.
Story Line: The "Dead Rabbits," a gang of Irish immigrants in 1840's lower Manhattan, is gearing up to combat the more established rulers of the "Five Points" slum area, the "Nativists." Priest Vallon (Liam Neeson), the leader of the "Dead Rabbits," gathers his rather pathetic group of misfit combatants from the hellholes of the catacombs in the bowels of the city, as his young son follows with adoring pride.
When the two rival gangs face off in the intersection of Five Points, carrying every form of weapon available, the massive bloodshed rages in an almost symphonic scene. Men are splitting each other open with hatchets while the blood sprays across the snow-laden streets. The bloody carnage ends with the leader of the "Nativists," Bill the Butcher (Daniel Day-Lewis), slaughtering Priest Vallon. Young Amsterdam, traumatized by witnessing the carnage and the death of his father, is captured by the police on the spot and sent off to an orphanage, Hellgate House of Reform, for the next 16 years. Upon his release, and now about twenty-years old, Amsterdam (Leonardo Di Caprio) tosses his reform school Bible into the river and heads back to lower Manhattan to avenge his father's death.
Back in the slums, Amsterdam shows a wit and street cunning that captures the eye of his nemesis, Bill the Butcher, who has continued to be the warlord of Five Points. Bill adopts Amsterdam as his young apprentice and they forge a father/son bond, rather confusing to us, as we the audience are privy to Amsterdam's murderous intentions.
Meanwhile, Amsterdam's heart is captured by a smart, sassy, striking street lass named Jenny Everdeane (Cameron Diaz), who is not only a master pickpocket/scam artist, but is also Bill the Butcher's former lover.
Finally, we have the forever-anticipated showdown between Amsterdam and Bill, while simultaneously the draft riots of 1863 explode throughout the city.
Tell Me More About It: The sets, constructed in Rome at the Cinecitta Studios, are the true stars of this epic $100 million-plus production and alone make this film absolutely worth seeing. Scorsese visually captures the rat-hole configuration and sluminess of the tenements, the brutality and intensity of the city streets and the contrasting grandeur of the upper class' environment on the Upper East Side.
Where the film doesn't work is in its struggle to create a story line combining the gangs' battles, the immigration issues, the politics of the time and the riots against the civil war draft (along with the revengeful slaughter of African Americans in the city). There's violence everywhere, but there are too many stories going on in one film-even with a 2 hour and 40 minute running time. What should have been cut? Well, that seems to be part of the well-publicized debacle of delays and re-writes Scorsese had with this film.
Another complaint is the lack of chemistry between Di Caprio and Diaz. There is little magnetism between them-it's almost as if she's a different generation from his, too mature, too wise for him. The relationships throughout the film are somewhat of a hodgepodge. Why does Amsterdam become Bill the Butcher's right-hand man? Why doesn't he just murder him instead of waiting until Bill discovers his true identity?
There is a grand and epic nature to this film that makes it bigger than life and very much worth seeing. Unfortunately, the huge and unconnected story lines, the crisscrossing of the final battles, and the confusing relationships have you leave the theater somewhat disconnected-what has one part of the film to do with the other? The lasting impression is that this is more of a vehicle for our country's bloody history than a tightly knit tale of life in the mid-19th century.
