by David Pomeranz, Reporter-at-Law

Why review a movie that’s been on DVD for over a decade?  Because it’s simply too great to ignore.  If you haven’t seen this flick, you’re missing a moving and powerful experience.  Gangs of New York has been remastered and released as the 10th Anniversary Edition.

Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio are now legendary when they team up (see “The Departed” and “The Wolf of Wall Street” for two stunning examples) and this film is a classic reason why.

Gangs of New York is an epic.  It’s not meant to be taken lightly and the cinematography alone is worth the watch.  Martin Scorsese’s masterpiece is set in New York’s notorious Five Points neighborhood in 1863. Scorsese did his homework here, and researched everything from the look of the streets to the color of the sky.  It is an impeccable recreation, yet it doesn’t appear forced.  The sets were constructed at Rome’s Cinecittà Studios by production designer Dante Ferretti, but the feel is all New York.

The film begins with a street battle between the American-born Nativists, led by William “Bill the Butcher” Cutting (spectacularly acted by Daniel Day-Lewis), and the Dead Rabbits – Irish immigrants led by Priest Vallon (Liam Neeson). In the melee, which is particularly bloody, Vallon’s young son, Amsterdam, witnesses the murder of his father by The Butcher.  After sixteen years in reform school, Priest’s son, Amsterdam (Leonardo DiCaprio), returns to the Five Points, his identity hidden, with the intention of infiltrating The Butcher’s gang and killing him.  Bill takes a liking to young Amsterdam and shows a fondness that one would show a son.  And Amsterdam thrives under Bill’s wing.  The tension grows and we know there is an inevitability to a deadly confrontation between the two.  And throughout this build-up, we see the violence surrounding the 1863 Conscription Act, the immigration of the Irish to New York, the disparity between the rich and poor of these times, and the political corruption that held sway over the residents of the Five Points.

While it is true that many of the characters in the film are artistically thin and their actions predictable, like the pretty thief Jenny (Cameron Diaz) and the turncoat best friend Johnny (Henry Thomas), the roles are nonetheless acted with grace and precision.  They are being directed by quite possibly the best living American director, so we should expect no less.  The lead characters are much better, as both DiCaprio and Day Lewis are brilliant performers.  DiCaprio has been shunned for the Oscar for reasons that are the subject of Internet lore spanning tens of thousands of pages.  But the fact remains he is an under-appreciated actor.  There is little doubt his Oscar is coming.  And of course Daniel Day Lewis is already an Oscar winner, and an actor of amazing talent and ability.  His portrayal of the villain Bill the Butcher is nothing short of mesmerizing.  He portrays the bad guy like a Snidely Whiplash, but with an astonishing menace.

The film unifies the underlying subjects, politics, and characters within the framework of the interaction between Bill and Amsterdam.  There are always fireworks on screen.

The movie was inspired by The Gangs of New York, Herbert Asbury’s 1928 history of New York’s underworld.  Scorsese, who believes filmmaking is a religious experience, took this source material and calls on us to absolve the sins of our fathers by taking the violence and intolerance of our past, and using it as a learning tool for the future.  This is reflected at the end of the film, as it fades from 1863 to 2002, reminding us that history never disappears.

Rating:
ComicsOnline gives Gangs of New York 5 Statues of Liberty out of 5.

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