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Gangs of New York (2002)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
20 December 2002 (USA) moreTagline:
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. full summary | full synopsisAwards:
Nominated for 10 Oscars. Another 32 wins & 59 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(125 articles)
Graham: 'I was chased by paps with DiCaprio' (From digitalspy. 21 May 2009, 7:16 AM, PDT)
DiCaprio, Depp vie for Sinatra role?
(From digitalspy. 15 May 2009, 3:31 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Suppressed History Finally Surfaces moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| 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 |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for intense strong violence, sexuality/nudity and language.Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
167 minColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 moreCertification:
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-17Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Many of the characters portrayed in the movie are actually buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. The view of the skyline shown at the end of the movie would not be visible from this location, but rather from the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. moreGoofs:
Continuity: At the hanging, when the condemned man at left of screen is calling to his son and delivering his last words, all four men already have nooses around their necks. After he ends his speech and the hood is pulled down over his face, the nooses are dangling free in front of the other three men, and the hangman places the nooses back on their necks. moreQuotes:
[Amsterdam goes to wipe blood off razor]Priest Vallon: No son, never. The blood stays on the blade. One day you'll understand.
more
Soundtrack:
The Hands That Built America (Theme from Gangs of New York) moreFAQ
A Note Regarding SpoilersWhat is the symbol on The Butcher's fake eye?
Does the cemetery at the end of the movie still exist?
more
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I am a Civil War "buff," so I wanted to see this movie the moment I heard it was being made. Yes, the New York Draft Riots did happen, just two weeks AFTER the Northern victory at Gettysburg, demonstrating that the outcome of the War was anything but certain, even after Lee had been forced to retreat to the south bank of the Potomac River. Today, many would find this surprising.
The movie did take some license, however. There was no wholesale firing on civilians by Union soldiers. In fact, reported deaths after three days of rioting were less than one-hundred. Many of the dead were randomly selected blacks, who were hanged and mutilated (which was accurately depicted in the film). Today, many would also find this surprising, because the schools teach that the North was good, and the South was bad. The truth is that blacks were subjected to inhumane treatment everywhere, especially in the Nothern cities.
There was also no firing by offshore naval vessels. That was artistic license. (My source for all of the above is a doctoral dissertation that was published about ten years ago titled "The New York City Draft Riots.")
The movie makes the important point that the North had run out of "home grown" manpower to fight the South. Had it not been for Irish and German volunteers through 1863, and black volunteers in 1864, the North would have sued for peace. The 1864 Democratic Platform promised to bring the War to a swift and speedy conclusion.
Bravo to Scorsese for bringing all of this to light. In the meantime, the movie is about twenty minutes to long. The brothel scenes, the "uptown" scenes, and some of the scenes in the catacombs struck me as slow and superfluous. On the other hand, the street scenes and the scenes of the random gangs (of which I wish there were more) were glorious.
One thing Scorsese left out, however: The mountains of animal and human waste in the streets! Not long after his movie was released, the History Channel produced a documentary on the Five Points area, and it is staggering to consider the tons and tons of animal and human waste piling up in the streets, and the thousands of gallons of urine running in the gutters. There were old photos of waste in the streets stacked six feet high. Needless to say, infant mortality in such a fetid environment was about 50%. Scorsese leaves this out, and there is scarcely a horse in the movie.
Day-Lewis does a superb job with a character that is unevenly developed. He is a homicidal thug in the beginning, a menacing, but somewhat benign, presence in the middle, and a psychotic killer in the end. It isn't really clear why he vacillates the way he does. Bi-polar, I guess. DiCaprio proves he can act, and he exudes a manliness he did not possess in earlier films. Diaz turns in a creditable performance. The cast of thousands adds a nice touch to the film.
I would never say this is a "great" film, but it certainly is worth a look. Kudos to Scorsese for the herculean effort, and a tip of the kepi for the poetic ending, which reminded me of the ending in 1936's "San Francisco."