MOVIE - GANGS OF NEW YORK - Review Rating $$$$$ (OUT OF 10)
STARRING - Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Daniel Day-Lewis (Bill "The Butcher" Poole), Jim Broadbent, Brendan Gleeson, Liam Neeson, Pete Postlethwaite, John C. Reilly, Henry Thomas, Roger Ashton-Griffiths, Liam Carney, Stephen Graham, David Hemmings, Ford Keirnan, Gary Lewis, Gary McCormack, Devon Murray & Cara Seymour.
DIRECTED BY - Martin Scorsese (Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Taxi Driver)
SCREENWRITER - Steven Zaillian
Gangs of New York is based on the 1928 historical account of this tumultuous period (1846-1863) in the history of New York by Herbert Asbury.
The opening sequence of Gangs of New York, a battle between two rival gangs, is intense, graphic and brilliantly staged. The same cannot be said about the remaining 2 1/2 hours of this epic.
The problem with Gangs of New York is that it doesn't stay focused on the Gangs. Scorsese, who has sought to bring this movie to the big screen for years, has fallen into the trap of being to close to the material. His desire to capture the myriad of influences (corrupt city officials, the establishment of police/fire departments, immigration, race relations, disparity between the rich & poor and the U.S. Civil War) that impacted on New York's development results in a rambling, lengthy and undisciplined story that doesn't do justice to any of its themes. Each of these themes, on their own, would make a compelling story. Cramming them all into one movie was a mistake.
The best example of this is that the climax of the gang story line coincides with the outbreak of civil unrest related to the Civil War draft imposed by President Lincoln. The telling of that significant event necessitates a dramatic change in storytelling methods including an irritating news bulletin narrative and graphic black & white pictures of Civil War battlefields littered with dead bodies. Not only is this disconcerting, it undermines the significance of the central story line, the pursuit of personal vengeance. The Civil War, and the passions it inflamed, had a much greater influence on New York's development than did one boy's desire to avenge his father's death. The movie says as much in the end. Contrasting larger social themes, against a personal vendetta, reduces the vendetta to a petty grievance not worthy of being the subject of a three hour epic.
Without having read the original book it is no doubt safe to say that the love story, between DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz, was inserted to conform to Hollywood convention. What's a blockbuster without one? Shorter, for one thing.
This is a lavish production. However, there is an air of artificiality about it, almost like Scorsese was trying too hard to demonstrate authenticity. Whereas the mystical world of Middle Earth was brought convincingly to life with special effects in The Lord of the Rings this recreation of New York in the 19th century looks and feels contrived.
The performances were the other bright spot, beside the opening sequence, in the film. DiCaprio, gives a mature performance and there is chemistry between him and Diaz. Daniel Day-Lewis is also excellent as Bill "The Butcher" Poole. In many ways he is the true star of this film and steals scene after scene.
Gangs of New York would have been an excellent movie if it had been an hour or more shorter and if it had stayed true to its title. As it is, I can only recommend this ambitious but flawed film, if you truly enjoy sitting in a movie theater for three hours.
Alternative Reviews:
Roger Ebert's Review
Rotten Tomatoes Reviews
Gangs of New York Official Website
MY TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2002 LIST
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© Copyright
2003
David Schwartz.
Last update:
8/9/03; 11:06:43 PM.
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