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Gangs Of New York (2002) DVD Review
Gangs Of New York (2002) DVD Credits:
Gangs Of New York (2002) Directed by:
Martin Scorsese
Gangs Of New York (2002) Written by:
Kenneth Lonergan, Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian, Herbert Asbury
Gangs Of New York (2002) Cast:
Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Daniel Day-Lewis, Jim Broadbent, John Reilly, Henry Thomas, Brendan Gleeson, Gary Lewis, Stephen Graham, Eddie Marsan
Gangs Of New York (2002) Released by:
Not available at this time
Region:
1
Gangs Of New York (2002) DVD Release Date:
30th June 2008
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Gangs Of New York (2002) Synopsis:

In 1860's lower Manhattan, the Five Points section is a dark, teeming corner of the city known for vice and chaos. Into this frontier of lawlessness arrives the young Irish American, Amsterdam Vallon. Amsterdam is the orphaned son of the slain Priest Vallon--once chief warrior of the Dead Rabbits gang that rallied the Irish immigrants of the Five Points. After 16 years in a "House of Refuge," Amsterdam has returned to the Five Points to hunt down his father's killer. His target is William Cutting (aka "Bill the Butcher") who has since become the merciless new leader of the neighborhood and detests the newly arrived immigrants. Each year, on the anniversary of Priest Vallon's death, the victory is commemorated with a celebration--with invitations handed out by way of the Butcher himself. Amsterdam's plan is clear: to lie in wait and slay his father's killer. While waiting for that night, Amsterdam works his way deep into the Butcher's inner circle, a world of alternating honor and cruelty from which he can only hope to escape. But the closer he gets to Bill, the more he falls under his spell and becomes conflicted--playing the role of the man's surrogate son while keeping the true secret of his past in the shadows. At the same time, Amsterdam meets Jenny Everdeane, an enigmatic pickpocket whose fierce independence fascinates him. When details of her closely linked past with Bill the Butcher emerge, the relationship between the three intensifies. Amsterdam's fight for family honor, freedom and the woman he loves ultimately collides with a pivotal moment in New York and American history: the 1863 Civil War Draft Riots. This uprising, fueled by new Americans like Amsterdam, will have repercussions that will spread through the Five Points to the halls of Government and beyond, and reveal a tenacious spirit in the city that endures.

Gangs Of New York (2002) DVD Review:

It is much easier to look back on Gangs of New York and see all the incredible aspects now that there is not as much riding on it. When Gangs of New York was first released there was a great deal of talk about the overextended shoot and all of the money and control issues having to do with Scorsese’s one and only experience working with the infamous Harvey Weinstein of Miramax Films. After the film was released it became the subject of the Weinstein’s school of marketing, pushed during award season as they pushed many of their films, with money and influence. Many thought that this would result in Scorsese’s first Oscar, which it did not. If not for the fact that The Departed has somewhat vindicated the treatment of Scorsese over the years, Gangs of New York may have been a disastrously large mess. Now the weaknesses in the film are easily excusable when looking at it as a clear work in the vibrant and sometimes unstable career of Martin Scorsese.

Part of the difficulty with the film was the uncertain script and casting issues. The main issue was how engaging Daniel Day-Lewis is as Bill “The Butcher” the villainous man who runs a thriving world of crime called “The Five Points” in 1860s New York. Day-Lewis is the local butcher and a brutal murderer who stands for all of the native Americans who are growing increasingly irate by the flooding of immigrants from the boats that have saved thousands of Irish immigrants from famine in their home country. Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio) arrives with these immigrants, although his secret is that he is the son of a man once killed by “The Butcher” come back for revenge. Having aged greatly since last visited the area where he grew, Amsterdam is only recognized by a select group of people, using this to get close to Bill.

While planning his revenge Amsterdam grows closer to Bill, but also begins to admire him some despite his conviction to kill the man that took his father from him. He also becomes entangled with a pickpocket (Cameron Diaz) who was taken in by Bill as a child. All of this leads to a confrontation between the two men, although after the initial gangland fight from the opening of the film there is never the full on battle that is expected. At first the immigrants fight back against the natives through politics, attempting to get one of their own (Brendan Gleeson) elected in a position of power. All the while the tension between the immigrants and the natives is building there is a sub-plot involving Lincoln’s draft for the army, which proves to build faster and deadlier than any of the gangs and also serves as a dues ex machine for the aimless plot.

Some of the choices of older titles adapted to Blu-ray have baffled me slightly, but this one makes absolute sense to me. Although Daniel Day-Lewis does his best, as always, to steal every scene he is in, the real star of the film is the production design. The sets, art direction, and many other technical aspects of this impressive endeavor are what make the film stand out, and the details are what make the film so perfect for high definition. Each mark on the postings of the slums can be seen in all clarity, and the vibrant soundtrack is full of clarity. The only unfortunate aspect of the transfer is the lack of anything new. Although the Blu-ray features the many unique aspects such as being able to reach the menu while the film continues to play, but there are no new special features and no recall ability should the disc be stopped.

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Gangs Of New York (2002) DVD review written by: Ryan Izay

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