Gangs of New York (2002)

In 1863, Amsterdam Vallon returns to the Five Points area of New York City seeking revenge against Bill the Butcher, his father's killer.

Director:

Martin Scorsese

Writers:

Jay Cocks (story), Jay Cocks (screenplay),

Stars:

Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Cameron Diaz

Nominated for 10 Oscars. Another 41 wins & 64 nominations.

Cast

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
Lawrence Gilliard Jr.	...	Jimmy Spoils (as Larry Gilliard Jr.)
Cara Seymour	...	Hell-Cat Maggie

Storyline

1863. America was born in the streets. In this movie, we see Amsterdam Vallon returning to the Five Points of America to seek vengeance against the psychotic gangland kingpin Bill the Butcher who murdered his father years ago. With an eager pickpocket by his side and a whole new army, Vallon fights his way to seek vengeance on the Butcher and restore peace in the area. However this is more said than done.

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Plot Keywords:

butcher | new york city | revenge | violence | riot | 

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Taglines:

America Was Born In The Streets.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for intense strong violence, sexuality/nudity and language

Details

Official Sites:

Miramax Film Corp. [us] Official Facebook

Country:

USA Italy

Language:

English Irish Chinese Latin

Release Date:

20 December 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pandillas de Nueva York

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$97,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$227,236 (Hong Kong) (14 March 2003)

Gross:

$77,679,638 (USA) (11 April 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax Films, Initial Entertainment Group (IEG), Alberto Grimaldi Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

167 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

To make sure his facts were accurate, Martin Scorsese contacted Tyler Anbinder, a professor of history at George Washington University and author of the book "Five Points".

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Goofs

When Amsterdam is at the pagoda preparing to kill Bill the Butcher, he is shown with his hands behind his back holding his hat which conceals his knife. In the next shot we see him removing his hat with the rest of the crowd as Bill calls the crowd to attention.

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Quotes

Bill The Butcher: This is a day for America.

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Crazy Credits

Aside from the studio logos (which have been altered), there are no opening credits, nor a title. All of the credits (and title) are at the end of the movie. The title of the film is made up of pieces of type that would have been used in the 19th Century to print newsletters, posters and flyers like the ones seen throughout the film.

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Connections

Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince/(500) Days of Summer/Homecoming (2009)

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Soundtracks

"Cantata"
Arranged and Performed by Jeff Atmajian

User Reviews

Daniel Day-Lewis: Spectacular Performance

Daniel Day-Lewis elevates this film from just "good" to "very good" or even "excellent." He is absolutely riveting, one of the most interesting "villains" I have ever seen on film. I am sorry Day-Lewis didn't win the Academy Award for his performance. He was just outstanding to watch. His facial expressions alone cracked me up!

Day-Lewis played "Bill 'The Butcher' Cutting" he is one nasty dude. However, there are no real "good guys" in this story. The supposed hero, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, is a revenge-seeking man with a ton of flaws himself. The rest of the characters are either thieves, gang members, corrupt politicians or corrupt policeman. Ah yes, another family-oriented film from that kindly director Martin Scorcese.

What Scorcese lacks in family values, he comes close to making up for in style. This is another fascinating visual film with great sets, costumes, color and camera-work. Other typical Scorcese touches are in here: Catholic-bashing and brutal language. (I question whether the f-word was used back in the days this film takes place.)

All in all, a tough film that could be too unpleasant to watch but for Lewis' outstanding performance and the spectacular visuals.