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However, the worst excesses of New York's criminals in the
20th Century seem to be tame compared with some of the goings
on in the 1860s, when New York became the Mecca for refugees
from just about every Old World nation.
This human tidal wave allowed the unscrupulous and the nasty
to take advantage of the chaos and set up their own little
empires of gangs.
They were into everything illegal and profitable and waged
full-scale pitched battles on the streets as hundreds of people
took to each other with clubs, knives, cleavers, axes and
all sorts of murderous implements.
Master director Martin Scorcese had long wanted to make a
history of the gangs of New York and has come up with beautiful
looking, violent saga that covers everything from street warfare
and murder to political corruption and abuse of new immigrants.
The main three characters are Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo
di Caprio), a young Catholic lad who is out to avenge the
murder of his father at the hands of the villainous Bill the
Butcher (Daniel Day-Lewis). The last of the trio is a red-haired
Cameran Diaz who plays Jenny Everdeane, the fiesty thief and
tart love interest.
The key plot doesn't really go much further than that, but
the really interesting things centre on how corruption was
so entrenched in the city and its diverse people.
Rival fire crews fight it out to save a burning building,
immigrants are press-ganged into the Union army to fight the
Confederate states, and all the while the chief gangster takes
money off everybody.
The costumes and sets are detailed to the max and the script
indulges in the slang of the day to great realistic effect.
Di Caprio is good, although the role doesn't give him anything
like the meat of his What's Eating Gilbert Grape part.
Diaz is very good and suits the red hair, but the winner of
the acting stakes has to be Day-Lewis who is wonderful as
the chief baddie.
In lesser hands the role could have become silly, but the
great actor carries it off by treading the fine line between
eccentricity and near-insanity with consummate style.
Gangs of New York is interesting as a historical drama
- and, contrary to reports, the violence is not as over-the-top
as I had thought it was going to be.
But, despite its fine looks and superb transfer, the movie
is way too long. At least 30 minutes could have been chopped
from this version without any damage being done.
Conclusion: 85% Extras: 85%.
Continued: DVD
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