Martin Scorsese is back this year with Gangs Of New York, which stars such heavy hitters as Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Liam Neeson, and Cameron Diaz. Set in 1800's New York, Gangs Of New York takes the audience on a journey through the trenches of the New York cities 'Five Points' where immigrants came to US and ethnic gangs ruled the streets.
Gangs Of New York is a very powerfully driven film that is guaranteed to keep you drawn in through it's duration. A boy (DiCaprio) sees his father (Liam Neeson) slaughtered at the hands of the leader of the rival gang. Years pass, and the boy returns to the streets where he watched his father die, only to find that the man who put his father down (Day-Lewis) is now the most ruthless leader of all gang activity in the streets.
It's a story we've all seen so many times before, and that actually might be the downfall of the film. With a narrative that matches so closely to other beloved films in American cinema, you have no choice as to know each and every step the film takes, 2 steps before it happens. This makes the dramatic editing of the film seem a bit drawn out and redundant.
Setting aside the predictable plot, there are many redeeming factors about Gangs Of New York that make this movie well worth the price of admission.
The performances by Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Cameron Diaz were absolutely superb. Leonardo has certainly come into his own in this film as you can see every bit emotional impact strewn across the actor's face as he portrayed the young man out for revenge. DiCaprio will not be seen as the cute teen that he portrayed in Titanic any longer.
Daniel Day-Lewis was incredible in this film. Though he has not been acting very much in recent years, Day-Lewis made this film. He plays the ultimate villain. The guy you love to hate and hate to love. While portraying 'Bill The Butcher' onscreen you will find that Day-Lewis is the heart and soul of the film. His skills reach far beyond that of any other actor in the film, but instead of overpowering the scenes that he is in, he empowers the other actors and actresses to rise to the occasion. The sign of a true artist.
Another outstanding element of the film is the scenery. Throughout the film you actually can see the immense detail that went into the work of the filmmakers to make for the ultimate background as which to play out the story. Certain were overwhelmed with actual real life extras that would make up the existence of 'The Five Points'. This is a true testament to Scorsese's directorial skills. 1863 New York never looked so real.
The end of the film bothered me in many ways. It seems that filmmakers can get away with a lot during the 1st and 2nd acts of a film, but the ending is what people are going to remember most. It is the part of the film that leaves the audience with the feeling that they will be walking out of the theater with. I've seen it so many times in the past. A good film gets destroyed by it's ending because it has to have mass appeal. This goes against every artistic rule in the book, but hey...studios have to make money too, right?
In a surprisingly non-typical fashion, Gangs Of New York didn't end with the big showdown that the film alludes to throughout the entire film. Instead we get a mucked up city in turmoil ending which leaves our antagonist dead in the street by piece of shrapnel. This finale somewhat pleased me in the fact that the typical Hollywood ending didn't come into play, but this left a big hole where my satisfaction would have been placed, as our hero never gets the retribution he was looking for the entire film.
So why the 3 and a half stars? The theme that was tacked onto the end of the film ruined it or me. The events of September 11th, 2001 impacted the world in many different ways. And yes, Martin Scorsese loves his New York, but the way the end of the film played out was less then inspiring and cried, if not begged for Oscar attention. This kind of stuff really puts a film to shame and lessens the clout of an otherwise respectable director. If this feeble attempt at awe inspiring magic is what Scorsese originally intended for Gangs Of New York, he should have made another film. Plain and simple. Other then that, Gangs Of New York is worth the price of admission, but might see itself getting forgotten about really soon.
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