Review of Gangs Of New York

Introduction

The Encyclopaedia Britannica has the following to say regarding the Draft Riot of 1863: "(A) major four-day eruption of violence in New York City resulting from deep worker discontent with the inequities of conscription during the U.S. Civil War…" and " … they were particularly antagonised by the federal provision allowing more affluent draftees to buy their way out of the Federal Army for $300. Minor riots occurred in several cities, and when the drawing of names began in New York on July 11 1863, mobs (mostly of foreign-born, especially Irish workers) surged onto the streets assaulting residents, defying police, attacking draft headquarters and burning buildings." It concludes with "The four-day draft riot was finally quelled by police cooperating with the 7th N.Y. Regiment, which had been hastily recalled from Gettysburg, and the drawing of names proceeded on August 19 without incident." There is an additional paragraph speculating on the motives of the rioters, but that is pretty much it. It makes for dry reading indeed and gives little indication of the stories behind the riot, the main players and the horrific details of what actually occurred over those four days. It`s as if someone would describe the events of September 11th 2001 as a significant destruction of property and disruption of America`s financial heart, due to aviation accidents involving hijacked planes. It`s technically accurate, but historically misleading. Martin Scorsese`s Gangs Of New York is a vivid recreation of New York in 1863 and follows the story of three characters against the backdrop of the momentous events that in part shaped that nation.

Mid-nineteenth Century New York was a city still in its birth pangs. Hardly resembling the metropolis today, it was still the gateway for the vast multitudes of immigrants seeking a new life in the new frontier. Yet facing them as they alighted from their ships was the slum area of the Five Points, where the gangs fought for supremacy and crime was rife. In 1846, there was a clash over who would reign supreme over the Five Points, the traditionalist Native Americans, led by William "Bill The Butcher" Cutting or the collected gangs of the newly arrived Irish immigrants led by "Priest" Vallon who wanted their fair share of the New World. It`s during this battle that young Amsterdam Vallon sees his father slain by Bill The Butcher, a moment that defines his life.

It`s 1862, and Amsterdam returns to a New York that has reached a new level of lawlessness and depravity to fulfil his vow of revenge against Bill The Butcher. It`s the middle of the civil war and Lincoln has instituted an unpopular draft to bolster his armies. The influx of immigrants is unceasing much to the detestation of Bill The Butcher, and politics and corruption reaches new heights, as gangs are bought and sold to further political ends, most notably by William "Boss" Tweed. The civic authorities are glorified gangs themselves, with only a badge and uniform to distinguish them from common thugs. Rival fireman will routinely battle against each other while a building will burn to the ground. The emancipation of slaves is seen as taking the jobs away from the common people and the draft only increases their resentment. This powder keg is the backdrop to Amsterdam`s revenge, but he gets distracted first by the alluring Jenny Everdeane, then by Bill The Butcher himself, who sees something special in Amsterdam and takes him under his wing as a protégé.

Video

The picture is presented in a 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer. By and large it is very well done, with strong vivid colours and a sharp clear image. But, and it`s a big but, there is the problem of edge enhancement. Now this is something I thought that I would never encounter on my 28" widescreen, (No sniggering at the back!) but I was surprised at the degree of halo and shimmer in certain scenes. I`d hate to think how it would appear on more well endowed screens.

The film itself is absolutely splendid, and is a masterpiece of design from beginning to end. In this world of routine CGI, the physical sets used here are absolutely fabulous, with 19th Century New York brought to life, just outside Rome. It`s the kind of verisimilitude that one finds lacking in the new Star Wars films and other digitally created environments. Similar attention has been paid to the costume design and the sheer flamboyance with which the characters have been dressed is a wonder to behold. The most dismal of environments possible, a slum is immeasurably brightened by the melting pot of early New York.

Audio

Gangs Of New York has a DD 5.1 as well as a DTS soundtrack. I`ll leave the DTS to someone else, but the DD 5.1 track is certainly vibrant, with the action well represented, and the film sustaining an ambience throughout. It`s the kind of meaty soundtrack that we have come to expect from DVD and it`s handled here very well indeed. The brilliant dialogue is clear throughout.

The music is very well chosen fitting in with the cultural mish-mash of the time, with tracks from U2, Peter Gabriel and the Afro-Celt Sound System. But close your eyes and listen to Howard Shore`s compositions and find yourself transported back to… Middle Earth? I did find a great deal of similarity with his music for this film and the music he has composed for Lord Of The Rings, but it could be just me.

There are English subtitles for the film.

Features

Both discs contain animated menus featuring scenes from the film.

Disc 1 houses the audio commentary presented in DD 2.0 from Martin Scorsese and it is one of the best of its kind. I dipped my toe in and heard his contributions regarding the making of the film, how he has been developing the film since 1970, and what inspired him. He described the casting and the accuracy of the film, and how he balanced truth and fiction. It was all absolutely fascinating, and I intend returning to it when I get the time. It`s well worth listening to.

Disc 2 contains the meat of the extras.

Set Design (9 minutes) begins with an interview with Production Designer Dante Ferretti, and he described how he designed and built the sets, and concludes with the cast`s reaction to the finished city.

This is partnered with Exploring The Sets Of Gangs Of New York (23 minutes) where Ferretti and Scorsese guide us through both the interior and exterior sets used in the film. When the appropriate symbol flashes up, you can press Enter on your remote, and you get taken to a 360° panoramic view of that particular set, and by pressing the arrow keys you can look around that set at leisure. While the featurettes are presented in 4:3, the photographs appear in 1.85:1 anamorphic.

Costume Design (8½ minutes) looks at just that, with Costume Designer Sandy Powell among others. Again she goes through the design process, and how historically accurate the clothes were.

Luc Sante, historian and adviser to the film takes 14 minutes out to speak about The History Of The Five Points, the factors going into society at that time, immigration, racism, corruption of civic authorities, the gangs, the newspapers, and the entertainment of the time.

This is supplemented with the Five Points Study Guide, two pieces of text. One is an essay on the History Of The Five Points, again by Luc Sante, and the other is a vocabulary of the slang in use at the time, and used in the film.

The Discovery Channel Special "Uncovering the Real Gangs Of New York" is a 35-minute documentary that looks at the actual history that forms the backdrop of the movie. It`s a history programme in the traditional style and gives an academic look at the subject, with reference to the film. It`s truly educational and is an excellent supplement to the film, worth of presentation in its own right.

There is the U2 music video "The Hands That Built America" which somehow seems more poignant in the end credits than it does here standing alone.

There is a rather disappointing 12-minute making of, which is your usual trailer interspersed with interview footage, and repeats much of what has been mentioned before.

Finally there is the theatrical trailer.

None of the extras are subtitled.

What are missing from this disc are the deleted scenes, though if gossip were anything to go by, the deleted scenes alone would fill a third disc. As we have come to know with the Kill Bill brouhaha, Miramax prefer short films, and while this theatrical cut of Gangs Of New York is 20 minutes shy of 3 hours, rumours are that over an hour was excised from the film.

Conclusion

I love historical epics, and if it is a history that has never been seen before, all the better. That is one reason I like Braveheart, and Gangs Of New York fills that same niche. When it comes to American history, I like many others assumed that while the West was wild and being won, the cities of the East had long since been civilised, and nothing of interest happened there until Prohibition. This film teaches otherwise, as it reveals an obscure history of New York that was both brutal and fundamental in shaping that young nation.

In making Gangs Of New York, Martin Scorsese has delivered a masterpiece of a movie, epic in scale, intricate in design and a tale Shakespearean in the telling. It`s an absolutely compelling story of revenge, as Amsterdam Vallon seeks to avenge his father, slain at the hands of Bill The Butcher. But what elevates this over the simple tale of vengeance told in the similarly epic Gladiator is the relationship that develops between Amsterdam and Bill. Bill becomes the surrogate father to Amsterdam that was taken from him, and the conflict of loyalty and vengeance that torments Amsterdam is pivotal to the film, and leads to a truly unforgettable climax. All this is told against a backdrop of the events that led to the draft riot of 1863. We get to learn about the conflicts and attitudes that led up to the disturbance, and how they affect the characters, yet as the characters get caught up in their own conflict, they gradually become unaware of the momentous events that take place around them. It`s the best way to make history entertaining, and Gangs Of New York does it very well indeed.

Leonardo DiCaprio is impressive as Vallon, and Cameron Diaz is her usual fiery self as Jenny Everdeane, but all the performances become irrelevant under the withering power that is Bill The Butcher. Daniel Day Lewis is absolutely spellbinding as the cleaver wielding Nativist, and you find yourself hanging on his every word. It`s easy to make light when you hear of how much effort Daniel Day Lewis makes in assuming a character, but when you see the results, the perfection, and the attention to detail in Bill The Butcher, then you can begin to appreciate the actor`s craft. If for nothing else, this film is simply unmissable for his performance. It`s anticlimactic to mention other characters, but Jim Broadbent is excellent as William Tweed, and there is solid support from John C. Reilly, Brendan Gleeson and Henry Thomas, as well as a strong role for Liam Neeson as Priest Vallon.

I`ve barely scratched the surface of Gangs Of New York, there is a complexity and intelligence to the film that is rarely seen in the cinema nowadays. But it is by no means perfect. One or two minor niggles became apparent to me, not least of which is the voiceover. Amsterdam Vallon narrates the tale, but I felt the film could have carried without the voiceover, which occasionally goes as far as stating the obvious. The start of the film is so brutal and visceral, that we quickly become aware of the motives to Amsterdam`s seeking of revenge, yet the film still relies on the hackneyed flashbacks to remind us, just in case we had forgotten, and important moments in the film are often punctuated with newspaper headlines, woodcut prints and daguerreotypes, which sort of defeats the purpose of the film itself. I do feel that the final act is rushed though, and if anything the film is too short. But these are minor problems.

This is the kind of film that comes by far too rarely, and when it does you should make every effort to see it. It`s a gripping tale of revenge that highlights a rich historical tapestry. Not only will you be entertained, but you`ll also learn something you never knew before. Brilliant stuff!