Movie a Day: The Gangs of New York.

O

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Once upon a time illegal immigrents meant the Irish.

The Gangs of New York

Actors: Daniel Day-Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Liam Neeson, John C. Reilly, Brendan Gleeson
Directors: Martin Scorsese

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.

Opening sequence part one.


Part two






The theme song: The Hands That Built America by U2



Despite the crappy accents I love this movie.
A somewhat historically accurate look at a very turbulent time in this countries history.
My favorite Daniel Day-Lewis movie by far and that says a lot.
 
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Shane

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Great movie O!
 

Chaplin

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I never understood why so many people didn't like this. It had great performances all over the place.

Cameron Diaz was awful in it.

I liked the movie though--I saw it at the Director's Guild in Hollywood as a double feature with Die Another Day. During the Bond film I sat next to Weird Al Yankovic and after Gangs of New York, Scorsese answered a few questions on stage about the movie. The moderator: Steven Spielberg. Still the best movie-related experience I've had since moving to Los Angeles.
 

Pariah

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Also, Gangs of NY was recently added to Netflix's streaming library.
 

azsportsfan01

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I've never really heard anyone not liking it.

I think it is more a matter of people who think it is Martin Scorsese's worst movie and they think it is therefore bad. I know a lot of people who look down on this movie for some reason.
 

Cardinals.Ken

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I've never really heard anyone not liking it.

I haven't seen it. One of the reasons is that a couple of friends of mine told me that it wasn't all that good.

I should probably give it a go at some point though.
 

Cardinals.Ken

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Wait, isn't this peer pressure, too? It's quite a conundrum you've put Ken in.

I know right?

:trout:

Give it a go. And stop bowing to peer pressure!!!

It wasn't peer pressure per se...it's just the strange way my mind works.

Due to their recommendation, I just never had any interest in it. Hense, I make no effort in seeing it. It doesn't mean I wont watch it, nor does it mean I wont like it.

I think it goes back to Star Trek V...man I got burned on that one.
 
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