Gangs Of New York Reviews

A superb performance

Daniel Day Lewis comes onto our screens about once in every three years. It is as though he prepares himself for the role, for that entire time, and the performances that he leaves us with just get better and better. The man is a genius and his portrayal of William Cutting, affectionately known as ?The Butcher? is nothing short of terrifying.

Gangs of New York is a raw, unforgiving look at the ?salad bowl? rather than the ?melting pot? that was New York during the American Civil War. The Butcher is the self-styled king of five points, New York. He leads ?the natives? brutally against the Irish and Black immigrants, flooding into New York every week.

The film opens with some of the best cinematography since [Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon] and [Road to Perdition]. Sublime editing, a great mixture of camera lenses and angles, plus the perennial slow motion fight sequences all help grab the viewer?s attention from the opening credits.

Leonardo DiCaprio has been at war with the critics regarding his acting ability since he ?sold out? to Titanic. As Amsterdam, he plays the young vengeful orphan well. If anything, the script should have defined his character better, but DiCaprio gives everything he can, with the role provided.

Scorsese has done it again with Gangs of New York and it was a touch of genius casting Cameron Diaz as Jenny.

If you liked Gangs of New York then you may also like to hire [In The Name of The Father], [Last of the Mohicans] and [Titanic].

Worst Scorcese film ever!

If you like historically inaccurate, pointless drivel along the lines of; Pearl Harbour, The Patriot, Braveheart, U-571, Titanic, Far and Away, then this is the film for you.

However if you prefer a film with good characterisation, a story with some point to it and decent acting, then avoid The Gangs of New York, because it doesn't have any of these.

Daniel Day Lewis is the 1 saving grace of the film, but he can't prevent it from being a complete lump of dog poo. Leo Capreeo is totally miscast, Cameron Diaz is irrelevant, the other characters? There are none. All the other players are mere decoration.

I don't know what happened with this film, I can only assume most of it ended up on the cutting room floor. Scorcese can't be happy with the end result, it looks sloppy and amateurish.

DO NOT WASTE AN EVENING WITH THIS!!!

[Highly rated reviewer]

Real gangsters from Scorcese!

Martin Scorcese's most original gangster flick features two of the world's greatest actors, Leonardo Di Caprio and Daniel Day Lewis, at their very best..

Technically Faultless

Martin Scorsese’s epic is amazing in every way. The acting is amazing with Daniel Day-Lewis seriously pushing boundaries as the utterly menacing Bill the Butcher. The sets are stunning perhaps only equalled by ‘Saving Private Ryan’. Scorsese’s directing is brilliant and it doesn’t take an expect to see, well, what an expert he is.

However, in the end it falls short of being the total film experience. The subject matter is such that it is not universally involving and I would imagine to fully appreciate this film you would need to actually be American and preferably a lifelong New Yorker. its too long; I was getting seriously twitchy as the film entered the final hour.

Anyway, there it is. Four stars from me.

Don't believe the hype! Daniel Day Lewis the only high point in this pointless film which looks good on paper. Horrid mindless violence too, which doesn't normally bother me (big slasher fan) and seems just tacked in there for the sake of it.

Do *NOT* waste your time

I stubbornly ignored everyone's advice and, encouraged by one or two 5 star reviews, ordered Gangs of New York hoping I would find something most people had missed. I even persuaded my missus to give it a go. After 10 minutes I gave up trying to justify the *terrible dialogue*, the *overplayed plot*, the *exaggerate set*, the *clichéd characterisations*, the *unconvincing love story*, the *badly edited and amateurish production*, (need I go on?), and took a second to ask myself,

    What does this film offer?

    Answer: nothing...

I couldn't believe it myself but there you go - utter nonsense with no redeeming features. I can't believe there are any good reviews of this trash.

Save your evening - AVOID THIS FILM!!!!

overlong,poor casting,too many loose threads,weak ending,but worth a look just for Daniel Day Lewis's 'Bill The Butcher'

The problem with this movie is that right from the opening scene it offers so much,but then fails to deliver.

Di Caprio is just not believable,Diaz character is totally superfluous & so many good idea's are lost in a late rush to keep the movie to a manageable length.

The final showdown could have been a hollywood classic to rival 'High Noon' or 'The Good,The Bad & The Ugly',but instead Scorsese blows it by trying to be too clever & dropping too many unrelated & abstract events into one single morning on screen .

Having said that,Daniel Day Lewis justifies 3 stars on his own.A superb performance(again)from a master of his art.His William 'Bill The Butcher' Cutting is a genuinely psychotic & dangerously evil character study.

Labour of love...........(NAAAAAARR.)

Scorcese says 'it took 30yrs to make the film i always wanted to do'.

Well its over hyped, over dramatic andlost the plot.

Dicaprio dont work for me his accent is terrible,Diaz like wise. LOVE AFFAIR bah tosh.

Thank goodness for Daniel Day Lewis as Bill,he should have got an oscar for putting up with this no plot, historical drivel

2/5

Day Lewis impresses in Scorsese's Labour of Love

Scorsese's latest effort is a story that has taken him 30 years to produce. The film serves both as an action-packed street-gang movie and an allegorical tale of how America - or more precisely, New York - was born. The film entertains far more than most of the years blockbusters have but in comparison to Scorsese's earlier work it still feels middling rather than masterful. Scorsese again proves he's an artist not a film-maker with some beautiful visuals and blood-soaked authenticity, and Dicaprio shows that there is more to him than looking pretty, but its Daniel Day Lewis who steals the plaudits. His portrayal of Bill 'The Butcher' is astounding, he oozes power and presence in every scene he features. It is no coincidence that the role was originally intended for Robert DeNiro because Day Lewis bears an uncanny resemblance to a young DeNiro in both his mannerisms and his harsh intensity; easily the best thing in the movie its a crime his oscar nomination was unsuccessful. The film drags in places - mainly when Day Lewis is off screen - and the romance between Dicaprio and Diaz seems pointless but overall the film is good value and certainly worth a look if only for Day Lewis. Great stuff!

Scorsese-lite in every respect except length

Scorsese's latest is also possibly the most shallow film he has directed. Although the running time would suggest an epic film, in fact it has little depth. Behind the impressive fight scenes is a very simple tale of love and revenge. DiCaprio really hasn't got the dramatic weight to make his character work, and Diaz barely makes an impression. The only real star is Daniel Day-Lewis, who's performance walks a fine line between well-acted and hammy. A few familiar faces in the supporting cast (John C. Reiley, Brendan Gleeson) add some life to the proceedings.

The length of this film is unnecessary - the story isn't nearly strong enough to support 3 hours of footage - so the film does start to lag at some points. The battle scene at the end is, however, well shot and directed.

On the whole it is not terrible, but really nothing special considering who the director is.