‘Gangs of New York’ glimpses America’s past
Published 8:06 am Friday, February 22, 2008
By Luanne Brown
For the Enterprise
Martin Scorsese’s latest epic, “Gangs of New York” is both visually and emotionally challenging.
Known for his brutal visions of reality, Scorsese holds back nothing in one of the most violent openings to a film I’ve ever witnessed. It’s a street battle, which takes place in the Five Points area of New York in the late 1840s. Armed with the crude weapons of war, two gangs hack, stab, bludgeon and beat each other to the death.
Priest Valon (Liam Neeson) leads the losing Dead Rabbits gang. Irish immigrants all, the Dead Rabbits don’t stand a chance against the vicious tactics of the American born Nativists. Bill the Butcher (Daniel Day-Lewis), leader of the Nativists, kills Priest Valon while his young son Amsterdam watches from safe distance.
Jump ahead to 1863. The United States are not so united anymore as civil war rages between north and south. Amsterdam (Leonardo DiCaprio) is released from the orphanage, which was his home for the last 16 years. He returns to the Five Points and plans to revenge the death of his father by killing Bill the Butcher. Things become complicated as Bill takes Amsterdam into his inner circle. Amsterdam is attracted to pickpocket Jenny Everdeane (Cameron Diaz), one of Bill’s many women, and finds that he cares about Bill, too. Where will it all lead? That’s part of the problem with the film.
There are lots of rumors about problems associated with this film. Big budget ($100 million plus), delays in release, arguments between Scorsese and the big boys in charge. I can’t verify them. But something went wrong in the editing of this film since the big climax of the film (the draft riots of 1863 and the street fight against the Dead Rabbits and the Nativists) seem unrelated and they shouldn’t.
Despite this flaw, “The Gangs of New York” remains a powerful film experience. The performance of Daniel Day-Lewis is riveting. From his indigenous American accent and colorful mid 19th century vocabulary to his imposing preying mantis profile and gait, Day-Lewis gifts us with a character we won’t soon forget. While DiCaprio’s character appears subdued when contrasted with the vibrancy of the Butcher, his performance is a capable and compelling one. Even Cameron Diaz distinguishes herself with an earthy quality missing in many of her other roles. The always watchable John C. Reilly (“The Perfect Storm”) proves even more watchable as a hooligan at heart. Other standouts include Gary Lewis, who played the father in “Billy Elliot” and Henry Thomas (“E.T.”) as a friend who is not so true.
Cinematographer Michael Ballhaus and production designer Dante Ferretti get to revisit the squalid side of this era. Their work in Scorsese’s 1993 film, “The Age of Innocence” visually defined the lush way in which the other half lived during this time period.
Since I’m no expert on American history, it’s hard to detail what Scorsese did to glamorize or de-glamorize our past. But I ended up walking away with the feeling that times haven’t changed too much. While there are peaceful, prosperous places in our country, there are also gangs of bullies who breed divisiveness based on ethnic origin. Some of those bullies run the country and are taking their bullying tactics beyond our borders. Yes, I would say that the gang mentality is still afoot in America.
Add to that the shameful practices of many of our big businesses. Boss Tweed, played admirably by Jim Broadbent, describes that specific American behavior with a memorable line, “The appearance of law must be upheld at all times! Especially when it is being broken.”
This film is not for the faint of heart. I saw it with a friend who lost a night of sleep because the strong images of violence keep playing back in her mind. It’s tough to take, but the glimpse it gives us into our past is worth that price.
