Gangs of New York (2002)

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Cameron Diaz, Jim Broadbent, John C. Reilly, Henry Thomas, Brendan Gleeson.
Directed by Martin Scorsese.
Written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian, Kenneth Lonergan.
Distributed by Miramax Films.
168 minutes.

LVJeff's Rating: 6/10

History with a Side of Plot

Gangs of New York is most commendable for tackling a subject few people today would give a thought to in their lifetimes, i.e. the dangerous world of New York before and around the time of the Civil War. The movie conveys loudly and clearly director Martin Scorsese's purpose in filming it -- to give the movie-going population awareness of this time and place. But what does he have to say about it, other than it was there? After the final credits have rolled, the answer to that question still feels up in the air.

It is with some amount of sadness that I reveal my reaction to Gangs of New York to be strongly divided. On one hand, I love the re-creation of this 1862 New York. The sets and art production are absolutely staggering. And the atmosphere of this ugly land of gangs, corruption, and general brotherly hate is downright incendiary. I think I'd rather die than live in that place, but I can absolutely believe that such a place existed. The politicians cheated in every way possible and no one cared. The ethnic communities, from the original settlers (they call themselves "Natives") to the Irish, from the African-Americans to the Chinese, made each other feel constantly unwelcome. The more powerful gangs forced their will upon the weak. Every minute, it felt as if the chaotic mob mentality was only a twig-snap away.

But while the environment is presented in loving detail, the story set in this world is unfocused and simplistic. It starts out as a revenge story: Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio) has come back from a reform school to seek vengeance on the man who murdered his father. As a child, Amsterdam witnessed "Bill the Butcher" (Daniel Day-Lewis, totally immersed in his role) slay Priest Vallon in a bloody gang-battle 16 years ago. Amsterdam's plan is to kill Bill during The Butcher's annual celebration of Priest's slaying, in plain view for all to see. But to do that, he first infiltrates Bill's gang and gains his trust.

This story isn't all that original, but it is utilized effectively to illustrate and give life to the setting. As Amsterdam works his way to becoming The Butcher's right-hand-man, we watch them enforce their rule in various parts of town, from the saloon to the docks. Also, as Amsterdam appears to be slowly "adopted" by Bill as a surrogate son, the story grows more interesting. Yes, it exhibits shades of Donnie Brasco, but at least my attention was being held.

Unfortunately, the plot is hampered by a tacked-on love story featuring Cameron Diaz looking very out of place as a beautiful pickpocket. It's too hard to believe that someone like her could be walking around so casually in a sea of grotesque-looking people. The attraction between her character, Jenny, and Amsterdam feels entirely obligatory. Their chemistry is as light as helium, and the more scenes Jenny would appear in, the more pointless she would seem to be. She serves as the indirect catalyst of a mid-movie turning point, but otherwise her inclusion seems extraneous.

As for the father-son thread between Bill and Amsterdam, it eventually self-destructs. Before long, the revenge plot is back, but now with very little steam. Worse yet, it finishes poorly, with little left to develop; meanwhile, new distractions are packed in at the end of the movie, such as an election scene and more details leading up to the movie's featured historical climactic event, the Draft Riots. The original plot's final confrontation is later reduced to one of those ridiculous situations where the hero can't see through fog-like dust, but his one-eyed adversary certainly has no problem.

Without a strongly-told story, Gangs of New York feels more like an over-stuffed history lesson. Indeed, DiCaprio's voice-over gives some of the movie the flavor of a documentary. They also make sense coming from DiCaprio's character, who is mostly an observer with little personality and almost zero charisma (it's not DiCaprio's fault -- his acting is quite good, but the part he plays is thin). Next to the film's other major character, Bill the Butcher, Amsterdam practically disappears. Day-Lewis plays The Butcher with a combination of charm and malice to create a truly memorable screen villain. He's got so much personality, I almost preferred to root for him were it not for the fact that he's so rotten.

Gangs of New York may deserve a recommendation for the history awareness it would endow upon its viewers, but even that must come with a warning. This is by far the most violent film I have seen in a while. Hacking, chopping, and slicing are so prevalent in the movie, I thought "sharp objects" should have been billed as a main star next to the names of Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel Day-Lewis. In any case, it's a flimsy recommendation at best -- sitting through a plot that goes absolutely nowhere after 160 minutes of ugly human behavior, violence, and no sympathetic characters can be a frustrating experience. Scorsese wants his audience to remember this New York, but his depiction of the time period is so unrelenting, who can blame people for wanting to forget?

©Jeffrey Chen, Dec. 20, 2002

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