It’s been a couple of years since
my last viewing of Martin Scorsese’s historical epic, Gangs of New York. It’s a movie I’ve seen several times since I
first saw it in 2002 as my first ‘18’ rated movie at the cinema. It’s a film
I’ve always had a lot of affection for. I found it strange then that on this
particular viewing, the movie had lost a lot of its charm.
Loosely based on the 1928 book of
the same name, Gangs of New York is a
dirty and blood-soaked account of the various gangs which vied for control over
New York City’s
Five Points in the middle of the 19th Century. Focussing
specifically on two characters, it takes historical context and real names,
mixing them into a world of fact and fiction with some glorious set pieces and
cinematic design. Having witnessed his father’s death at the hands of Bill ‘the
Butcher’ Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis) as a young child, Amsterdam Vallon
(Leonardo Di Caprio) comes back to the Five Points as an adult to reap revenge.
He finds the Points much the same as he left it; a squalid and rat infested
mismatch of languages and races, the very thing which Cutting despises about
the area in which he is King.
Regular readers may well be aware
of my love for the city of New York
and I love its history even more than the vibrant city of today. I’m fascinated
by photos and film of the city in its filthy past and this movie recreates it
in all of its grimy detail. At times it’s difficult to believe how accurate the
cave systems, large, disused factories and pig farms are but not that long ago,
this is what the world’s greatest metropolis was really like. The film takes us
back to an unrecognisable city, a city still awaiting its fate as one of the
greatest on the planet. The set and costume design throughout the movie are
highlights. The large and detailed sets, built on location at Rome’s Cinecittá were beautifully designed by
Dante Ferretti and the five miles of streets, buildings and courtyards are some
of my favourite in any film. The sets are detailed and filled with purifying
bodies, livestock, rubbish, smoke and detritus. It’s a masterstroke of decaying
beauty. The costume design is equally as impressive with oddly contrasting
colours and patterns complemented by earthy coloured rags of the less fortunate
characters. Bill ‘the Butcher’s’ vivid costumes are especially magnificent.
The plot of the movie is fairly
basic at first glance, one of revenge and fight for freedom vs. the battle to
keep the status quo. On deeper inspection, the movie is about the birth of
modern America.
In the background but never too far from the fore is the American Civil War, a
war being fought hundreds of miles away but causing great tension amongst the
divided populous of New York.
More prominent in the script are the rights of immigrants and their shaping of
the city and nation as a whole. New
York, perhaps like no other city at the time or even
since, was a melting pot of languages, nationalities and peoples. This created
tensions between the new communities and those who were more established and
this is one of the central themes of the movie. Race is also a constant plot
point with talk of the Civil War and what men were really fighting for being
juxtaposed against people’s dislike of blacks ‘taking’ low paid jobs from
whites. This is also one of the issues which cause aggravation between the
‘Natives’ and Irish immigrants. It’s a wonderfully laid out story which touches
nicely upon real historical characters and events.
On this most recent watch I found
Scorsese’s direction uncharacteristically uneven. His usually inch perfect
stylistic flair was displeasing to my eye and on the whole, I wasn’t a fan of
the way it was shot. It isn’t something I’ve ever experienced with the film or
indeed the director before and can only put it down to noticing more, being
bored after so many watches or the fact that I’d just re-watched the near
perfect Rear Window. Whatever the
reason, the director’s style grated with me and I didn’t feel settled. This
isn’t to say that the film isn’t great to look at because it undoubtedly is but
there’s just something off with the way it looks. Despite this, there are some
wonderfully composed scenes and shots and they work well with the score which
is typically fitting. Like the era and depiction of people’s lives, I found the
film messy.
On the acting front, there’s a
real mix of near perfection and well, Cameron Diaz. Diaz plays an attractive pickpocket
at the very centre of the story and although her character is well written, the
actress struggles with the role. She does impress more than in many other films
though. DiCaprio is strong although I found his Irish-American accent wavered
somewhat. Accents on the whole were a weak area with the various dialects
spewed with inconsistent accuracy. Daniel Day-Lewis steals the film with his
inch perfect portrayal of Bill ‘the Butcher’. He chews though the scenery like
a very hungry caterpillar and delivers juicy lines with aplomb. His “Whoopsie
daisy” is a line that has remained with me for over a decade. The movie is
littered with small roles for terrific actors and Jim Broadbent is one of many
who produce. Brendan Gleeson is also worthy of mention for his portrayal of a
hard man turned politician.
I’ll continue to go back to Gangs of New York and despite its flaws;
it’s a sprawling epic with a love for history and a deep affection for its
characters. There’s a lot going on and it doesn’t all work but you’ll finish
the film with a rush of adrenalin, feeling as though you got value for money
and that you’ve really visited mid 19th Century New York City.
7/10
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