Review-- "Gangs of New York"

Martin Scorsese filming a gangster epic set in 1860's New York should have been so much better. I'm not saying Gangs of New York is a bad movie. It's a very, very good movie, but the expectations surrounding it were insurmountable, which raises some issues over how hype can make or break a film. Even if it was impossible to create what people wanted, Gangs of New York has problems that limit it from being a masterpiece of the genre. Scorsese is my favorite director, so I wanted this to be the apex of gangster films, an American epic that lived up to its tagline "America was born in the streets." Gangs of New York is at its most interesting when it focuses on its American-ness. My favorite sequence of the film was of Irish immigrants reaching the New York docks, enlisting in the US Army and then boarding another ship to fight for their new country. What it means to truly be an American is a theme that runs through Gangs of New York, from the xenophobic Natives run by Bill the Butcher (Daniel Day-Lewis), to the Chinese immigrants getting by on cultural exhibition, to the black characters, free but still oppressed, to the Catholics. Faith is also an undercurrent of the film. In another of my favorite scenes, three very different characters pray to ostensibly the same god, asking different things. The content of their prayers, when compared to the circumstance of each character, illuminate an America united in belief but sharply divided in class. In the film's astounding climax, the various organizations and gangs square off and dreams and ambitions clash, leaving a city in ruin. It's a satisfying end to the various plots and themes of the movie, even if the road there is rough.

In summary, Amsterdam Vallon (Leo DiCaprio) is an Irish ruffian whose father (Liam Neeson, who matches DDL in a fantastic opening sequence) was killed by The Butcher. After a long detachment from The Five Points, he goes back to a world completely ruled by The Butcher. Day-Lewis is completely mesmerizing as The Butcher, and DiCaprio struggles to match. I've liked DiCaprio in supporting roles or ensemble casts, but to square him off against DDL is unfair. I struggled to think of other actors at that time who could have been cast, and I failed. DiCaprio feels too blunt, his anger too quiet. When Bill talks about the "murderous rage" in him, I couldn't be convinced. None of this is to say DiCaprio fails-- he's at worst adequate and at best very good. His performance can be a synecdote for the film at large.

The middle of the film gets bogged down by a love story that wants to go many places but reaches none of them. Jenny (a not so wooden Cameron Diaz) is an interesting character in theory-- a thief taken in by The Butcher, and she should be the ideal love interest for Amsterdam, but in a film bulging with thematic elements, it's too much. Gangs of New York can't be criticized for a lack of ambition. It's really trying to be profound, and Scorsese highlights its highs wonderfully, often reaching the transcendent (particularly during the beginning and end of the movie) and manages to keep its slow parts interesting. His eye for detail accentuates the hypocrisy of the Natives and the squalor they keep the immigrants in. The outrageous costumes and accents add to a sense that America really was born in the streets, something that's not recognizable to modern sensibilities.

To end this, I want to end on what's easily the best component of Gangs of New York: Daniel Day-Lewis. To put it lightly, he learned an accent that doesn't exist anymore for this role. He commandeers scenes with an amiable menace that demands respect and admiration and fear all at once. His interactions with the world around him show the political warrior he is, winning acolytes over with words and force. He's a rising America with all its charm and faults. In another standout scene, he talks about his respect for Amsterdam's father, the only man who he killed he had respect for. He's in an interesting position with the Irish-- many work for him, and while he despises them, he comes to consider Amsterdam a son. It may be that he views Amsterdam as a true American, someone who has risen to the stars and stripes, while still retaining their roots. He's moral and amoral, racist and accepting, a walking force of nature. If that's not metaphor I don't know what is.

Final Grade: B+