Bloodbath. Review on Gangs Of New York Movie

1863, Lower Manhattan. The Five Points District, run by the Gangs and the most powerful of them is called The Natives (the name itself tells you that they consider themselves to be the ORIGINAL sons of the land) headed by a ruthless, headstrong yet cunning Bill "The Butcher" Cutting (Daniel Day - Lewis)!! The name speaks for itself... He relishes in CUTTING people with his BUTCHER blade, gleaming and mean!!

Amsterdam Vallon (Leo Di Caprio), young and cheesy, has been a witness to his fathers murder and since then harbors a plan of revenge!! He arrives in the district to learn and learn REAl fast of the ways of the GANGS OF NEW YORK!!

*Clearly, America was born from these mean streets which have witnessed a grim, gory bloodbath!!

*The most beautiful feature of this film and very adroitly brought out by Martin, is the mix of a lot of battles;

1. The Gangs Of New York

   
   




2. The inhabitants chasing 'New Arrivals', mostly Irish, and driving them out

   
   




3. People fighting 'Drafts', running away from the Government Law Enforcers, forcing them to

   
   

join the battle, the Civil War

All these elements are mixed in correct doses to keep you completely rivetted to your seats!! Then you have the very angry, blood thirsty crowds throwing garbage on people walking the streets of New York and daring any new inhabitant to try to live from these streets.** Its a very factual crime drama that really brings out the gory battles and gruelsome ways of killing that took place in Lower Manhattan with the sole aim of clearing SPACE!!

*The film opens on Priest Vallon (Liam Neeson) putting on his collar to take head on the most powerful gang The Natives with his son Amsterdam trailing behind him. His DEAD RABBITS are ready to take on the high and the mighty with cudgels, knives, swords, bayonets. What unveils is an absolutely animalistic, grim battle of bodies with a single minded aim, WIN!! The scattered bodies, blood flowing freely on the streets are the stark remains of this war and the Priest ends his life here!!

The vividness of Martins canvas can be seen right through the film as he catapults us from the modern day comforts to the grotesque ways of survival that were being fought on the streets establishing supremacy and eventually rule. The characters are so naturally colorful that you actually find Leo a misfit in the whole scenario. He is neither as colorful, nor is he as cunning and mean as Bill Cutting. Jenny (Cameroon Diaz) as a pick pocket of that time, comes out so beautifully. Her ways of operating on the streets, even when she prepares to catch the eye of a rich uptown guy are pure depiction of the era. Bill the Butcher's character is so aptly portryaed by Daniel Day that you would not find a better fit when he talks in a very choked manner, his odd ruthlessness teamed with his philosophy. They are the hall mark of his character.

Others in the fray are a hired club named Monk (Brendan Gleeson), the shopkeeper Happy Jack (John Reily), and historical figures such as William "Boss" Tweed (Jim Broadbent), ruler of the vastly corrupt Tammany Hall seeking votes, and P.T. Barnum (Roger Ashton-Griffiths).

*Leo's character is slightly subdued and he has enacted the part of a man seeking revenge with studied curiosity. He revels in the stylish characterisation of Amsterdam, finds love in Jenny and learns the tricks of kniving from the master Bill The Butcher himself and then enthues on to use the same set of skills to avenge his fathers death.

The shooting of this film took place in Cinecita in rome where expensive sets were built, time was a huge problem and budgets geeting out of hand. It was a most wanting time for Martin to shoot this extravagnaza, but he comes out triumphantly. Certainly an accomplishment. Martin's characters kill in this film simply because they like to kill. They are mean because survival is their only agenda. The way the tenements were built, where families live in rooms which are like shelves in a building, more like aan open shelter than a proper apartment, is simply a marvellous piece of depicting the era. Dante Ferreti, is the set designer who has been the sole reason for Gangs of New York to look like it did in the 1840's.

The film is very straight forward in its cynicism towards democracy. Is this the way democracy was born in America? I do not have an answer to this question but yes, it most certainly is the way America was born.

Watch it for Martin, Daniel Day, Leo and Cameroon. They are simply fabulous in this gory bloodbath!!

Ips, this is for you as you had asked :))