Thanks for checking out our Forgotten Fridays feature. This is a feature to review some older films that maybe you have forgotten about or maybe never got around to seeing that we just want to share. They may not be old, maybe not forgotten, but they are not new. Just fun to share.
Today’s title might seem more known, but I am surprised at just how many people haven’t seen this movie. I think that’s a crime. If you fell between the cracks you owe it to yourself to see this.
Today, we review Gangs of New York
Genre: Drama
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Staring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Cameron Diaz, Jim Broadbent, John C. Reilly, Henry Thomas, Liam Neeson
Released: December 20, 2002
THE GENERAL IDEA
Having seen his father killed in a major gang fight in New York, young Amsterdam Vallon is spirited away for his own safety. Some years later, he returns to the scene of his father’s death, the notorious Five Points district in New York. It’s 1863 and lower Manhattan is run by gangs, the most powerful of which is the Natives, headed by Bill “The Butcher” Cutting. He believes that America should belong to native-born Americans and opposes the waves of immigrants, mostly Irish, entering the city. It’s also the time of the Civil War and forced conscription leads to the worst riots in US history. Amid the violence and corruption, young Vallon tries to establish himself in the area and also seek revenge over his father’s death.
THE GOOD
Leonardo DiCaprio took a paycut to be in this film, and he serves it well. The first of many films DiCaprio would star in for Martin Scorsese. He is utterly brilliant in this.
And of course Cameron Diaz in the hieght of her glamour tones things way down and does a perfect job in this. I wish she was in more roles like this one where we can really see how well she can work.
But the real star of this film isn’t its players. They all do their job wonderfully to create this very believable gritty 1860s era world with no shiny polish, but its the atmosphere as a whole that makes this tale so captivating. It was consuming in its presentation and amazing to watch.
THE BAD
This movie has a fair amount of graphic realism to its violence that might be disturbing to some. I found this to be a positive to the harsh reality of living in that time in that part of New York, but its offputting to some.
OVERALL
Fantastic story, even better atmosphere and characters that all play to bringing the scene to life. Easily one of my favourite DiCaprio movies to date.
Its out on BluRay which I intend to pick up today. I wonder if it will have the hour of footage that was originally cut from the film trimming it to 2:45? Also one of the best posters ever despite its floaty photoshopped heads. The tattered shreds of the US flag in the poster make up a negative space imagery of the tall buildings of New York city. Brilliant.
Since all of these Forgotten Friday reviews are going to be what I would already give a high rating to, I had a Tv, Rent or Buy scale going on, but it would seem that an overwhelming majority of my picks get a BUY rating.
So with every Forgotten Friday you see from now on, you get to rate your anticipation for yourself!
TV – If you are at least a little curious, catch it if it comes on TV.
Rent – If it is something you have heard of and forgotten, or just remember enjoying this as much as I did once upon a time, go rent it.
Buy – But if you are like me, and you agree with my review you should go buy it. If its featured here, I already have.
