Gangs of New York
Gangs of New York DVD cover
Directed by	Martin Scorsese
Produced by	Alberto Grimaldi Harvey Weinstein
Written by	Jay Cocks Steven Zaillian Kenneth Lonergan
Starring	Leonardo DiCaprio Daniel Day-Lewis Cameron Diaz
Music by	Howard Shore
Cinematography	Michael Ballhaus
Editing by	Thelma Schoonmaker
Distributed by	Miramax Films
Released	December 9, 2002 (USA premiere)
Running time	166 min.
Language	English
Budget	$97,000,000 US (est.)
IMDb profile

Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese and Cameron Diaz at Cannes, 2002

Gangs of New York is a 2002 film made by the studio Miramax, set in the middle 19th century in the Five Points district of New York City. It was directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian and Kenneth Lonergan. The film is loosely inspired by Herbert Asbury's 1928 book The Gangs Of New York. Promotional poster for Gangs of New York, deemed This work is copyrighted. ... Martin Scorsese at Cannes in 2002 Martin Scorsese (born November 17, 1942 in Queens, New York, USA) is an American film director. ... Harvey Weinstein at Cannes, 2002 Harvey Weinstein CBE (Hon) (born March 19, 1952) is an American film producer. ... Jay Cocks is a film critic and screenwriter. ... Steven Zaillian (born on 30 January 1953 in Fresno, California, USA) is an American screenwriter, film director, editor and producer, of Armenian descent. ... Leonardo DiCaprio during press conference on The Beach, 2000 Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (born November 11, 1974) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor well known for roles in blockbuster movies like Titanic (1997) and The Aviator (2004), and was famed for his far reaching global celebrity influence dubbed as Leo... Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis (born April 29, 1957) is an English/Irish actor. ... Cameron Diaz (right) with Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. ... Howard Shore Howard Leslie Shore (born October 18, 1946) is a Canadian film composer. ... Michael Ballhaus (born 5 August 1935, Eichelsdorf, Lower Franconia, Bavaria, Germany) is a German cinematographer and director of photography. ... Thelma Schoonmaker (born January 3, 1940) is a well-known film editor. ... Miramax Films is a Big Ten film motion picture distribution and production company headquartered in New York City. ... December 9 is the 343rd day (344th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Cusco album, see 2002 (album). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Leo_Scor_Diaz(GangsofNY)-.jpg Gangs of New York at Cannes in 2002. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Leo_Scor_Diaz(GangsofNY)-.jpg Gangs of New York at Cannes in 2002. ... Leonardo DiCaprio during press conference on The Beach, 2000 Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (born November 11, 1974) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor well known for roles in blockbuster movies like Titanic (1997) and The Aviator (2004), and was famed for his far reaching global celebrity influence dubbed as Leo... Martin Scorsese at Cannes in 2002 Martin Scorsese (born November 17, 1942 in Queens, New York, USA) is an American film director. ... Cameron Diaz (right) with Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. ... The Palais des Festivals (2000) The Cannes Film Festival (French: le Festival international du film de Cannes or simply le Festival de Cannes) is the worlds most prestigious film festival, first held from September 20 to October 5, 1946 in the resort town of Cannes, in the south of... This is a list of film-related events in 2002. ... This is a list of film-related events in 2002. ... Miramax is a Big Ten film distribution and production company. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Five Points (or The Five Points) was a notorious slum centered on the intersection of Worth St. ... Nickname: The Big Apple Official website: City of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area Total 468. ... Martin Scorsese at Cannes in 2002 Martin Scorsese (born November 17, 1942 in Queens, New York, USA) is an American film director. ... Jay Cocks is a film critic and screenwriter. ... Steven Zaillian (born on 30 January 1953 in Fresno, California, USA) is an American screenwriter, film director, editor and producer, of Armenian descent. ... Herbert Asbury (September 1, 1889 – February 24, 1963) was an American journalist and writer probably best known for his The Gangs of New York, which Martin Scorsese adapted into a 2002 film. ...

Gangs of New York is about the conflict between the "native" criminal underworld associated with the Know-Nothings and the immigrant gangs controlled by Tammany Hall. Amsterdam Vallon (DiCaprio) is a young Irish-American who gains the trust of William "Bill the Butcher" Cutting (Day-Lewis), leader of the Nativist gangs. The character of Cutting is based on Bill 'The Butcher' Poole, a real-life leader of the Bowery Boys gang who is buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York. The Know-Nothing movement was a nativist American political movement of the 1850s. ... Tammany Hall was the name given to the Democratic Party political machine that dominated New York City politics from the mayoral victory of Fernando Wood in 1854 through the election of Fiorello LaGuardia in 1934. ... Irish population density in the United States, 1872. ... A fictional character based on William Poole aka Bill the Butcher in Martin Scorseses 2002 film Gangs of New York. ... Brooklyn Eagle, March 10, 1855 (partial) Brooklyn Eagle, March 20, 1855 William Poole, aka Bill The Butcher (July 1821 - March 8, 1855), was a member of the Bowery Boys street gang and the U.S. political party the Know-Nothings. ... The Bowery Boys were an anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic gang based North of the Five Points district of New York City. ... The Chapel at Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn NY Green-Wood Cemetery was founded in 1838 as a rural cemetery in Brooklyn, New York, several blocks west of Prospect Park. ... For other meanings, see Brooklyn (disambiguation). ...

The films opens in 1846, but most of the action takes place in the early 1860s, when the two principal controversies in New York were the great wave of Irish immigration to the city and the federal government's prosecution of the American Civil War. The story follows the careers of Amsterdam and Cutting as they rise from crime bosses to political kingmakers during the reign of Boss Tweed (Broadbent), and culminates with a confrontation between them that coincides with the New York Draft Riots of 1863. // Events and trends Technology The First Transcontinental Railroad in the United States is built in the six year period between 1863 and 1869. ... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Abraham Lincoln† Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis Robert E. Lee Strength 2,213,363 1,064,200 Casualties KIA: 110,100 Total dead: 359,500 Wounded: 275,200 KIA: 94,000 Total dead: 258,000 Wounded: 137,000+  The American... 1869 tobacco label featuring Boss Tweed William Marcy Tweed (April 3, 1823–April 12, 1878), commonly known as Boss Tweed, was an American politician and political boss of Tammany Hall who became an icon of urban political machines. ... The New York Draft Riots in (New York City, July 13 - July 16, 1863) began as protests against President Abraham Lincolns Enrollment Act of Conscription drafting men to fight in the ongoing American Civil War. ...

Tagline: America Was Born In The Streets.

Plot Synopsis

A Father Falls

The film opens in 1846 in Lower Manhattan, specifically the "Five Points" district (now the area near Two Bridges). A territorial war has been raging for years between gang members known as "natives" and those of the immigrants. The natives are led by a vicious sociopath, William "Bill the Butcher" Cutting, also a Protestant, who possesses an open hatred of immigrants. The leader of the immigrant Irish, the "Dead Rabbits," is Priest Vallon, a Catholic, who has a young son, Amsterdam. The battle that breaks out in Paradise Square is horrific and bloody and during the combat, Bill kills Priest Vallon and Amsterdam is a witness. Cutting declares that the Dead Rabbits will exist no longer and that Vallon's body will be buried whole instead of being mutilated for souvenirs. Amsterdam, seizing the knife used to kill his father, races off and buries it. He is found and taken to the orphanage at Hellgate. Five Points (or The Five Points) was a notorious slum centered on the intersection of Worth St. ...

Amsterdam Returns

The story picks up about 15 years later when Amsterdam leaves Hellgate a grown man. (He also tosses the Bible given to him in the river.) He returns to the Five Points and almost immediately begins to plot his revenge against Bill. He reunites with an old friend, Johnny, who introduces him to Bill the Butcher. Johnny's small group also steals and loot for Bill and Amsterdam quickly becomes Bill's right-hand man. The Bible (Hebrew: תנ״ך tanakh, Greek: η Βίβλος hē biblos) (sometimes The Holy Bible, The Book, Word of God, The Word Scripture, Scripture), from Greek (τα) βίβλια, (ta) biblia, (the) books, is the name used by Jews and Christians for their (differing but overlapping) canons of sacred texts. ...

The Political Climate of Old New York

In voiceover, Amsterdam also informs the viewer that the current political climate is about to explode: arriving immigrants are taken immediately from the boats and drafted into the Union Army. Anyone who has the wavier fee of $300 can buy their way out of service. Additionally, Tammany Hall, a local political interest, and its opponents are fighting for control of the city. The 21st Michigan Infantry, a company of Shermans veterans. ...

Amsterdam also meets a young lady, Jenny Everdeane, who is an expert pickpocket and grifter who preys upon Manhattan's upper class by pretending to be a maid. Shortly after meeting her, Amsterdam discovers that she has stolen his pendant of St. Michael, given to him by his father before his death. He stalks her to the Upper East Side and forces her to return it. It becomes apparent in the scene that he is strongly attracted to Jenny. A confidence trick, confidence game, also known as a con, scam, or flim flam, is an attempt to intentionally mislead a person or persons (known as the mark) usually with the goal of financial or other gain. ...

Gaining a Villain's Trust

Amsterdam gradually gains the confidence of Bill, who becomes his mentor. They plot to disrupt the candidacy of Boss Tweed, a corrupt politician who heads the equally corrupt Tammany Hall. His influence is spread throughout Lower Manhattan from boxing matches to sanitation services and fire control. Amsterdam also finds out that each year on the anniversary of the Five Points battle that Bill leads the city in saluting the victory of his gang over the Dead Rabbits. It is during this ceremony that Amsterdam plans to kill the Butcher in front of the whole city. Tammany Hall was the name given to the Democratic Party political machine that dominated New York City politics from the mayoral victory of Fernando Wood in 1854 through the election of Fiorello LaGuardia in 1934. ... Lower Manhattan skyline as viewed from the Staten Island Ferry Woolworth Building, looking south along Broadway Lower Manhattan, from the Brooklyn Bridge, 2005 Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York. ...

During a performance of Uncle Tom's Cabin an assassin shoots Bill but fails to kill him. Amsterdam's relationship with Bill is strengthened by the incident; he warns Bill of the assassin. However, Amsterdam still feels guilty that he warned Bill of the shooter in order that he keep Bill alive to fulfill his plot of vengeance. Both he and Bill retire to a brothel and Amsterdam finds an empty room for himself and Jenny Deane. He wakes up sometime later and finds Bill sitting in a rocking chair, draped in a tattered American flag. Bill speaks of the downfall of civilization and how he has maintained his power over the years through the "spectacle of fearsome acts." Uncle Toms Cabin Uncle Toms Cabin is a novel by American abolitionist author Harriet Beecher Stowe which treats slavery as a central theme. ...

Vengeance

The evening of the ceremony arrives. Unbeknownst to Amsterdam, Johnny, who feels deep envy at being passed over for the post of Bill's most trusted advisor, informs Bill of Amsterdam's true identity (i.e., Priest Vallon's son) and revenge being leveled against him. Bill baits Amsterdam with a knife-throwing act involving Jenny, where he aggressively targets her, even superficially cutting her throat. Bill becomes the center of attention when he makes the toast. At that moment Amsterdam throws a knife at Bill (the same knife Bill used to kill Priest Vallon years before), who easily blocks the shot. He counters with a throw of his own, hitting Amsterdam in the abdomen. Bill viciously beats him, as the crowd cheers him on, marks his cheek with a heated blade, and casts him out.

Amsterdam's Return

Amsterdam survives his wounds, largely because of Jenny's nursing. She implores him to join her in a voyage to San Francisco to escape New York. The two are visited by Walter "Monk" McGinn, who gives Amsterdam the straight razor that belonged to his father and tells them that the time is right for Amsterdam to emerge from underground. He does and places a dead rabbit on a fence in Paradise Square. The rabbit finds its way to Bill who charges the local policeman, Happy Jack, to find out who sent the message. Jack tracks down Amsterdam and chases him through the catacombs into the local church where Amsterdam kills him. He hangs his body in Paradise Square where Bill laments the loss of an easily bribed and manipulated policeman. This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ...

Boss Tweed approaches Amsterdam with a plan to defeat Bill and his influence: They will back the candidacy of Monk McGinn for sheriff, the first step towards defeating Bill. They rig the election and Monk wins on a platform of working for the people. Bill visits Monk and refuses Monk's offer to negotiate, killing him in his own shop.

The killing of Monk prompts Amsterdam to challenge Bill to a gang battle, much like the one that took place in 1846. They agree to various rules and will do battle in Paradise Square. Amsterdam's gang will resurrect the name of the Dead Rabbits. 1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

The Riots Begin

The Draft Riots break out just as the rival gangs are preparing to fight. (The riots in the story serve as more of a distraction to the authorities, keeping them from breaking up the gang battle.) Many residents of the city are attacked by those protesting the drafts. Union Army soldiers march through the city streets attempting to control the rioters. The New York Draft Riots in (New York City, July 13 - July 16, 1863) began as protests against President Abraham Lincolns Enrollment Act of Conscription drafting men to fight in the ongoing American Civil War. ...

The Final Showdown

Bill's gang and Amsterdam's meet in Paradise Square. At the moment they are ready to fight each other, the Union Navy fire their cannon into the city, directly into Paradise Square. An enormous cloud of dust and debris covers the area and Amsterdam loses sight of Bill. Bill rushes at his foe from the haze, slashing Amsterdam several times. They finally meet face to face the moment a cannon blast throws them both to the ground. Weakened by a piece of shrapnel, Bill's last words are that he "died a true American". Amsterdam fatally stabs him.

In the film's final scenes, the dead are collected for burial. Bill's body is taken to Brooklyn and buried in view of the Manhattan skyline. Jenny and Amsterdam both pay tribute to Bill and the frame shifts several times to reflect the intervening growth of the city between 1864 and the present day. One of those shots includes the World Trade Center towers. The World Trade Center in New York City (sometimes informally referred to as the WTC or the Twin Towers) was a complex of seven buildings mostly designed by Japanese-American architect Minoru Yamasaki and developed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. ...

Criticism

While praised for the accuracy in reproducing costumes and the general environment of the mid-1800 New York City, the film has been criticized for greatly exaggerating the violence in the gang fights and city riots, and also for historical inaccuracies (for example, Bill the Butcher never lived in the Five Points and died much earlier than the film depicts). See for example [1], [2] and [3]. Five Points (or The Five Points) was a notorious slum centered on the intersection of Worth St. ...

The movie also makes it seem as though Chinese people were common in New York despite the fact that only 25 Chinese people are known to have lived there at the time. [4]

According to Benjamin Justice, assistant professor of education at Rutgers University, (see his article in Social Education, May/June 2003 "Historical Fiction to Historical Fact: Gangs of New York and the Whitewashing of History") the film is an "exercise in historical denial" because it ignores the lynchings and beatings of hundreds of African Americans during the 4-day riots. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey is the largest institution for higher education in the U.S. state of New Jersey. ...

Justice writes, "The riots were both attacks against the government, and attacks by white Irish men, women, and children...against blacks." Justice quotes the July 14, 1863 New York Times: "It seemed to be an understood thing throughout the city that the Negroes should be attacked wherever found." Three days later the Times said, "Hundreds [of blacks] have been killed in the public streets with atrocities such as we have never seen before in a civilized country...hundreds of them have had their houses sacked and burned...." Justice suggests "This was ethnic cleansing, on American soil."

Another source of criticism is that the film ends with a shot of modern-day New York City, complete with the World Trade Center Towers, despite their having been levelled by the September 11, 2001 attacks, before the film's release. Scorsese has stated that he left it in because he wanted to make a film about the people who made New York, not the people who tried to destroy it. The World Trade Center in New York City (sometimes informally referred to as the WTC or the Twin Towers) was a complex of seven buildings mostly designed by Japanese-American architect Minoru Yamasaki and developed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. ... A huge plume of smoke and fire can be seen emerging from the North Tower. ...

The film was criticized also on its merits and many critics have stated that the film was flawed with respect to other Scorsese films, though it has its share of vocal supporters. Roger Ebert, one of Scorsese's longtime supporters while giving the film a positive review admitted that it fell short of greatness. The arguments frequently cited are its pacing and lack of character depth(one of Scorsese's hallmarks). While Daniel Day-Lewis received considerable acclaim for his performance and considered by fans of popular culture as one of the best cinematic villains in recent years, others felt that Leonardo DiCaprio did not have the intensity to match his performance. Roger Ebert (right) with Russ Meyer, 1970. ... Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis (born April 29, 1957) is an English/Irish actor. ... Popular culture, or pop culture, is the vernacular (peoples) culture that prevails in any given society. ... Leonardo DiCaprio during press conference on The Beach, 2000 Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (born November 11, 1974) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor well known for roles in blockbuster movies like Titanic (1997) and The Aviator (2004), and was famed for his far reaching global celebrity influence dubbed as Leo...

Some critics have stated that the film may have suffered due to its pre-production controversies. The film was shelved for over a year and rumors have abounded of disputes between the producer Harvey Weinstein and the director and that Scorsese had to make cuts. Because of this some state that a director's cut would clear up the film considerably. However, Scorsese has stated that the theatrical version is his final cut and has spurned the practice of releasing directors' cuts several times. Harvey Weinstein at Cannes, 2002 Harvey Weinstein CBE (Hon) (born March 19, 1952) is an American film producer. ... A Directors cut is a specially edited version of a movie that is supposed to represent the directors own approved edit of the movie. ... Final cut privilege is a film industry term usually used when a director has contractual authority over how a film is ultimately released for public viewing. ...

Cast

• Leonardo DiCaprio
• Cameron Diaz
• Daniel Day-Lewis
• Jim Broadbent
• John C. Reilly
• Henry Thomas
• Brendon Gleeson
• Gary Lewis
• Liam Neeson

Leonardo DiCaprio during press conference on The Beach, 2000 Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (born November 11, 1974) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor well known for roles in blockbuster movies like Titanic (1997) and The Aviator (2004), and was famed for his far reaching global celebrity influence dubbed as Leo... Cameron Diaz (right) with Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. ... Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis (born April 29, 1957) is an English/Irish actor. ... Jim Broadbent with his Oscar Award for Iris Jim Broadbent (born May 24, 1949) is an English television and film actor. ... John C. Reilly John Christopher Reilly (born May 24, 1965 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American actor of Irish and Lithuanian [1] descent from the South Side of Chicago. ... Henry Thomas Henry Jackson Thomas was born September 9, 1971 in San Antonio, Texas, USA, the son of a hydraulics mechanic. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Gary Lewis and the Playboys were a 1960s pop group, fronted by Gary Lewis, son of comedian Jerry Lewis. ... Liam Neeson Liam Neeson OBE (born William John Neeson June 7, 1952) is an Oscar-nominated Irish actor. ...

External links

• Official site
• Gangs of New York at The Internet Movie Database
• Discussion of characters and themes in "Gangs of New York".