Gives new meaning to the term "Melting Pot". As in Heat.

Rating: 8/10 (28 December 2002)

Not an easy film to review. First and most importantly- one that gets such an extreme mix of very bad and very good reviews deserves the truth: this is a very good film. Not one of the best of the year, but just very much above average. I hold a more balanced view of this film than most seem to. I have mixed opinions- mainly regarding the exgageration of the level of violence being so far out, that it made the whole film seem like a surreal science fiction story of an alternate universe of New York City in the mid-1800s. A little more historical accuracy would have made this film a lot more enjoyable for me personally. But if one really likes historical large epic films, this will certainly not disappoint. There are NO boring parts in this film that I can recall. The three hours does pass like three hours, because the tension is high throughout, but it sure was exciting enough and very entertaining. Gangs of New York is a real masterpiece for Martin Scorsese. He has produced so many extremely fine films, such as Kurosawa's Dreams; but most of his directoral films have not been very highly regarded. This film does break that streak. OK- here is the key to know whether or not you should see this film. First- if you cannot think of more than five long films (over 2 1/2 hours) that you have liked before, then do not see this film. In that case, one would have too short of an attention span to enjoy this movie. Second, and more importantly- is the graphic violence and carnage. It is very extreme, so if one has a low tolerance for that kind of thing, then wait for the edited video version from your local "edited video" store. As unrealistic and extreme as the violence was, Gangs of New York made me think about some important aspects of our historical roots. Like many, I'm of Irish descent. I realize why most of us know so little of our immigrant origins. The poverty, squalor, and quasi-annonymnity of that kind of existance would tend to crowd out intellectual endeavors and record keeping, and discourage telling of stories to children. "Well I remember the time my two uncles starved to death and we survived on sewer rats for three years..." Not very enjoyable to retell or recall. Another thing it made me realize was how literal the term "melting pot" really was. I had wrongly assumed before that the term meant merely genetic and social mixing. This film made me realize that it also means the violent mixing "heated up" our American pot of people. First it generated hatred, but after it cooked awhile, it fused us together and difused the hatred (at least for many). So now, many of us Americans have a tradition and heritage of tolerance, acceptance, and even closeness between races and very different cultures. Of course we are not unique, in that the whole world is now a melting pot in all the same ways and more. To sum this film up- it is very entertaining in similar ways as Speilburg and others have done before, but with added elements of greater detail and historical insight. Gangs of New York is a significant acheivement for Martin Scorsese, even if it is not the best film of the year.