This history about my birth city was entirely new to me.

Rating: 10/10 (2 January 2003)

Little did I know, while working for over 20 years in downtown Manhattan that I was within walking distance of the notorious Five Points neighborhood of NYC. The Foley Square Courthouse was erected on part of the site of the Five Points in the year that I was born in 1933. I was fascinated to learn about the gangs of New York that fought there and about the New York Civil War Draft Riots during July 11-13, 1863.
This history about my birth city was entirely new to me.

That period was dramatically and vividly portrayed in the movie: GANGS OF NEW YORK.
It was the age old story of survival with the newly arrived immigrants threatening to take away the jobs and territories of the old timers. This story has played over and over in lands all over the world but especially in New York City which is a true cauldron of nations. This diversity is one of the reasons that I always felt lucky to have been born and raised in NYC. I always found the various cultures of the many nationalities of great interest because of their similarities as well as their differences. However; thankfully I was not a resident of the Five Points section in Lower Manhattan during the mid 1800s.
Martin Scorsese is the perfect director for this type of film. He pushed the envelope to show us the violence and decadence of those early times in lower Manhattan within walking distance of the site of the World Trade Center. I had to turn away several times because of the viciousness and violence displayed.
I consider the movie Academy Award caliber and give it a rating of 10 out of 10.
I have subsequently learned that it has been chosen as Golden Globe Award Nominees in the following categories: > Best Picture > Best Actor [Daniel Day-Lewis dominated the film] > Best Supporting Actress [Cameron Diaz], > Best Director > Best Original Song [The Hands That Built America by U2].