Gangs of New York - The Irish Are Coming!

Rating: 7/10 (2 January 2005)

Martin Scorsese...ten nominations...and lots of blood shed. This is Gangs of New York, a thrilling and monotonous (at times) epic, but the message that the movie gets across is printed on the last frame shot of the movie of progressing change of New York City. "These are the hands that built America." Based on the riots of New York in the 1800s, where America was at its lowest point, Amsterdam Vallon (with Leonardo DiCaprio making another period attempt, but comes to a seven on the attempt scale) returns to New York City with vengeance on William "The Butcher" Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis) for killing his father after many years. In "The Count of Monte Cristo" fashion, he befriends "The Butcher" and becomes an adversary on the outside, while he romances a pick-pocket, Jenny, (a very snoring and predictable love story) played by a very red-headed Cameron Diaz. The supporting cast is even more excellent as 2002's "actor of the year" John C. Reilly (Whom also starred in two other Oscar nominated movies, "Chicago" and "The Hours")and the chameleonic talents of Jim Broadbent, who makes a great portrayal of the dirty mayor William "Boss" Tweed. The excitement of the movie speeds up as it goes through the 1800s, through the many themes of the movie; Vallon versus "The Butcher"; The Natives versus the Dead Rabbits, Politicians versus the lower-class, Pride versus Vengeance, and particularly the rich versus the poor. In my opinion, this movie was very much like a Shaara novel, full of description and very well at graphics and gore, in order to show how people have given their lives, whether unneeded to show that "Someone must die in order for the rest of us to learn how to live" (-Virginia Woolf, "The Hours") or for the pride of to becoming an American ("The Butcher"). You can feel war and smell blood at every corner and the movie-goer can possibly understand what it felt like to live back then. For me, this movie is a testament to my Irish ancestors, and I have never more been more proud to be Irish or an American. 7/10