Quite simply this line from the movie (quoted by William ’butcher’ - Daniel Day Lewis) compliments the movie itself very well. So where does it mess up?
Gangs of New York is a perfect example of all buildup and no delivery. All the elements of a solid, neoclassical epic are here - a great cast, tremendous set design and art direction, and, of course, Scorsese - but Gangs rings as a hollow film, one that is easy to appreciate for its gory, triumphant, decidedly ’’American’’ baroque spirit, but hard to really like.
A quick summation of the basic plot: Priest, the leader of the “Dead Rabbits” and other ragtag gangs of Irish-Catholic immigrants, is killed by Cutting, a rival leader of generally Dutch-Anglo “Natives” who despise the (interpreted) invasion of their country by “foreign hordes.” Priest’s son Amsterdam (DiCaprio), then a child, escapes the carnage and returns to the Five Points after a sixteen-year absence, planning to exact revenge for his Father’s death. He is soon taken into the fold and, in effect, becomes Bill’s right-hand man. Amsterdam also falls for pickpocket Jenny (Diaz), who is ambiguously tethered to Bill. This unimaginative and insipid love story elicits the most mundane – and regrettably rather lengthy – aspects of Gangs; it does, however, set the stage for the electrically charged knife throwing sequence in which Bill, having learned of Amsterdam’s identity and involvement with Jenny, decides to partake in his own unique brand of fun with cutlery. When the Draft Riots intrude into the final act, it feels forced and altogether surprising. Culminating in Bill and Amsterdam’s fateful duel, Gangs’ dramatic momentum is shifted disastrously to the historical: Union cannons explode, the police begin firing on crowds, riots ensue, and ex-slaves are lynched.
Presented in a hyper-kinetic manner by Scorsese, this only further muddles an already inchoate narrative. As a visual evocation of a specific hell, Gangs succeeds brilliantly. Regrettably, the personal and historical fail to coalesce at the same level. Much has been made of the sheer visual bravura of Gangs of New York and it is certainly a wonder to behold. but as a film it is simply a mishmash of good ideas and intentions. Rather nothing here has drive, nothing seems to gel. The end result is a picture that contains some amazing moments, but fails to match its scale and ambition. At 167 minutes, Gangs of New York is merely a frustrating, spectacular, and occasionally brilliant evocation of what might have been. There are also times when the movie feels like it could use some trimming, as there are moments when the world that has been created for the movie is allowed to upstage the characters and story. A subplot or two also could have been lost to tighten focus.
Perfomances : Day-Lewis offers a performance that’s both fascinating and powerful. Crafting a truly unpredictable, complex and terrifying villian, Day-Lewis was rightly nominated for an Oscar. The problem is, few of the other performances cant compare with him. While Dicaprio has certainly had good efforts throughout his career, I just didn’t find the performance entirely compelling. While satisfactory overall, Dicaprio never quite convincingly portrays the conflict and anger of the character. He’s just a little too subdued. Diaz is charming (and looks great as a redhead), but her accent is iffy at times and her character never feels entirely necessary. Diaz and Dicaprio don’t manage much chemistry, either. Supporting performances by John C. Reilly, Broadbent, Thomas and others are generally enjoyable, but supporting characters could have been developed better.
Production Design: Dante Ferretti’s work is remarkable. You really start to think how much labor must have gone through to create the accuracies and the tone of that period. Kudos to him!!
Photography: Michael Ballhaus who has often worked with Scorcese in the past captures it all superbly, providing plenty of interesting compositions. Colors are marvelous, with an eye-popping richness and very clean reproduction.
Editing: Yeah the movie is too long but some scenes cut by long time Scorcese collaborator Thelma Schoonmaker are simply superb. Look out for the violent scenes in the movie, especially the knife throwing sequence, phew! fantastic cutting!
Sound: With all the in your face violent sequences, you expect this department to turn on the full volume. The recording is sheer bombast and the separation across all channels is very engagin. Howard shore’s score sound great, perfectly in tandem with the mix. Dialogue, music and sound effects are crisp.
Direction: Well, I love Scorcese movies, I love his direction but I cant say the same about the subject. With all his passion for the film all these years, this should have been a masterpiece.
Stay away from this gang!