Classic Movie Review (Drama): Gangs of New York (2002)

Gangsof New York is a 2002 historically accurate film (for once) set in the mid-19^th century at the Five Points district of New York City. It generally tells about the racial conflicts between the Irish and other European immigrants versus the poor Americans all living in this poverty and squalor ridden district, including the discrimination against Black African-Americans.

The film is directed by no other than Martin Scorsese. It stars an all-star gathering of Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Cameron Diaz, Liam Neeson, Brendan Gleeson, and John C. Reily.  

Gangsof New York is considered one of the most ambitious films of the first decade. Even if compared to films produced after 2011, it still holds its ground in production design, cinematography, and story structure, being one of the most ambitious for such a historical production. 

The main structural element that sets this movie apart from others is context. Gangs of New York has a massive amount of context. It depicts and compresses all of American history of the 19th century in one film. It does so by setting up a number of powerful dramatic oppositions: American-born vs. immigrants, the powerful vs. the weak, rich vs. poor, Catholic vs. Protestant, tribes and sectionalism vs. government and the rule of law.

So what story is inserted by the writers in all this American history? A young man wanting to take revenge on the man who killed his father in a street brawl when he was still eight. No, this is not the stuff of historical romance like in Titanic or Pearl Harbor. It’s not the stuff of Shakespeare either.

It is a film that supposedly captures a period in American history wherein progressive and fascinating developments were happening so fast in a growing young nation, yet the history books still gloss over events such as these in Five Points in New York.

The revenge factor is actually what holds the story together while events, very historical, are happening around them. The arrival of the Irish immigrants fleeing from the harvest famines abroad, the entry of the US civil war, and the climax at the end using the New York race riots of 1863 are all accurately portrayed amidst the continuing street brawls and skirmishes among rival gangs.

Thematically, the film proves quite interesting as it shifts from one social stage to another, from the era of New York ruled by gangs and government corruption to an era of New York ruled by a nation of laws. There is much about Gangs of New York that is worthwhile, even awe-inspiring.

If you haven’t yet seen Gangs of New York, download it now for free.