Smell that? That’s the smell of Oscar Season, my friends. Yes, the
time where my movie-going will be upped to as many as five films a
week in order to keep up with the nominations. “Gangs of New York,”
has everything – an epic tale, period costuming, Martin Scorsese,
and the presence of many top-notch
actors. If that weren’t enough, the film is based on a book (always
helps to be literary).
The film centers largely in an 1860’s New York as it was on the
verge of becoming the teeming metropolis that NYC is today. This is
a city that was receiving thousands of Irish immigrants every day,
was attempting to form a basic government that would cover basic
services for its citizens, where the
Draft Riots were less than a year away and where addressing the
needs of the poor were still somewhat up in the air.
Within this background, we have young Amsterdam (Leonardo DiCaprio)
who has returned from the Hellsgate Reformatory for the sole purpose
of avenging his father’s death at the hands of The Butcher (Daniel
Day-Lewis). I liken this story very much to a concept that Monty
Python put forth in “The Life of Brian.”
In a deleted scene from that film, there are several shepherds
discussing the joys of sheep and shepherding in general…the entire
time, they’re oblivious to the fact the Star of Bethlehem shines
behind them. In the commentary, it is explained that they felt for
every major moment in history, there were always people more wrapped
up in, say, vacuuming their floors than in what was going on around
them.
The 1860’s represent a very turbulent time in American history – one
from which the burgeoning New York City was not immune. At the time,
the Union Army was looking for recruits to send South. New York City
was ripe for recruits. Fresh immigrants would receive two stamps -
the first signifying their
U.S. citizenship, the second signifying their rank as private in the
army. For those that were already living in New York, the threat of
an impeding draft loomed over the heads of all that could not afford
$300 to release their names from the draft lists. For the very poor,
$300 was an incomprehensible sum, so this offer was something that
only applied to the wealthy.
To top off the war, New York City itself was largely concerned with
becoming an actual metropolis. Competing fire
departments regularly fought with one another as buildings burnt
down around them – after all, it was about who would receive the
commission for putting out the fire. Immigration was a
hotly contested item, with the politicians supporting each
individual that could vote as they got off the boat and locals
calling for allowing the “Natives” to retain rights against the
great unwashed stepping into their cities.
Beyond concerns of the city, we have Amsterdam and The Butcher
worried about their respective pieces of the Five Points. The
Butcher gained control over the Five Points when he killed
Amsterdam’s father (Priest) in an infamous battle between The
Natives and The Dead Rabbits. The Butcher
represents the old guard…those that want things to stay the same as
long as humanly possible. To The Butcher, change is that thing that
can be avoided as long as we accept its dangers as irrefutable fact.
Amsterdam merely wants what is his – a fight his father had proposed
when he wanted
immigrants to have a fair way to go in the city.
As with any epic, Amsterdam comes to find himself an adopted son of
The Butcher (Amsterdam’s true identity is known only to a childhood
friend who also works with The Butcher). As a petty thief with a
creative edge, he wins The Butcher’s favor by stealing corpses and
selling the bodies for medical
research. The original intent was to get close enough to kill The
Butcher quietly and on his own, but this plan becomes increasingly
muddled as he grows closer to The Butcher and to Jennie, a woman
with a complicated past when it comes to The Butcher. This
eventually leads to a far more public
battle where The Dead Rabbits are reborn and those held quiet for 16
years dare to rise up against the tyranny of The Butcher once again.
All the while, New York City and the nation deal with larger
problems that will inevitably come crashing down on all of them at
the most inopportune moment possible. For as much as one would like
to care about their own problems while the world goes on around
them, there will come a time when the problems of the many will
eventually be on your own doorstep.
The Usual:
What it’s Worth: Full fare. It’s got everything that you could ever
want. Rumor has it that this could well be Scorsese’s last film.
Main Reason To See This Film: Daniel Day-Lewis lives in
semi-retirement much to the loss of the movie-going public. His
portrayal of The Butcher is beyond amazing – he’s captivating, evil,
frightened, boisterous and respectful all at once.
Main Reason Not To See This Film: For those with a low
squeamish-factor, it would be good to remind that bludgeoning was
the murder of choice in the 1860’s. Even being shot by a
muzzle-loader wasn’t as neat as one might imagine.
MPAA Rating: R
