Grab your top hats and whatever the hell a ‘waistcoat’ is…

It’s been a tough week. We’ve been confined indoors for god knows how long now, and it’s starting to properly wear on us all. But still, we’re got things to do. Whether it’s working from home or studying or getting pissed as a parrot on Zoom, life goes on, however mundane it may be. Yet, if you’re looking for a break from routine, for a reprieve from press conferences and the overall boringness of everyday life, Netflix has more than got you back, and more specifically, Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York has your back. 

Released way back in 2002, the film sees Scorsese and his cast of A-grade talent (Daniel Day-Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz to name just a few) travel back in time to early 1860s New York. Thieves, priests, gangsters and settlers, the sea of humanity showcased in Gangs of New York was done on a scale that was pretty ahead of a lot of other movies in the early 2000s, really bringing this world to life as the Hollywood veteran explored one of the most pivotal periods in the history of the greatest city in the world. 

So, we’ve made an executive decision. You’re rewatching Martin Scorsese’s classic Gangs of New York tonight. No ifs or buts. So chuck the closest thing you have to a top hat or waistcoat on and sit the hell back, as you’re about to experience some of the finest of modern-day American cinema.

Daniel Day Lewis

Daniel Day-Lewis is a force of nature in whatever role he so chooses (Lincoln, Daniel Plainview, Christy Brown to name a few), but with Bill the Butcher he showed off this air of badassery and magnetism that was just a little bit different to anything else he’d done by that point. Keep in mind, this was five years before There Will Be Blood came out, and we were yet to see that mix in its full form.

But still, his portrayal of a psychotic, murderous butcher was ridiculously charismatic; every speech, lesson and kill he dished out entrancing you so hard that you were almost tempted to join his gang of natives. He damn near disappeared into this role, alternating between immorality to honour to nationalistic pride effortlessly, and despite their best efforts, he charmed the hell out of whichever character he came into contact with, whether they’d have one or a million reasons to hate his guts. Daniel Day-Lewis man, what can’t he do?

All-Star Cast

Even though Daniel Day-Lewis is as sharp as ever in Gangs of New York, there’s no denying Marty Scorsese absolutely killed it on the casting side. With Leo DiCaprio as the good guy Amsterdam, Cameron Diaz as the Jenny the turtle dove and Brendan Gleeson as Monk (we could keep going), he’s got a dream team of Hollywood heavyweights on board, and they all step up to the plate. And similarly to DDL’s performance, all of them manage to disappear into their characters in this movie, sucking you further into the world of the Five Points in all of its grimy rawness.

We especially love the chemistry between DiCaprio and Diaz in this scene, the pair showing you just how alike they are but not at all in a cheesy way. Rather, two people trying to reconcile their resounding frustration and attraction to each other, as they both just try to find their way in the new world.

A Whole Lot of Heart (Wrenching)

Okay, just imagine the fucker who killed your dad was now your boss, and you had essentially become the son he never had. I mean how damn soul-destroying is that? And it all comes to a head in Daniel Day Lewis’ monologue to old mate Leo here. I mean, he’s literally telling him the story of how he killed his father (played wonderfully by Liam Neeson) in cold blood. But it’s so much more than that, with DDL’s Bill the Butcher breaking down to Leo’s character Amsterdam how his dad was the best man he ever knew, that he respected him more than anyone else.

Keep in mind that Bill has absolutely no clue who Leo really is at this part of the film, and that Leo’s been planning Bill’s murder in excruciating detail (despite saving his life a couple of hours prior). There’s just so much going on underneath it all, Bill showing Amsterdam that he cares for and respects him more than anyone else in the world, while Amsterdam is being torn apart by his hatred and undeniable respect for Bill. It’s brutal, and it’s one of DDL’s best scenes in the film hands down.

Brutal Fight Scenes

Marty Scorsese and fight scenes go together like bread and butter (just wait for our Raging Bull executive decision), but Jesus, the amount of gore he cooked up for Gangs of New York was astonishing. You feel like you’re properly in the Five Points with these blokes with the way Scorsese shot this, armed with only a knife or club as you run toward what is almost a certain, extremely painful death. But despite all the blood, slashing and overall descent into madness, you manage to see the humanity in it all, the primal drive to survive by any means necessary, and it’s beyond touching.

It’s also kick-ass that Scorsese made sure that every one of these huge fight scenes had a killer soundtrack to go with it, pushing all of the emotion and feeling to the max as roaring guitars and drums put the high in high-octane.

A Bit Of A Lesson In American History

Look, I’ll be the first to admit, history can be a goddamn bore in any Hollywood movie. Any time a bit of exposition or narration comes on explaining what things were like however many years ago, you’re usually gritting your teeth and just begging for it to finish. But the way history and drama are intertwined in Gangs of New York is pretty damn riveting, the exploration of Irish/American relations, the 1863 New York City riots and the gangs that ruled New York giving you an in-depth look into just how cooked America was back in the day (to be fair it’s still pretty cooked), and what its inhabitants had to go through daily.

It’s pretty well-showcased in this scene, the financial strains, political corruption and gang-related violence all meeting in the middle of the Five Points for a bunch of ransacking and fire-setting. The way it’s shot too is almost comedic in a sense, the mountains of extras and lively soundtrack making it hard to believe that any of these events happened. But that’s Hollywood for you folks.