Following a short prologue in 1846 New York, the time line jumps ahead to the 1860s, where, set against the background of the Civil War, the bulk of the story unspools. Amersterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio) has returned to the Five Points to settle a score. When he was a boy, he saw his father killed in a gang war by Bill the Butcher (Daniel Day-Lewis). Bill, the head of the powerful New York "Nativists", now rules the Five Points with an iron fist. Whi the help of Johnny Sirocco (Henry Thomas), Amsterdam worms his way into Bill's inner circle. But his resolve to kill Bill wavers when the flamboyant butcher takes him under his want and treats him like a son. Meanwhile, the friendship with Johnny frays they vie over Jenny Everdeane (Cameron Diaz), an ex-lover of Bill's.
There are times when Gangs of New York steals away the viewer's breath. The opening sequence which details the 1846 gang war between the Nativists and the immigrant Dead Rabbits, is stunning and visceral without being exceptionally gory. Later in the film, sequences depicting the military's attempts to put down the anti-drafts riots, which are intercut with another gang war, gerenate a sense of awe. Gangs of New York ends with a poignant time lapse that resonates in the wake of 9/11. The film's most moving scene is a quiet one, in which Bill opens his soul to Amsterdam, informing him that fear is the lone element that preserves the order of things and that Priest Vallon (Liam Neeson), was the "the only man I ever killed worth remembering".
Yet, for all that is good about Gangs of New York, it is a flawed motion picture. THe character Jenny, while incorporated to a add of romance, is inadequately developed for someone who absorbs so much screen time. At best, she's a useful plot device; at worst, she's a distraction. The overall narrative is in need of a better focus, with many of the sub-plots half-developed. And, irrespective of all of its visual splendor and thematic content about fathers and sons, Gangs of New York fails to provoke an emotional reaction. Despite nearly 2 3/4 hours of movie, I never felt more than a passing connection with the protagonist.
Leonardo DiCapiro and Cameron Diaz are merely adequate - neither tremendously good nor bad. Their accents are less constant than their performances, but there are times when they don't seem to have a good grasp on the individuals they are portraying. The chemistry is fitful. It starts out strong, but fizzles mightily. They are both overshadowed by the supporting cast - Jim Broadbent as Tammany boss Tweed; Brendan Gleeson as "Monk"; and Liam Neeson in an all-too-short stint as Amsterdam's father. Yet all of the performances pale in comparison to Daniel Day-Lewis. Bill the Butcher is a wonderfully complicated, conflicted individual who radiates equal parts charm and evil, charisma and sadism.
Gangs of New York is both a hit and miss. This is inarguably one of the most ambitous epics put forth to the big screen. The is much to appreciate about the spectacle of life in the turbulence of New York in the 1860s. We see here the birth pangs of the greatest American city in all its ugliness. Yet, the movie loses the control in its flow. The movie meanders and psychological depth of two of the three principal characters falls far below the required mark. Despite some reservations, however, the movie never lost my interest, and I consider it worth a trip to the theater to see.
Porculus