Gangs of New York

Rating:
Summary: Beutiful acting and camera work, but muddled script
Review: I can't quite tell where this went wrong. About 2 hours through the film, the character's relationships all change, jarringly. While there is some warning of this, it seems like whole scenes are missing. Then, once you're reoriented, they do it again near the end of the film, with the NY draft riots hijacking the plot out of nowhere.

A best guess would be that a good 30 minutes of continuity got slashed out by the studio (for running time), making the result jumpy and muddled. If so, I'd wait for the "Director's Cut."

Rating:
Summary: Worth the watch
Review: I give the film 3 stars, but the performance of Daniel Day-Lewis rates 5. The film is his.

The story is only modestly interesting, in fact, less so here than in the documentary of the same name. I'm not a DiCaprio fan, and I don't feel that his character was a very well written one. The script seemed to pull the rug out from under him in the end, and you wondered why you'd been following him to begin with.

That happens sometimes when the driving force is not the leading role, and that is certainly true here. All the accessories seem just an excuse to get to Daniel Day-Lewis, but it's worth it. He is terrific.

Speaking of these accessories: The set designs are excellent; Jim Broadbent, as "Boss" Tweed, is great; The dialogue is smart, and often hilarious.

Rating:
Summary: Worth seeing, yes, but...
Review: From the previews this movie seemed like an all out adventure and action movie, sort of "Braveheart" on the new frontier. From that viewpoint, perhaps it was a bit of a disappointment, however all in all it is a good film. Not to say there isn't action, but it is a long movie and in places it sort of dragged. Some of the performances were good, as you've no doubt heard and it did present a lot of American history, hopefully that history was basically true, it's so hard to tell sometimes with stuff that comes out of Hollywood.

As to recommending this film, I do, however I'd venture to say that it is one to rent when you have a big block of quiet time to sit still and watch. Unless you're a die hard fan, it'd be hard to recommend buying this film, as I can't imagine watching it again for many years, being that it is long and lacks the type of suspenseful action and excitement (Braveheart) or the incredibly thoughtful type of plot (Forrest Gump) that made these other two "historical" type movies such a pleasure to watch again and again.

In any case, I am not at all giving this movie a bad review, merely stating my recommendation to rent instead of buying, at least at first, just to be sure.

Rating:
Summary: A great movie that no one should miss
Review: This movie has gotten outstanding reviews so i got excited when i finally sat down and began watching it. At the end of the movie there was no doubt that this movie is one of the best films of the year. It has drama, action, and an excellent script that has no flaws in my opinion. The only negative part about this movie is Cameron Diaz who seems out of place at some points and her purposed is continually critized until the viewer is finally informed about her involvement in this movie; but even then her importance is still questioned. Another reason why this movie recieved 4-stars was because i feel as if some of the scenes could have been deleted and the movie shortened. Aside from that, this movie is a fantastic movie and should not be missed!

Rating:
Summary: I Wanted More
Review: Gangs of New York will probably go down in history as being one of the greatest failed movies of all time. It had everything you could hope for in an epic; great performances, brilliant sets and costume, a one-of-a-kind style and... Well, maybe one thing was missing; a strong, cohesive script.

Here, you find young Amsterdam (Di Caprio)set upon avenging his father's death. The murderer in question, Bill "The Butcher" (Daniel Day Lewis in one of the greatest over-the-top performances ever put on celluloid), is one of the most notorious men of the era; no one would think twice about backstabbing Bill. But Amsterdam isn't just anyone. And to get to Bill, he will have to do the most dangerous thing of all; put his guard down and befriend the man to gain his trust.

With bloody battles that rival anything that has been filmed before, Gangs of New York could have been the first truly important film of the 21st Century. But it is so bogged down in details and unnecessary plot twists that it's easy to lose interest in these characters.

Scorsese is a master at crafting stories that hit you like a punch to the gut. This might be the first false move in his otherwize brilliant career. Not that Gangs of New York is a bad film. In fact, there is much to admire about this epic. But often, as the saying goes, bigger doesn't necessarily means better, a lesson Scorsese should have learned a long, long time ago.

Rating:
Summary: Rambling, Incoherent
Review: It was all I could do to get through this marathon of a movie maize. A film should tell one story, not six or seven, then torture us with such inept miscasting as Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz. Daniel Day-Lewis tries gallantly to carry this movie, but he should've sued the cast, crew, writers and director for nonsupport. Instead of GANGS OF NEW YORK, this film should have been titled, "Butcher Bill's Mediocre Adventure."

Incidentally, I know it's a period piece, and in 19th-Century New York personal hygiene wasn't high on most people's lists, but do we have to overdo it with hair that looks like it's been axle-greased to the scalp? Made me want to take a fire hose filled with Pert Plus to every actor.

Martin Scorsese brings us gang violence, immigration, slums, sloth, class hatred, Tammany Hall corruption, and the Civil War draft in a movie as uneven as the Mississippi and as incoherent as my last mutual fund report. At least one hour too long, GANGS OF NEW YORK is guilty of studio overkill--no refund for three wasted hours, thank you very much.

Think I'll go watch "West Side Story." The Sharks and the Jets. At least they don't need shampoo.
--D. Mikels

Rating:
Summary: Good, Not Great Scorsese
Review: There are a lot of great parts to this film: wonderful performances all around (especially Daniel Day-Lewis!), masterful
direction by Martin Scorsese, a visual style which is compelling
without being distracting, and a very sinister theme about class
warfare which is particularly pertinent today. Unfortunately,
the whole does not equal the sum of the parts.
This movie shows how urban gangs have always been part of the
American urban landscape, preying on the poor through violence
and fear. In fact, Daniel Day-Lewis' character, Bill "the Butcher" Cutting gives a speech about fear and survival that is
the heart of the picture, both emotionally and temporally. Gangs
are tolerated, Scorsese implies, because of an uneasy understanding by the upper classes of their value in keeping the
poor "in line." This is a powerful message -- certainly not one
you would expect from a Hollywood movie. One admires Scorsese
for trying to say it at all. But the power and force of the
movie are blunted by the studio's or distributors' insistence
on a hopeful, if not happy ending. You can see where Scorsese
intended to conclude this picture, where everything comes together in a complete, powerful and artistic whole. Alas, the
film does NOT end there! Instead, we are given an emotionally
false "tag ending" to soften the blow, which blunts the force
and seriously undermines the thrust of the entire story.
Lop off the last 3 to 5 minutes of this film and you would have
had a GREAT movie. Bill "the Butcher" would have!

Rating:
Summary: Refund, please???
Review: ...Can't believe I paid good money for this atrocity. A huge fan of Leo and Daniel-Day, I disliked (the nicest word I can write) them both intensely in this violence-filled mess. I spoke with a young man who recommended it to me (telling me he had seen it THREE times!!!) Maybe it's a "guy thing," because I could barely watch "the whole thing." This DVD is going in a box to Good Will!!

Rating:
Summary: it was ok at best
Review: if it wasn't for Daniel Day Lewis then I wouldn't even waste my time given this film more than Half a star.this film was a complete all over the place mess for the most part.it never really got going in any direction.Leonardo DiCaprio wasn't bringing nothing to the Mix&While Cameron Diaz is Eye Candy that ain't gonna work for a film that clocks in as long as this one does.Martin Scorsese has done far better work on off days than this film.

Rating:
Summary: The worst film by an usually superb director
Review: This was an ambition attempt but the end result falls far short of it's goal. You would be best served by passing on this DVD.
I cannot recommend viewing this DVD, much less actually buying it. There was a reason this movie release was held up for so long. It is simply that bad.

Martin Scorsese attempts to show how immigrants arrived to the American shore dirty, unwelcomed, almost tribally barbaric, barely christianized and facing hostilities from earlier waves of settlers. Rival gang warfare eventually giving way to the Irish cronyism ward politics of cities like New York and Boston. I am not bashing the theme nor the intent. Simply Scorsese does not pull it all together. This is a very broad story whose actual time line spanned 30 to 40 years with a cast of millions.

The plot line of revenge of a father's death is tired and cannot carry the movie or it's theme. The sub-plot love triangle between Cameron Diaz, Leonardo DiCarpio, and Daniel Day Lewis is merely superfluous. The Gangs of New York is an excellent premise and setting. However, the characters and story he chose to convey this broad picture of history is a disservice to the millions of immigrants who fled Europe out of hope, repression and famine. The best performance and moment of the film belong to Liam Neeson. After that remain 2 hours plus of film lacking cohesion.