Rating: 
Summary: VISUALLY STUNNING BUT EMOTIONALLY COLD
Review: Bloody, visually mesmerizing but emotionally uninvolving. Daniel Day Lewis as Bill the Butcher is frighteningly intense and Leonardo De Caprio as a revenge seeking son of Bill's slain enemy is woefully miscast. Great extras include a tour of the amazing mammoth sets that replicate Five Points New York, circa 1850. And there's a terrific first-ever commentary from Scorsese. But where's the four hour director's cut?
Rating: 
Summary: Almost (Not Quite) Cohesive
Review: Prior to seeing it for the first time in a theatre, I knew that this film had been a project which had taken director Scorcese about 30 years to complete; also, that a replication of much of mid-19th century New York City (notably the Five Points area) had been created within the vast Cinecitta studio complex in Rome. After sitting through another viewing of this 168-minute film, my thoughts and feelings remained mixed. Pluses? Daniel Day-Lewis' portrayal of William ("Bill the Butcher") Cutting, the various sets which seem like archival photos brought to life, the creation of an ongoing (almost subliminal) sense of menace, and the skillful use of historical material concerning political corruption, emergence of the so-called "melting pot" culture, Civil War conscription, race riots, etc. This context helps to explain the nature and extent of the bloody hostilities between Cutting's Native Americans and Vallon's Dead Rabbits.However, this film also has a few weaknesses which include what I view as DiCaprio's hollow portrayal of Priest Vallon's son, Amsterdam, who returns to avenge his father's murder after years of severe abuse in an orphanage. Scorcese's preparations for Amsterdam's final, inevitable confrontation with Cutting should have been as sharp as one of "Bill the Butcher's" carving knives...but aren't. Stated another way, the pacing of the narrative seems to me disjointed and thus much less effective than it could and should have been. Also, I think some of the scenes are too busy, too crowded for no apparent reason. I'm not referring to street scenes which are generally handled very well. One last opinion, more a quibble than a complaint: I wish Scorcese had done more with Neeson's character prior to his death which occurs so early in the film just as I wish Shakespeare had revealed just a bit more about Hamlet's father. I can easily understand why Cutting has always been the unquestioned leader of the Native Americans. Ironically, when reminiscing about Priest Vallon, "Bill the Butcher" seems to think more of him than Scorcese does....certainly more of him than Scorcese allows his audience to.
Rating: 
Summary: Best movie of the year!
Review: Gangs of New York is one of those rare films that grows on you after seeing it, the more time passes and the more you think about it. Like lots of movies, I enjoyed it the first time I saw it, but unlike most, my opinion of the movie has grown with reflection. The story, script and acting are all top notch, and the 19th century urban American setting is a virtually untouched goldmine of dramatic potential. Destined to become a classic.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent movie!!
Review: the story is very interesting, and learns us a lot about NY history. The actors acts very well, particularly Cameron Diaz, she's very stunning. It's not boring but sometimes it's a little bit too violent.
I very enjoyed it, buy it and the book too !!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Historically unacurrate tripe from Hollywood
Review: Amazon.com reviewers never cease to amaze me. the worst of the trio is easily Gangs of New York. The plot was inventive but pulled off horribly. Why are Black folk running around NY helping out Irish blokes? Confusing to say the least....I challenge anyone to remember the ending (and care) about what happened to the central characters. I only gave it to stars cuz even tho she's kinda pale Cameron Diaz looks fun....Holla
Rating:
Summary: extra footage
Review: In regards to the "issue" of the Director's Cut DVD: Months before Gangs of New York was released in theatres, Martin Scorsese said in several interviews, "The version that is screened in theatres is the 'director's cut', and therefore will be no such version released on DVD." In otherwords, what comes on the DVD IS how Scorsese intended it.
Rating:
Summary: Honorable Mention: Bill "The Butcher" Cutting
Review: Bill "The Butcher" Cutting: how subtle is that for a name? The only reason I didn't include this Oscar-nominated performance on my list of "The Baddest of the Bad" is because I hadn't thought of it at the time that list was created. Perhaps it was too recent. Or perhaps it is because I have only seen Gangs of New York once and am waiting for it to come out on DVD on July 1 so I can view it a second and third time, the latter of which I will be listening to Martin Scorsese's commentary track during. As far as I know, this is only Scorsese's second commentary, the first being the one for The Last Temptation of Christ. But during that one he shared talk time with screenwriting legend and longtime collaborator-of-his Paul Scrader as well as Willem Dafoe, who played Jesus, and Jay Cocks, who as far as I can tell had nothing to do with the whole sacrilegious shebang, unless of course he co-wrote or at least had a hand in writing the script, which is a distinct possiblity (I can't remember the commentary well enough to say.) Anyway, as much as I liked Chris Cooper's gap-toothed Orchid Thief in Adaptation, which, after all, can be found on my "Ten by the Coppola Clan" list, Daniel Day-Lewis should have won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2002. He chewed up every scene he was in and spit it right back out in the audience's collective face. He stole the show. I wish he would act more often. All he needs is a nice, juicy role that he can sink his teeth into. Speaking of teeth, another good baddie is Francis Dollarhyde, a.k.a. "The Tooth Fairy," as played by Ralph Fiennes in Red Dragon. And who could forget Hannibal the Cannibal, the number one baddie of all time according to the American Film Institute? But this is neither the time nor the place for serial killers. By the way, the only reason I gave this movie four stars instead of five is because of the love story between Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz, both of whom were arguably miscast. Every time Bill is off-screen the movie suffers a bit; but where it truly lags is the scene in which baby-faced Amsterdam Vallom follows her, the pickpocket, around, and the scene in which they are alone together upstairs. Other recognizable faces include Liam Neeson, John C. Reilly, Henry Thomas, the little boy from E.T. (all grown-up now), and Brendan Gleeson (Braveheart, upcoming: 28 Days Later), whose character is second only to Bill in likability, interest generated, and appeal.
Rating:
Summary: Best Film Of The Year!!!
Review: There's too much detail to get into for this movie. The plot is simple enough, but the story is drawn out so meticulously and shown so beautifully, it needs to be seen to be fully appreciated. The acting is amazing. The sets are just incredible. How great is it to see a movie that looks so amazing, yet is not completely done up on CGI! Scorcese's best work in years - If not ever!
Rating:
Summary: What is wrong with these movie companies...
Review: This movie is split onto 2 disc. You have to change disc to watch the rest of the movie. Movies like "Green Mile" and "Titanic" are LONGER than this movie and they are on ONE disc. So what's the problem? Why the split disc? This, along with "flip disc" like the recent re-release of "Dances With Wolves, should be phased out as soon as possible. The movie itself is pretty good, and Daniel Day-Lewis is incredible in this film, but just hearing about how it's set up and packaged is discouraging. This movie could have been put on one disc. All the special features could have been put on a 2nd disc. That would have been the better idea.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Top 100 of all time
Review: DVD (and movies for adults) doesn't get much better than this! Director and actors at the top of their game and an interesting tale too. Great costumes, music, etc., AND DVD extras too. What more could one ask for?
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