Rating: 
Summary: No one is innocent
Review: "Gangs of New York" is not the best film ever made by Martin Scorsese. The narrative approach is predictable as it is inspired by the typical family revenge scenario, as well as double-crossing and of Hamlet like declarations of faith to the father. As for the cast, Leonardo Di Caprio is out of his element, while Cameron Diaz does not convince and Daniel Day Lewis provides, by all means is a good performance, an excessive imitation of Robert De Niro. However, the film is pleasant to watch and its three hours of running time go very quickly, while leaving the viewer the sensation of having watched something important. One of the most striking aspects of "Gangs of New York" is the way in which it depicts confrontation as a strike, which is dominated by impulse. Reason plays a small role and the mind's sole purpose is to channel and direct in the most violent manner possible the surges of rage that emerge. The character played by Daniel Day Lewis, the aptly named Mr. Cutter, doesn't destroy because he's possessed by a nihilist nature; rather, he acts as a result of a passionate temper with tendency for - violent to be sure - excess. The article also engages in a deeper search for the ontological repercussions of the violence in the film in typical fashion for the author. This could also well be Scorsese's most political film ever, and certainly it's one of the most political film in recent memory. It is also the director's most opently historical film. There are no real good and bad guys; whereas, even heroes reflect a dark light sullied by the overwhelming hate. The film might even be compared with "Bowling for Columbine", as both films interpret and discuss America in terms of its violence and the associated fears and insecurity that develop. The message is that if you go deep to the heart of America you will find violence. I would also reccommend reading a book by Michael Woodiwiss,"Organized Crime and American Power: A History" to get a deeper understanding of the world which Scorsese depicts in this film.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Scorsese finest film but Daniel Day-Lewis saves the day.
Review: Martin Scorsese rendering of Old New York is no where near as memorable or as classy as his other fantastic films but the great and memorable performance of Daniel Day-Lewis makes this film better than it really deserves. His performance is a classic, and you are just floored by him every time he is on the screen. He is only reason that the movie gets the respect it gets because with out him, this would have been Martin Scorsese fall from grace. It was a real crime that he did not win the Oscar, and if you see this film, you will know why. This is big come down of what Scorsese has done before but its Daniel Day-Lewis finest hour as an actor.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing To Write Home About
Review: Priest Vallon (Liam Neeson) is the leader of the Dead Rabbits gang. William 'Bill the Butcher' Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis) is the leader of the Nativist gang. Both gangs wage a bloody war against eachother, ending in the death of Priest Vallon. Witnessing this tragedy is Vallon's son (Leonardo DiCaprio) who is sent to a reformatory for delinquents. Some years later, he returns as Amsterdam to seek revenge against Bill the Butcher, his father's killer. The worst thing about this movie were the Irish accents of Cameron Diaz and Leonardo DiCaprio. They were bad enough to make your ears bleed. The movie was ok but it really didn't need to be over three hours long.
Rating:
Summary: Very underappriciated
Review: Gangs of New York is a type of historical movie that does not come about very often. Typically, Hollywood movies tend to idealize America's past (Far And Away, Stagecoach, etc). Gangs of New York presents a very accurate (although unpopular) and unflinching view of New York in the late 1800s.If one watches the History Channel, you'd find that America's large cities were extremely primitive in terms of law and order. Violent outbursts were common, police were corrupt, prostitution and drug abuse was widespread, and the city itself was simply disgusting. So, naturally the only way to portray this pathetic existance is through violence. I have heard a lot of criticism on this subject, but I feel that if the violence portrayed in the film was not disturbing (and due to moviegoer's desentization towards violence, this movie had to be very disturbing indeed) the main point of the movie would not be converyd in an convining manner. Remember- NYC at the time was not a nice or safe place to live, so why should the film try to be? Technically, the film is a mixed bag. The film itself is on two dual-layered DVDs. The video is a rock-solid 2.35:1 anamorphic marvel, with excellent sharpness, detail, and color. Unfortunately, the sound does not fair as well. Aside from some excellent LFE and surround effects at the end, the soundstage is generally restricted to the front three channels. At the least, the dialogue is easy to hear. I didn't notice a huge difference between the Dolby and DTS tracks, so those without DTS recievers won't be missing anything spectacular here.
Rating:
Summary: Well-written, well-acted--history comes alive!
Review: I first learned about the volatility of New York and its infamous draft day riots while watching Ken Burns' Civil War miniseries years ago. This movie zooms in on that volatile climate in New York City and its epicenter in an immigrant community called the "Five Corners". Gangs controlled the streets. Political offices were bought and sold by the gangs. The fire departments were controlled by the gangs, and fire fighters would often end up in fights at a fire--with the winning fire company looting the burning building! A young boy, Amsterdam (DiCaprio), witnesses his father's death at the hands of Bill the Butcher (Day-Lewis). He returns to the five corners as an adult with the intention of avenging his father's death. He joins Bill's gang and becomes Bill's right-hand man. But in the process, he is so influenced by Bill that he almost loses his desire for revenge. But Amsterdam is ratted out and beaten senseless by Bill. The movie culminates in the street fight between Bill and Amsterdam and their gangs in the midst of the NYC draft day riots during the Civil War. PROS
* Day-Lewis is just a tremendous actor. He is so believable as Bill the Butcher that I completely forgot he was acting * Visually stunning; great set pieces; great crowd scenes; great juxtaposition of the haves and have-nots of NYC in the 1860s * This basically happened. I enjoy historical fiction and biography. CONS
* Some of the musical selections, particularly the rap number during the first gang fight were terribly out of place * DiCaprio is a little miscast as Amsterdam. It's hard to believe him as a tough-guy pugilist. His performance seems a bit flat, and in the end, I didn't care if he killed Bill or not. RECOMMENDATION
Well worth seeing. For those of us who appreciate Scorcese and historical fiction, we will see it several times.
Rating:
Summary: You should have seen it on the big screen
Review: It's a good movie, Daniel Day Lewis is FANTASTIC and he got robbed when he didn't get the oscar. That said, this movie loses a lot when it's not on the big screen because that's what makes this movie truly impressive. Don't get if you don't have a big TV or at least a good surround sound system. If you don't have those things, just rent this movie and you'll see what I mean.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the Best of the Year
Review: When I first heard that Martin Scorsese was going to make Gangs of New York, I was extremely excited. The story of old New York, of the street gangs, the draft riots of 1863, the immigrant, etc. I knew if anyone could do it, it was Scorsese, who understands New York and its amazing and unique history. In the mid 19th century, New York was a city like few others on Earth. It was economically explosive, with massive factories and ports. It was also the gateway for the waves or Irish immigrants who flowed into the city from their famine stricken country. The Irish were yet another part of the cultural melting pot of the city, which was already beginning to stir. Against this human tide were the natives. An impressive thing about this movie was the atmosphere. Scorsese does just a great job putting the viewer back in old New York, with unbelievably detailed sets and costumes. The battle scenes are some of the most brutal and vicious that I've seen. Leo DiCaprio does a very good job as Amsterdam, as does a surprisingly effective Cameron Diaz as a pick pocket/prostitute who falls in love with Leo. Bill the Butcher is one of the momest memorable villians that I've seen in a really long time. He is everything, witty, charming, educated, compassionate, twisted and unimaginably brutal. Adrien Brody was phenomonal in "The Pianist", but I really felt that Daniel Day-Lewis should have won. It is a shame. Gangs of New York reportedly cost nearly $100 million to make and the money is all up there on the screen (I read an entire city block was recreated at Italy's Cinecitta Studios). However, considering the movie as a whole, Gangs of New York does have a flaw. (though I suspect that this is the result of severe cutting to reduce the running time, which is a direct result of Harvey Weinstein and his "I'm better than everyone antics"). The main character of Amsterdam seems to lack something. As an audience member, we passionately rooted for William Wallace in Braveheart. In "Gangs" it wasn't the same. On the other hand, Scorsese is undeniably one of our greatest directors, and the movie does manage to remain gripping due primarily to his narrative style. He pulls off some terrific set-pieces here, such as a long "tracking" shot showing immigrants just off the boat being corralled into the U.S. Army, outfitted and being sent aboard another ship to head south to the battlefields, as coffins of Civil War dead are being unloaded. Gangs of New York also features Scorsese's brand of gut-wrenching violence. The opening battle between the gangs is quite graphic, but the movie grows ever more bloody--the climax literally shows blood flowing through the streets. It's brutal and tough to watch at times. Possibly the greatest aspect of Gangs of New York is the absolutely stunning performance by Daniel Day-Lewis. He scowls, he grins, he coldly murders, and then, in a scene with zero violence, Day-Lewis mesmerizes with a marvelous monologue. He's just amazing in this film. Miramax could use a new marketing strategy though, I mean they barely advertised this film compared to "Kill Bill". I read that they released this film on only 1500 screens initially, that was the worst thing they could do to a film of this magnitude. Why deny so many the plesaure of what they consider an "epic"? Overall, this is a wonderfully acted, beautifully directed film that is certainly one of the best films of the year. Although the heavy editing robs us of some of the character development and background, when after watching a 168 minute movie you still wish for a longer version, then you know you must have just witnessed something special.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT MOVIE!!!!
Review: This movie was very interesting & had a outstanding cast. I was a little irritated that they threw a nude scene in the movie though. That's the only thing keeping me from giving it 5 stars. Leonardo was awesome in this movie. Liam Nieson also was in th movie for a short period in the begining. This was a great New York Movie! I RECOMMEND YOU SEE!!!
Rating:
Summary: Epic in scope, despite some flaws
Review: Although the film is a bit predictable at times and Leo's Irish accent is not altogether believable, when taken as a whole, this film is quite impressive. Particularly entertaining is Daniel Day Lewis as "Bill the Butcher." Blending outright savagery with a sardonic, dark wit, his character, who couldn't be more politically incorrect reminds us that, while we still have a long way to go with race relations in America, we have also come a long way since the 1860s. His performance alone is worth the purchase price of the DVD, but the DVD also has a number of very nice special features. Unfortunately, as with many of the recent epics (e.g., extended editions of Lord of the Rings, Oliver Stone releases) the length of the film necessitates that the movie be split into two discs, but I guess two discs is still better than two VHS tapes. On a deeper level, the film blends thousands of subtle historical minutiae into a rich tapestry that not only grounds the characters into a specific point in American history, but it also gives the viewer a sense of what life in the Five Points might have been like about as well as any three and a half hour film could hope to do. Despite its flaws and its significant length, this film is well worth the time, particularly for those who like historical drama.
Rating: 
Summary: Gangs of New York, Explodes on the Screen
Review: Gangs of N.Y. explodes on the screen 'cause it's a total
BOMB ! It's way too long, the actors are way over the top
or just uncaring. The script is hokey, the dialog is fake
and DiCaprio must have realy needed the money. The only
good film he ever made was "This Boy's Life" in 1993.
DO NOT buy, rent or get Pay per View for Gangs of New York.
The photography was beautiful...That's it !
Russ
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