Gangs of New York (2002)
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In the mid-19th century, a deadly turf war between Irish and Protestant gangs in New York's Five Points neighborhood shapes the city's violent evolution.
The story
In the 1846 slum of the Five Points, two rival gangs—the Anglo-Protestant Confederation of American Natives and the immigrant Irish Catholic Dead Rabbits—engage in a violent turf war to determine who will hold power over the area. Following the conflict, the young son of the Dead Rabbits' leader is taken to an orphanage. Sixteen years later, in 1862, the boy, now known as Amsterdam, returns to the Five Points to seek revenge. He navigates the dangerous landscape of local gang clans and the influence of the powerful Bill the Butcher, while attempting to keep his true identity and motives hidden as he seeks to reclaim his legacy.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1846, a brutal turf war in the Five Points results in the death of 'Priest' Vallon at the hands of William 'Bill the Butcher' Cutting. Vallon's son, Amsterdam, is sent to an orphanage. In 1862, Amsterdam returns to the neighborhood, seeking revenge. He joins Cutting's gang while hiding his identity, eventually becoming his protégé and becoming involved with the corrupt politician William M. Tweed. Amidst a series of escalating tensions, including a failed assassination of Cutting and a complicated relationship with the grifter Jenny Everdeane, the rivalry between the Irish and the Protestants intensifies. As the Civil War draft riots break out in 1863, the two gangs finally face off in Paradise Square. The battle is interrupted by heavy artillery from ships, and in the ensuing chaos, Amsterdam finally confronts and kills Cutting. The film ends with Amsterdam burying his father's knife next to his grave as the New York skyline transforms over the following century.
- First release year
- 2002
- Runtime (minutes)
- 168
- Production countries
- United States; Italy
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Martin Scorsese
- Writers
- Jay Cocks · screenplay; Steven Zaillian · screenplay; Kenneth Lonergan · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Leonardo DiCaprio · Amsterdam; Daniel Day-Lewis · William "Bill the Butcher" Cutting; Cameron Diaz · Jenny Everdeane; Jim Broadbent; John C. Reilly; Henry Thomas; Brendan Gleeson
- Genres
- historical drama; crime drama
- Themes
- revenge; ethnic conflict; urban evolution
- Tone and mood
- epic; violent
- Premise and plot tags
- historical; gangs; civil war
- Source material / true-story basis
- Herbert Asbury's 1928 book The Gangs of New York
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with particular praise for the production design and Daniel Day-Lewis's performance.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 72% · scale: percentage · review count: 210; Metacritic · score: 72 · scale: 100 · review count: 39
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Awards · Best Picture · 75th · nomination; Academy Awards · Best Director · 75th · nomination; Academy Awards · Best Actor · 75th · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film's release was delayed due to the September 11 attacks.; The production was filmed at the Cinecittà Studios in Rome.; The script underwent nine revised drafts.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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