I FINALLY Watched ‘Gangs Of New York’
Image Source: IMDb
For this series, I wanted to make sure that I did a drama since I feel like that genre is often forgotten about or overlooked for more popular genres such as horror, action, or comedy. I don’t watch a ton of dramas unless they are criminal or procedural dramas, so I wanted to do something completely out of my wheelhouse. Thanks to my husband’s suggestion, I decided to do a historical drama and watched Gangs of New York. This movie has now found its way into my top ten movies of all time.
The casting of this 2002 film is what sold me on it! It stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Cameron Diaz with a supporting cast that includes Liam Neeson, Henry Thomas, Jim Broadbent, and Brendan Gleeson. The actors are at their peak in this film, and every single character has a complex story and specific role to play in the heart-pounding climax. I cannot say enough about how incredible the casting choices were for this film! It also is no surprise that the directing was phenomenal since I’m pretty sure Martin Scorsese has never directed a bad film. Honestly, anytime you see that Scorsese and DiCaprio are doing a film together you know it is going to be fantastic.
RELATED:
Image Source: IMDb
The film follows the story of Amsterdam Vallon (DiCaprio) who returns to the Five Points area of New York City after being forced into a prison school for troubled youth more than a decade earlier. The area is ruled by Bill the Butcher (Day-Lewis) who is as stylish as he is cruel. The film is an honest commentary about the way that Irish immigrants were treated when they began coming to New York, and it wasn’t pretty. This is a part of our country’s history that is typically hidden from us, so it was fascinating to see it woven into a fiction story about revenge, love, and the lengths we will go to just to belong. I also appreciated the fact that it was an honest look at this point in our history rather than a romanticized version that makes people feel good.
Aside from the incredible casting choices, the writing for this film was spectacular. The story is gripping from the very first scene and the use of flashbacks helps to develop the complexities of the characters and their choices. I was surprised by the number of twists that were worked into the film, and each one is expertly placed in a way that adds to the film rather than distracting from it. Another thing about this movie that made me fall in love with it was the costuming. As the character’s stories develop, so do their costumes and they also help to reflect their mindset as things begin to fall apart. I genuinely cannot say enough good things about this movie because honestly every aspect of it was flawlessly done. I highly recommend that everyone check this film out as soon as you can!
Rating: 10/10
Gangs of New York is available to stream on Max.
READ NEXT:
Latest News
Featured
