[RoninDiesel]

Inspired by the recent Minority Report thread, I was wondering if anyone has anything to say about Gangs of New York. Care to take a stab at it?

 

[kerelybonto]

Okay -- does anyone know how historically accurate the movie was? I mean the sets and the extent of the draft riots and everything -- when the movie started off with the whole cave-dwellers in the middle of Manhatten thing I was a little surprised. And it didn't get much better ... did the Navy actually shell the **** out of New York? I don't know, I heard it was supposed to be very historically accurate, but it looked more like a cross between the Temple of Doom and Water World than what I envisioned Civil-War era New York to be like.

Daniel Day Lewis was great, though. Excellent performance. And Leo didn't drag the movie down too much, either.

kerely

 

[gloco]

Quote:

Originally posted by kerelybonto Daniel Day Lewis was great, though. Excellent performance. And Leo didn't drag the movie down too much, either. kerely

I just came back rom seeing the movie. I thought they both did very well too. Very enjoyable movie.

Not sure how historical accurate the movie is, but it might be worth trying to dig up some info regarding some of the scenes that occured in the movie.

 

[Jackangel]

Looking forward to the flick too. Read about it in January in a magazine on a plane coming back to the US. Recall that it was based on a book called "The Gangs of New York". Did a bit of reading on it just now.here

 

[royboy2k]

Just got back and...

This is a great movie! I enjoyed it much more than the recent LOTR (don't shoot me). It's just very fun watch, what with the amazing performace by Daniel Day Lewis. He crafted what is now one of my favorite movie villains. Aside from his acting, I liked the fact that his character was evil but also had shades of goodness. In my book, a good villain is one that the viewer hates but still understands. The film is well worth seeing.

 

[gloco]

Quote:

Originally posted by royboy2k Just got back and... This is a great movie! I enjoyed it much more than the recent LOTR (don't shoot me). It's just very fun watch, what with the amazing performace by Daniel Day Lewis. He crafted what is now one of my favorite movie villains. Aside from his acting, I liked the fact that his character was evil but also had shades of goodness. In my book, a good villain is one that the viewer hates but still understands. The film is well worth seeing.

Well said. I gotta agree with you that i liked this movie much more than the two towers which kept me bored, even with all that cgi fighting, i'll take the fight scenes in Gangs of New York. First time in a long time that i've been blown away by such great acting. Daniel Day Lewis did a stellar job...did i say that already?

 

[smokey]

Historical Accuracy?

History Channel just did a show on this. While it was obviously a one hour commercial for the movie, they had a few interesting things to say.

Apparently, the movie is fairly accurate, just not to the nth degree. For example, the Lewis character is based on a historical figure, who died a few years before the fight in the movie. So they made a few adjustments.

Additionally, the conditions were actually worse in real life. Imagine those same crowded conditions, and add in piles of garbage that weren't regularly hauled off, plus mountains of human and horse ****. Just think of what that must have smelled like in a NY summer, at 90 degrees and 90% humidity. The Five Points area was considered the worst slum on earth at the time.

I also remember reading about them combining two different battles a couple of years apart to get the great fight in the movie.

The director stated that they valued the "operatic" vision over historical accuracy when the two were at odds with each other.

 

[dhwilkin]

Looks like I'm gonna have to reserve some time this weekend to go see this movie.

 

[Zanth]

I saw this movie last night and was blown away by Lewis' performance. The man deserves an OSCAR. As for the overall quality of the movie, I thought is was first rate, but not the best movie I have seen this year. I would have preferred a more historically accurate movie to melodrama, but in the end it was worth 3 hours of my life among friends. Leo was also good. I hate to like that guy but after seeing The Beach and Basketball diaries...What's Eating Gilbert Grape...the guy can act...he did well in this movie.

 

[Vertigo-1]

I was bored on New Years, and having already checked out the "eye candy" movies Star Trek: Nemesis and LOTR: Two Towers, I decided to hit this one based on the recs in this one thread. I definitely dug this movie more than the other two. It was shockingly and stunningly brutal and direct, not only in violence but also in the depictions of life back then. It reminded me a lot of Mel Gibson's The Patriot, same overall style used to reach out and grab your attention for the next several hours. Lewis as everybody has said so far was indeed excellent in his acting.

This is one of those movies where the title of it can turn it into a sleeper, it sure did for me until I came across this thread. It's definitely worth seeing though.

 

[aeberbach]

I read the book, but apparently the book is full of hyperbole too, having been written years after the events by a historian more fond of sensation than facts or strict research - so there may be no easy way to find out whether NY was really like that at all.

 

[RoninDiesel]

since i started this threat, i figured i should say something

. In reality, i really don't have anything of value to say. I mean, yes, I liked this movie more than LOTR: Twin Towers (sans Liv Tyler), but I DON"T KNOW why. I like it for the face value - as a movie you can just go out, sit down, and watch, as is . That's the part that kills me though. I think I need some kind of revelation, symbolism, or hidden message to satisfy my reason for liking a movie. Help?

 

[kelly]

Ronin
"Sometimes a snowflake is just a snowflake." (Frost)

I saw Gangs of New York last night and thought it was a well done film. I feel that saying things like, "Leo didn't bring the movie down too much" is an emotional reaction to disliking his popularity following Titanic. The truth is that he did an excellent job in this film as did all of the cast. Excellent cinematography and direction. My complaints are few.

Being from Texas may give me a slightly different impression of the civil war and our American history, though. I have always been amazed by the widespread belief that the Civil War was a war against slavery. I have always been surprised that a man who lead us into and through the darkest time in our history is remembered as our greatest president. Films like this remind me that it was not merely the South who were harmed by the senseless abolition of states rights, taxation and dominance of the wealthy that this war actually was.

But our history books are written to remind us that every American act was a noble and true one. Maybe films like this will remind Americans to question those justifications and examine more motivation more closely.

But I doubt it. Most people will just enjoy the brutal violence of the film. Like Black Hawk Down, the film is more akin to war pornography than historical education. It is violence as entertainment and nothing more. Any historical accuracies to achieve the entertainment seem little more than coincidence--as much a plot device as invading aliens or giant maneating sharks.

But I liked the film.

 

[Tuberoller]

Quote:

Originally posted by kelly Like Black Hawk Down, the film is more akin to war pornography than historical education.

Very bad comparison....... BlackHawk Down is as accurate a depiction of actual events as I have yet seen portrayed on film.

I am not completely familiar with the events depicted in Gangs of New York but I think it is an excellent film.The violence seems gratuitous at times but seems to flow well and forward the story in a constructive manner.

 

[gloco]

Quote:

Originally posted by kelly Most people will just enjoy the brutal violence of the film.

Go read The Alienist by Caleb Carr to get an idea of what life was like back then (late 1800's).