week of 1/8/03
 
 
 

'Flicks'
By Hunter Pope

Gangs of New York
Director: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Cameron Diaz, Liam Neeson, John C. Reilly
Rating: R — for intense strong violence, sexuality/nudity and language, having to watch Leonardo pout for three hours
Area Sightings: Area theaters


Martin Scorcese, Gore, and New York History 101— A crash course on what you need to know before braving the mean streets of “The Gangs of New York.”

“Gangs of New York” is set in New York City in 1863, on the eve of the infamous Draft Riots, considered the worst riot in U.S. history. Most of the movie characters are surrounded by the squalid climate of Five Points, a real-life 19th-century ghetto in Manhattan that was considered the most dangerous place in the world (which are now the streets of Park, Worth, and Baxter.) Here are a few historical relevancies:

n Scorcese based a lot of his movie on Herbert Asbury’s 1928 novel, The Gangs of New York. Asbury loved to call the Big Apple “really wicked,” and he devoted a sizable portion of his tale to the horrors of the Five Points. The most infamous tale recalls a girl beggar who is killed for the penny she just earned and then left in the street to rot.

n Daniel Day Lewis plays Bill “The Butcher” Cutting, a ruthless gangster who heads the Nativists — American-born scalawags against immigrants of any speech or color. Historically, there were Native gangs who directed most of their vitriol toward the Irish. The population in New York in 1800 was 76,000 but by 1900 it titaned to 3.4 million. The meat of the influx came from the Irish, who left their country due to the devastating Potato Famine. The “natives” hated the Irish, who were willing to work for unlivable wages, taking jobs away from everyone.

n In 1842 Charles Dickens visited the Points, which inspired his pen to remark, “This is the place: these narrow ways diverging to the right and left, and reeking every where with dirt and filth ... Debauchery has made the very houses prematurely old. See how the rotten beams are tumbling down, and how the patched and broken windows seem to scowl dimly, like eyes that have been hurt in drunken frays. Many of these pigs live here. Do they ever wonder why their masters walk upright in lieu of going on all-fours? And why they talk instead of grunting?”

n Scorcese allows history to rudely intrude by incorporating William “Boss” Tweed (Jim Broadbent) into the story. Tweed was a model for political corruption, a “Democrat” who used his notorious ring of “Tweed Henchmen” to bully and round up voters for his agenda. He ran Tammany Hall, a fraternal benevolence society formed in 1789 that juggernauted into a political force by 1854. Although he was known to be a benefactor to the poor, Tweed swindled more than $200 million (the equivalent of $2.5 billion today) during his tenure. He was finally arrested in 1876, and he spent his final years in the pokey. However, his legacy lives on in the regal Tweed Courthouse, which has cost taxpayers millions in upkeep ever since his vision came alive in 1872.

n Daniel Day-Lewis’ Bill “the Butcher” Cutting is largely based on Bill “the Butcher” Poole. Poole was not actually a Five Point gangster but had his territory over on the West Side. The film does, however, reveal Poole’s legendary expertise as a butcher, as both a delicate dissector of favored meats and the disembowelment of a rival. Despite his proclivity for the gruesome, Bill the Butcher was an extremely popular gangster during the 19th century. When he died, he was given one of the biggest funerals in the city’s history, with thousands of mourners attending the procession.

The arduous wait finally came to an end. For a couple of years I heard whispers of a grand epic about how America was born on the surly streets of New York. The title, “Gangs of New York,” suggested an ancient gangster tale that predated the modern wise guys of Corleone or Soprano lore. The costs were immense (over $100 million), but not to worry — an able director named Martin Scorcese was behind the helm, and the stars (Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Cameron Diaz) were bigger than the overhead astrological beings.

But, controversy began to swirl around the project like a belligerent dust storm. Egos ballooned between actors, director, and executive producers. Projected costs and wrap-ups extended as tempers dissipated. The unfinished movie became more tabloid worthy than films already at the theaters. Miramax promised “Gangs” would be released in early 2002, then the spring, then summer, and finally Christmas. The last one held true. I told myself I would be there opening day, but because “Gangs” made me wait, I returned the favor. Two weeks later, I sat down for a three-hour historical lesson on how angry mobs defined our country’s crawling stages into modern times.

Was it worth the wait? A resounding “yes” and a “hell no.” Yes, because the historical content fascinated, and Daniel Day Lewis’ performance as ruthless gangster Bill “The Butcher” Cutting could be the most complex and entertaining character since Shakespeare’s Falstaff. No, because the epic swallowed certain amounts of character development, and Leonardo DiCaprio was sorely miscast. DiCaprio does well in certain roles (i.e. “Catch Me If You Can”, “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?”), but as a leader of a 19th century New York gang, he falls 1,000 acres short. It’s like asking Robert De Niro to play the victim.

The backdrop for the story recalls one of my favorite eras. Set in the middle of the Civil War (1863), “Gangs” resides in a Manhattan that tightroped between ancient and modern times. Everyone seems to be against everyone. The two police forces duke it out for territorial claim. Rival firefighters show up at the same blaze and end up bludgeoning each other as the building burns to the ground. Actors feel the rot of old fruit from patrons who don’t understand “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” and knife throwing displays have the fervor of a soccer match.

Our hero, Amsterdam Vallon (DiCaprio), grew up in the middle of this pandemonium. But, he departed from the grime 16 years ago to attend Hellgate, a religious school for orphaned youth. Amsterdam, lost his father, Priest Vallon (Liam Neeson in an eensy teensy role), to the knife of Bill “the Butcher” Cutting during a battle for territory in the Five Points District, a poverty branch of Manhattan that attracted the gutters of the lower class. Now, Amsterdam thirsts for revenge, and luckily no one recognizes him except for a boyhood friend (Henry Thomas).

Amsterdam’s bravery and adeptness at bare knuckle brawling catch the eye of the Butcher, who now rules Five Points. He also leads the Nativists, a group that consists entirely of blokes born in the U.S. Cutting rose to head honcho after dispersing of Priest Vallon and his group, the Dead Rabbits.

The Butcher takes a liking to the young Vallon, and soon Amsterdam finds himself a lead henchman in the Butcher’s gang. Cutting’s soft spot emerges as he develops a great love for the chameleon Vallon. He confides to the boy that the last honorable man he killed was the Priest. Internally, Amsterdam seethes as he plots the revenge to take place on the anniversary of the Priest’s death (which the Butcher celebrates with the same latitude as the Fourth of July).

Of course, a movie fragments unless a romantic subplot intervenes. Vallon’s love interest is Jenny Everdeane (Cameron Diaz), a sultry pickpocket who also impersonates maids to rob rich people’s houses. Jenny also happens to be tied to Cutting, and the triangular affair turns to a rolling boil as the movie plods on.

I’ll stop there because any more divulging will taint the last hour and a half. Let’s just say it gets a tad gory. And some people will have complaints with the violence. But, hey, it’s Scorcese, a super director with a penchant for the splatter. But, considering the history of New York in the mid-1800s, it’s a surprise Scorcese didn’t paint the whole movie in blood murals. If you can deal with the graphic, then the historical nature of the film will sweep you up in rich detail.

I especially liked the intrusion of real historical figures like Boss Tweed — perhaps the most corrupt politician ever and the brassy leader of Tammany Hall — P.T. Barnum, and Horace Greeley. Scorcese really shines when he incorporates the Draft Riot (which lasted four days, killed or injured every policeman, and basically burned New York City to the ground) as well as showing that poor immigrants had to fight the war because they could not afford the $300 to avoid the draft. Instead of entirely focusing on the rival between Vallon and Cutting, Scorcese shows his native city in all its gruesome splendor.

The only thing better than the historical side note is Daniel Day Lewis. Every time his character Cutting appears, the movie’s quality ascends. He’s a nasty man who taps his glass eye with a knife before gouging the unfortunate in the back. But, at the same time, his charisma spellbinds. He can soften up an angry mob with eloquent remarks, and his regal appearance makes any dandy envious. His complexities remind of Dickens’ villains, whose fondness for nastiness matched their ability to wax poetic.

Then there’s DiCaprio. Not a bad actor, but he does not fit the bill of rogue leader of the “Dead Rabbits.” His anger looks more like a teen who can’t get into an “R” movie. I found his character Vallon hard to root for because deep down inside (this is just my wish), I hoped Cutting would kick his ass. It’s not that I loathed DiCaprio’s character; it’s just that Day-Lewis makes everyone else look bad. We’re supposed to think of Cutting as vile, but I developed the Tony Soprano syndrome — where the viewer develops a strong attraction for the villain. Sure, they’re doing evil things, but they’re just so damn lovable.

I also found Cameron Diaz hard to digest. She’s not a bad drama actress, but I found myself seeing Cameron Diaz instead of the pluckstress Jenny Everdeane. But, like I stated before, the historical telling of the film mostly swallows up the characters. New York City becomes the marquis with Daniel Day Lewis as its fiery sidekick.

Another Scorcese masterpiece? Perhaps time may elevate his story to greatness. He definitely deserves praise for focus. Twenty-five years ago, an advertisement in a Hollywood trade paper announced that the director was in pre-production with a tale of 19th century street-fighting men called “Gangs of New York.” It took a little longer to get going, but once it began, the extravagance became noteworthy. He planted his set in Rome’s immense Cinecitta studio complex, where venerated production designer Dante Ferretti devised a waterfront in a three-million-gallon exterior tank. He used more than 40 acres to meticulously reconstruct the fabled Five Points, precise from the tattered looks of the buildings down to the worn cobblestones.

In fact, his movie became a warfront for pitched battles on expenses, artistic integrity, and directorial vision. In order to recall a bloody time, Scorcese had to wage a battle that the media circled around like lucky buzzards on a worn battlefield. It’s hard to say if he won the battle, but it’s sure been fun watching the “25-year war.” Let’s hope he never considers doing the Crusades.