Gangs of New york

Gangs of New York is artistic. It has one of my favourite actors, Daniel Day-Lewis against a least favourite, Leonardo DiCaprio. The writers, director and Day-Lewis himself forged a villain so stunningly compelling that the nuisance of the sulky DiCaprio was all the more tedious because it spoiled what could have been a great movie.

Set in the 1800's, Gangs of New York is a revenge movie: during a gang battle a little kid witnesses his Irish immigrant father getting slaughtered by Bill The Butcher (Day-Lewis), the gangster who runs the crime-infested Lower Manhattan district of Five Points. The boy returns as an adult and anonymously (and unconvincingly) infiltrates Bill's gang.. Not the most original of plot lines.

One brilliant aspect of this film has to be the sets and the cinematography: often this film looks like a painting. One advantage of setting a movie during the 1800's setting is you can deliver endless scenes in atmospheric candlelight, scenes half murky in mysterious shadows and emblazoned with magnificent highlights. Quality poured from each frame, and there are many frames indeed, nearly three hours worth.

There are many excellent scenes in Gangs Of New York. Jim Broadbent's innocent pleasure of sending his fire brigade into battle against a rival gang, neglecting the burning building, was perfect comedy. The scene of the woman dropping an ear into a jar full of them was surreal

The ending of Gangs Of New York was lacking climax. The mob scenes were horrific but not as compelling as the previous two hours. The draft riots had the effect of diluting the movie's great asset, Bill The Butcher, and were wrecked by a screeching commentary.It would have been so refreshing if Bill had defeated DiCaprio. The bad guy deserved to win. If only movie makers dared to break the rules.

0 comments:


 

© 2007 LongRoadFilm