Gangs of New York
The Players: Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Cameron Diaz, Liam Neeson, Jim Broadbent; directed by Martin Scorsese
The Skinny: In 1860’s lower Manhattan, where lawlessness, rampant
political corruption and great unrest fester, young Irish-American immigrant
Amsterdam Vallon (DiCaprio) is released from prison and bent on revenge
against William Cutting (Day-Lewis), aka Bill the Butcher, the powerful
anti-immigrant gang leader who killed Vallon’s father. His first mission is
to infiltrate The Butcher’s inner circle, which becomes conflicted when he meets Jenny Everdeane (Diaz), a pickpocket who steals his heart. It all
comes to a head during the 1863 Civil War Drafts Riots–one of the most
explosive episodes of urban unrest in American history.
The Bottom Line: Well, it’s about time. We are finally going to see
this Scorsese epic whose release date was originally set for last Christmas
but continually got shuffled around. Although this is never a good sign,
the film fascinates us nonetheless, especially since we haven’t seen the
always good Day-Lewis since the 1997 The Boxer.
Opens: Dec. 20
