Of course, this is just a setup to our actual main story which takes place sixteen years later, when Amsterdam (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) returns from boarding school a man hellbent on avenging his father's death. I call it a stroke of genius to cast a heavyweight like Liam Neeson as Priest Vallon, given his short stay in the film. His death comes as a shock, and the reverence shown to him by Bill adds much needed layers to what could otherwise be looked at as a common antagonist.
Shortly after arriving, Amsterdam is recognized by Johnny (played by Henry Thomas) who immediately befriends him and shows him how the current Five Points works. Their chemistry is good and believable given a time when friends were probably hard to come by, and even harder to trust. Amsterdam is also recognized by one other person... Monk, though he doesn't engage with him at first.
Gangs of New York is a bit of a slow burn as we get to spend enough time with all of the main players to learn some of their backstories, motivations, and why they are where they are. It's a good use of time to make it clear that, in this world of survival, there aren't really any good guys or bad guys, but shades of grey. Though Amsterdam is clearly the films protagonist, he's got a mean streak, and isn't unwilling to do unpleasant things if need be. And Bill's philosophies are clearly presented, and in order to maintain civility in such an uncivil place, his decision to rule through fear makes total sense.
The set decoration is exquisite. The Five Points, the docks, every interior... it all feels authentic and grimy. There is so much grime, watching the movie made me want to pause it to go take a shower. Same with the costuming. The clothes look thick and heavy and dirty in all of the right places. The visuals of Gangs definite makes me happy to be alive today.
My only criticisms of the film come from its opening fight. While the lead up to it is great, and gives us a good visual representation of various characters that we'll meet again later when Amsterdam returns, the fight scene itself falls short of living up to what I was expecting. There were editing and music choices made that completely fall flat with me. I'm not sure if this is due to Scorsese being more used to shooting mob scenes rather than hand-to-hand combat, but Braveheart this was not -- but it should have been. As for the music, for some reason they decided to use rock music in the score which feels way out of place. That style of music is used nowhere else in the film, so I'm confused as to why they did it here. Perhaps they thought it would add to the excitement of the moment, but it was just distracting.
In the end, Gangs of New York is definitely a very fine film with a cast of characters that are deeply layered and interesting. DiCaprio does a fine job as Amsterdam, even if his accent was a bit spotty at times, he still makes you feel for his character, and yearn to see him succeed. Daniel Day-Lewis is just phenomenal as Bill the Butcher. Honestly, I can't think of anything else he could have brought to the table to make anything he did better, and I can't think of another character that could have brought that character to life the way he did. This film is worth watching for his performance alone.
I highly recommend checking this movie out if you haven't, or giving it a revisit if it's been a while since you've seen it. Let's not let Gangs of New York be forgotten to time and suffer the same fate as the Five Points.
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