Gangs of New York
Movie, 2002, The 2000s, Set in Five Points, 1863
Gangs of New York is #18 of 26 in release order and #18 of 26 in chronological order in the Martin Scorsese.
The story
In early 1860s New York, Irish immigrant Amsterdam Vallon is released from prison and returns to the Five Points, seeking revenge against his father's killer, William Cutting, a powerful anti-immigrant gang leader. He knows that revenge can only be attained by infiltrating Cutting's inner circle. Vallon's journey becomes a fight for personal survival and to find a place for the Irish people.
Gangs of New York recap
Gangs of New York (2002) follows Amsterdam Vallon, who returns to the Five Points slum in 1862 to kill the nativist gang boss who killed his father. Martin Scorsese directs from a script by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian and Kenneth Lonergan, inspired by Herbert Asbury's 1928 book. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Amsterdam, Daniel Day-Lewis plays William "Bill the Butcher" Cutting, Cameron Diaz plays the pickpocket Jenny Everdeane, and Liam Neeson plays Priest Vallon. In 1846, Bill kills Priest in a street battle and outlaws his gang, the Dead Rabbits; the boy is sent to an orphanage. Years later Amsterdam returns under a false identity and wins Bill's trust, becoming his protege and getting drawn into the politics of Boss Tweed (Jim Broadbent). He falls for Jenny, once Bill's ward. When his friend Johnny Sirocco betrays him, Bill scars him and lets him live. Amsterdam revives the Dead Rabbits and backs Monk McGinn (Brendan Gleeson) for sheriff. It is Scorsese's first film with DiCaprio, coming after Bringing Out the Dead and before The Aviator.
Gangs of New York ending explained
Gangs of New York ends during the 1863 draft riots. After Bill murders the newly elected Sheriff McGinn, Amsterdam calls him out for a gang battle in Paradise Square, but before they can fight, Union troops and naval cannons fire into the crowd. Bill is wounded by shrapnel, and Amsterdam kills him with his father's knife. He buries Bill next to Priest in Brooklyn, and as he and Jenny leave, the Manhattan skyline rises over the decades to the present, while the graves are overgrown.
Post-credits scenes
No. Gangs of New York has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch Gangs of New York
Gangs of New York is streaming on fuboTV, Paramount+, Kanopy, and Hoopla in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.5/10, Rotten Tomatoes 72%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Bringing Out the Dead, before The Aviator.
- Chronological order: after Bringing Out the Dead, before The Aviator.
Cast
- Leonardo DiCaprio as Amsterdam Vallon
- Daniel Day-Lewis as Bill 'The Butcher' Cutting
- Cameron Diaz as Jenny Everdeane
- Jim Broadbent as Boss Tweed
- John C. Reilly as Happy Jack
- Henry Thomas as Johnny Sirocco
- Liam Neeson as 'Priest' Vallon
- Brendan Gleeson as Walter 'Monk' McGinn
- Gary Lewis as McGloin
- Stephen Graham as Shang
- Eddie Marsan as Killoran
- Alec McCowen as Reverend Raleigh
Directed by Martin Scorsese.