Gangs of New York
Short description
Martin Scorsese directed this crime drama, set in New York's Five Points district during the mid-nineteenth century. As a boy, Amsterdam Vallon watches William Cutting, known as Bill the Butcher, kill his father, the leader of an Irish immigrant gang. Years later, Amsterdam returns to the neighbourhood as a young man, determined to get close to Cutting and settle the score. Getting near his father's killer proves more complicated than he expected, and the story unfolds against the tensions of a city divided between Irish newcomers and those who resent them.
Leonardo DiCaprio plays Amsterdam, with Daniel Day-Lewis as Bill the Butcher, Cameron Diaz as the pickpocket Jenny Everdeane, Jim Broadbent as the politician Boss Tweed, and John C. Reilly and Henry Thomas in supporting roles. The screenplay was written by Steven Zaillian, Jay Cocks and Kenneth Lonergan. It was Scorsese's twenty-second feature as director, following Bringing Out the Dead and preceding The Aviator.
Made for around 100 million dollars, the film took roughly 194 million dollars worldwide. Audiences rate it 7.5 out of 10 on IMDb across about 503,000 votes, and 7.3 out of 10 on TMDB from over 7,400 votes; a critics' score of 7.3 out of 10 comes from 210 reviews. The production was a large-scale one, with 125 credited cast members and 73 credited crew.
What's left behind the scenes
- The film's plot is based on Herbert Asbury's famous American documentary book "The Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the Underworld" (1928), which was published in Russian in 2004.
- Due to his arrest in Paris in 1999 in connection with a case of international prostitution, Robert De Niro refused to star in this film, not wanting to travel through Europe where part of the film was shot.
- Claire Forlani, Heather Graham, Monica Potter, Katie Holmes, and Mena Suvari all auditioned for the role played by Cameron Diaz.
- During filming, Liam Neeson was involved in an accident, colliding with a deer on his motorcycle in the suburbs of New York.
- While filming in Rome, Leonardo DiCaprio had to stay locked in his hotel room for several days in order for the crowds of girls eager to see their idol to leave the surrounding streets.
- Filming of the picture began on August 30, 2000, in Rome, where 19th-century New York was recreated, and then in London.
- The initial premiere date was set for December 21, 2001. However, the film was actually released a year later – on December 20, 2002.
- While preparing for his role, Daniel Day-Lewis spent a lot of time in one of London's butcher shops.
- For filming in Rome, an entire block of mid-19th century New York was built, and more than five thousand costumes were created.
- A cameo by director Martin Scorsese: the homeowner being robbed by Jayne (Cameron Diaz) while he is having dinner.
- Scorsese demanded that everything in the film be realistic. Therefore, during filming, Cameron Diaz genuinely hit Leonardo DiCaprio in the face. The actor later complained: 'Cameron has a hard punch. After a few takes, my face went numb and my head spun.'
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