One more thing I dislike about the film:
The inclusion of a black gang member in Leo’s group. Given the blunt racist rhetoric of a few characters and a few passing glimpses at the butchery that black people suffered during the Draft Riots, I think this totally uneccessary (and mostly non-speaking) character is just around for market demographics.
I have no time machine, but I seriously doubt that racial lines were so casual back in those days, especially among Irish immigrants.
I noticed this myself, wondering what the hell he was doing in there. He fills the same slot Cuba Gooding jr. had in Pearl Harbor; Ahistorical Black Guy Thrown In For Audience Appeal.
I also wondered what purpose the Cameron Diaz character served, aside from the obvious Audience Appeal. She didn’t really help the story along, and her flip-flop loyalty struck me as implausible. Take her out, and the movie becomes a tighter two hours, with more attention paid to the most interesting character, Bill Butcher.
Bill the Butcher’s accent sounded amazingly like De Niro as Paul Vitti.
“You! YOU!!” 
I thought Bill the Butcher’s accent was very intriguing. You could hear the beginnings of the classic, flat, New York inflections as well as some old British remnants. I wonder how much research DDL did into the dialects of the time. It seemed very authentic.
L. DiC’s Irish accent, by contrast, sort of came and went throughout the film.
I saw previews for it and was intrigued but will probably rent it on video.
Love DDL but the handlebar moustache just doesn’t do it for me. Not sure how I’ll feel with DDL as a villain.
I know, I know, I’m as shallow as a dinner plate.
Gods, again, as someone who read the book, you DON’T want to know what happened to black people… children… at the riots.
Read it.
Ahistorical? I think the family of Doris Miller would take offense to that. Gooding’s character was a very real black sailor who was awarded the Navy Cross (personally presented by Nimitz) for his role in firing on Japanese planes at Pearl Harbor.
Doris “Dorie” Miller died in action in 1944.
Ack! So there was one historically accurate detail in that movie.
I offer my apologies to any members of the Miller family who may be reading, though my opinion of the black character in Gangs of New York remains unchanged.
Unless, of course, someone wants to throw some actual history my way.
Heh, I think you’re justified in your GNY belief.
[TVGuy drive by]
Leo was looking awfully buff for this one though … rowrrrr!
[/TVGuy drive by]
(Oh god, did I actually just do that? Can’t breath. Losing concious…)
Well, I bet the studio thought that having Leo in there would boost the revenues substantially.
Well, seeing how the Irish were considered akin to ‘black’ by other ethnic groups, I could see where it might have come from.
Hey, was that Scorsese himself at the dinner table in the house that Cameron Diaz robs dressed as a maid? I felt all clever for spotting that, and I’ll feel equally as silly if I’m wrong…
I liked the movie but I do think it was too long.
As for the budget, I think this is a movie that will never gather much box office steam but will do business for a while. I bet they also counted on a large return from DVD sales–this seems like a “film buff” epic.
My father noticed Scorsese at the table, too (though I didn’t) so I guess you’re both right, or both equally silly.
I heard something at dinner tonight that made me laugh. The GONY that you are seeing is not Scorsese’s cut, but the studio’s cut. Scorsese’s is about 1 hour longer.
He is encouraging people to go see the film, though, so they can compare it to his cut when the DVD comes out!
Ha ha ha!
Scorsese says that the current cut is his cut, and there will be no longer version to surface on DVD. At least according to everything I’ve read, including interviews with Roger Ebert and The Washington Post.
Wether or not that’s true remains to be seen. I personally wouldn’t mind seeing a longer version…some scenes in the film played out way too quickly.
I couldn’t stand the movie. It was too long, the pacing was uneven, and I couldn’t bring myself to care for the protagonist.
As my father pointed out, Amsterdam’s motivation was unique and engrossing.
Imagine; he wanted revenge on the man who killed his father. I’ve never seen that in American cinema before!
I wouldn’t have minded seeing a movie that was just about Bill The Butcher…
A evil villian, no doubt, but one with humanity and his own sense of tragedy. It could have been “Raging Bull” redux, only with a lot of American political symbolism and such.
Intersesting that you say that since Robert De Niro was the original choice to play Bill the Butcher. Personally, though, I don’t think even De Niro could have played that character any better than DDL did.
The IMDb says it’s Scorsese at the table. Their information like this is fan-submitted and must usually be taken with a grain of salt, but that makes me feel better.