In the opening moments of Martin Scorsese's historical fiction epic, a galvanized band of 19th century Irish immigrants, armed to the teeth with axes and swords, emerges from a catacomb hideout beneath an abandoned brewery for a bloody showdown with an anti-immigrant gang in the almost frontier-like streets of lower Manhattan, circa 1846. Brought to life in such exacting detail that you can almost smell the horse plop on the muddy roads, the sight of this amazingly authentic location does wonders for establishing the gritty atmosphere of the muscle-ruled Five Points area, which serves as the setting for this story of an immigrant's son (Leonardo DiCaprio) out to avenge his father's death at the hands of Bill the Butcher (Oscar-nominee Daniel Day-Lewis), the stovepipe-hat-wearing kingpin of local riffraff and a much-feared basilisk of anti-immigration ire. Superb performances and the inclusion of real historical figures and monumental events in the city's history (like the deadly Draft Riots of 1863) aid the film's powerfully brusque depictions of hardscrabble street life. Unfortunately, this Oscar nominee for Best Picture is so conspicuously overly cinematic and overproduced that sometimes the filmmaking drowns out the plot. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Martin Scorsese, an “Exploring Sets” popup track that provides viewers with a 360-degree view of specific sets, the 35-minute Discovery Channel historical production “Uncovering the Real Gangs of New York,” a 14-minute “History of the Five Points” featurette, a nine-minute featurette on set design with production designer Dante Ferretti, an eight-minute featurette on costume design, a text “Five Points Vocab” segment with an intro by historical advisor Luc Sante, the music video “The Hands That Built America” by U2, and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for this Best Picture Oscar nominee.] (R. Blackwelder)[Blu-ray Review—July 22, 2008—Miramax, 166 min., R, $34.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2002's Gangs of New York features a relatively mediocre transfer and a 5.1 uncompressed soundtrack. Most of the extras are carried over from the previous standard DVD release, including audio commentary by director Martin Scorsese, an “Exploring Sets” featurette (23 min.), the 35-minute Discovery Channel historical production “Uncovering the Real Gangs of New York,” a 14-minute “History of the Five Points” featurette, a nine-minute featurette on set design with production designer Dante Ferretti, an eight-minute featurette on costume design, the music video “The Hands That Built America” by U2, and trailers. Missing here is the “Five Points” text segment with intro and the 360-degree view which accompanied the “Exploring Sets” featurette on the previous release. Bottom line: although better-looking than the original DVD, this is still a somewhat disappointing Blu-ray release.]
Gangs of New York
Miramax, 166 min., R, VHS: $24.99, DVD: $29.99, July 1 Volume 18, Issue 4
Gangs of New York
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