If anyone in America wants to understand why the politics is the way the politics is and why the Democrats behave the way they behave this movie right here is going to explain to you why the Democrats are so in favor of immigration and they don't care about illegal immigration and they don't care about social services and giving away EBT and food stamps and all this stuff and they also the Republicans promote War you're going to learn a lot if you watch this movie you may have to watch it two or three times to really get the message but this is a great historical film

I realize that Hollywood is not known for being historically accurate, but this one sets a new low. As a former Civil War reenactor, I found this to be just another example of a movie project that takes contemporary issues, sensibilities, attitudes, mores, and morals, and places them in a completely different time period. Has that over-the-top, sex-and-violence "pushing-the-envelope" routine going on (think Natural Born Killers, Casino, Pulp Fiction, etc.).
I will give it two stars however for the cinematography.

This remastered edition corrects the image quality issues of the previous edition which had heavy handed use of DNR (digital noise reduction)often eliminating the grain and detail at the same time. Colors pop and detail is remarkably sharp throughout. Audio sounds terrific as well although the previous edition sounded quite good as well. Aside from some minor ringing (particularly when characters are against a white background--doesn't happen too often in this movie though), the presentation looks terrific.

We get all the previous special features from the previous edition as well including Martin Scorsese's informed and entertaining commentary track. The special features are still in standard definnition but that's a minor issue--I'm just happy that Touchstone/Disney/Miramax was willing to go back and correct the error with the original mastering.

You can tell the remastered vs. the previous edition because the cover picture with the main actors is smaller and bordered by black. The Blu-ray holders also have a sticker on the cover indicating its been remastered.

For those interested in the plot--Set in New York in 1846 (during the height of the draft for the Civil War which contributed to a massive violent revolt by the poor which plays a part in the film as well), Leonardo Dicaprio plays Amsterdam Vallon who returns to lower Manhattan seeking revenge against Bill "the Butcher" (Daniel Day Lewis)who killed his father in a confrontation between their respective gangs. To kill Bill Vallon must become close to Bill and infiltrate his gang earning his trust in the process but Vallon finds that his vendetta against Bill gets lost in a much larger conflict between the various gangs of New York to run the city.Amsterdam feels conflicted particularly when Bill takes him under his wing and gains a grudging respect for him despite his brutality. Daniel Day Lewis gives a superb performance as Bill and although Dicaprio's accent varies quite a bit his emotionally complex, conflicted performance adds to the drama as well. When I first saw the film I was surprised at just how good Cameron Diaz could be as an actress as well.

A well made flawed film, "Gangs of New York" manages to be involving and director Martin Scorsese crates a vivid recreation of New York before the turn of the century with detailed recreations of teh hovels and mud strewn streets, The film suffers because of a shortened running time (and it runs around 2 hours and 40 minutes but could have easily run an additional 20-30 minutes giving us more background on the conflict between Vallon's father who led the Dead Rabbits and Bill. Then again the action would have taken longer to get to and our main story focusing on the conflict between Vallon and Bill would have taken quite a bit longer to start as well.

Even Scorsese's flawed films are stronger than most other directors great films and the ambition of "Gangs of New York" is welcome even if the film can't deliver on all of Scorsese's points. Recommended.

This is an excellent movie that is entertaining, but created with historical facts to support it. I first watched it after it was released, then many years later with my 17-year-old daughter who had it on a list of recommended movies for an assignment in her A.P. U.S. History class. We had a very lively discussion afterwards and did a little research to discover some of the real-life truths that helped to support the movie’s story lines. Tammany Hall, Boss Teeed, the Bowery Boy’s, Bill the Butcher, Five Points—all are interwoven to create a gritty, suspenseful movie on just how difficult life was for immigrants in early America.

Had to have it in my collection! The main reason for the star subtraction is for Amazon not the movie!!!I just wish that Amazine would let me custom arrange my Video Library instead of only offering by date purchased or alphabetical order. I would prefer to arrange by genre, episode, number in franchise so that I could group my movies together instead of having a hodge podge to sort through!

Some (as Time Magazine, for instance) have felt that epics are outdated and "gone with the wind," after the days of Ben Hur, Lawrence of Arabia, Star Wars, and others like those. The epic will not go out of fashion though, and has still flourished in recent decades with the likes of Schindler's List, Titanic, Gladiator, to mention a few. Most of these (exception: Schindler's List) are meant to be mainstream ppular,expensive, "on-your_face" entertainment, with mostly male superstars in them and lots of violent action. Scorsese's film, "Gangs of New York," takes a more serious turn, applying a proven format to historical material, with somewhat mixed results. Loyal to his preoccupation with New York, harking back to "Mean Streets" and "Taxi Driver," Scorsese once more visits the city, taking a backwards leap into the nineteenth century, when both NY and America were still taking shape. The conflicts were ethnic and racial--white versus black, Irish immigrant versus the "native" American (who had been there since the Revolution); the movie actually tries to tackle these and other topics, and, somewhat overwrought by the effort, succeeds more or less as a documentary of those times than as a medium of entertainment. Viewers usually respond to actors and acting: thus Daniel Day Lewis's portrait of a sadistic butcher, leader of his gang of Natives was generally accepted as masterful, while Leo de Caprio and Cameron Diaz seem miscast to most. If you have seen the film and have reservations, I recommend Scorsese's excellent running commentary, which will at least reward you specific, detailed analysis of the film's aims, historical authenticity and overall vision of America's film mythmaker.

I honestly don't know what I would say about Scorsese's Gangs of New York if it weren't for the ferocious, astonishing, mesmermizing central performance by Daniel Day-Lewis as Bill "the Butcher" Cutting! It is an incredible turn wherein he makes this brutal and corrupt man, both human and understandable....even charming at times. This is the type of part that demands a superb actor with incredible power and range to carry-off and Day-Lewis is up to it...keeping Bill believable and real...AND amusing (he has all the best lines)! It is a virtuoso performance! Of course, you could say the same about DeNiro and Raging Bull, so it seems to me Marty Scorsese has once again found the perfect actor to hang his film on!
And Day-Lewis gets a good match with Leonardo DiCaprio and Carmen Diaz, both of whose work surprised me, and a strong supporting cast. I know Leonardo has the lead listing, and he would do well just to hold his own here, but he does very well indeed, as does Ms. Diaz. But Daniel Day-Lewis has the star turn, make no mistake, and the movie is worthwhile if for no other reason than to see him swallow this part whole and spew it back at us, taking and holding the screen like some mad, charismatic maniac!
There is so much more to like in the film, including the brilliant production design and the meticulous attempt to recreate time and place. There is Scorsese's always brilliant camerwork and editing. There is a lot of voice-over trying to describe and cram-in as much background history as possible, which some may find off-setting, but didn't bother me a bit.
I found it an interesting story set in a fascinating and little-known piece of New York and American history, beautifully crafted with one towering, riveting performance, amid very good lead and supporting performances. It is a long movie, but I was never bored. So, what's not to like? Well, as I was getting up a guy behind me said it was "The worst movie I've ever seen" so I will take that to mean, you're either going to love it or hate it. Me? I loved it.

Some directors thrive on big budgets and big canvases. One such director was David Lean, whose most distinguished works were also his largest. His vision needed the money, the locations, the numerous extras. Others, like Martin Scorsese and the Coen brothers, seem to perform better on a lower budget. Otherwise, they just can't seem to resist the urge to indulge themselves a little too much. Such was the case with the Coens' Hudsucker Proxy, and so is the case with Scorsese's Gangs of New York.
I bought this very well-produced DVD blindly, not having seen the film, first. I don't regret the purchase; Scorsese has made some of the best American films of the past 30 years, and his commentary track alone is worth the price. I only wish he had lent his voice to Taxi Driver or Raging Bull or GoodFellas, instead. These films were smaller, more focused, and just plain better. Slight production values in these films led to tight, tough, clean stories that reached as deep psychologically as technically. Scorsese's flamboyant camera style blended smoothly with gripping, dramatic stories and memorable characters, fusing a sculpted whole.
Gangs of New York, by contrast, is undernourished at heart. For all of his technique, Scorsese cannot disguise the humdrum revenge story and lifeless "romance" at its center. It's a shame, since the efforts of many very talented people - not least Scorsese himself - seem wasted a good deal of the time.
But not always. There are individual sequences in Gangs of New York that almost justify the colossal effort and expense of bringing it to the screen. Daniel Day-Lewis holds the screen magnificently as Bill the Butcher in every scene he's in. The biggest mistake of the film is not making him the main character. His ascent to power, flirtations with the politics of Tammany Hall and Boss Tweed, and eventual death at the hands of a young man looking for revenge - THESE are the elements that would have made a great film, were they not frustratingly pushed into the background by the tedious, lackluster character of Amsterdam Vallon. Leonardo DiCaprio is an interesting actor, but his character as written is just not compelling enough to carry the sheer weight of this film. Perhaps he was seen by the studio (or Scorsese himself) as more "bankable". Perhaps the heroic/romantic aspects of his character were deemed "safer". But if there is one lesson big studios seem to insist on learning over and over again, it's that nothing fails quite as spectacularly as "tried and true". Gangs of New York, like The Godfather, is a film that cries out for a compelling villain as its hero. In Day-Lewis' character, it could have had one. It's a shame.
For students of history, though, this DVD is must. Though fictional, the film's tepid story is nonetheless based on historical fact. The extra material provides a wealth of data to support this, which is invaluable to anyone wishing to disabuse themselves or others of silly romantic notions about our country's roots. Most civilized societies are founded on a bedrock of violence and conquest. The United States is no exception. Most American conservatives would take exception to that statement, but it is demonstrably true. It requires no less than an act of willful self-delusion to think otherwise.
The truth, that at least part of our history is marked by savage struggles and bloody turf wars, is a hard pill to swallow, but one that we should endeavor to, nonetheless. That is the real value of this DVD, and of this film. As an entertaining movie, it is merely so-so. As a history lesson, it deserves your attention.