Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Gangs Of New York
Skip to main content
.us
Hello Select your address
All
Select the department you want to search in
Hello, Sign in
Account & Lists
Returns & Orders
Cart
All
Back to School Disability Customer Support Off to College Best Sellers Amazon Basics Today's Deals New Releases Customer Service Prime Music Books Kindle Books Amazon Home Registry Fashion Gift Cards Toys & Games Sell Handmade Amazon Explore Automotive Coupons Pharmacy Home Improvement Pet Supplies Computers Beauty & Personal Care Luxury Stores Video Games Shopper Toolkit

  • Gangs Of New York
  • ›
  • Customer reviews

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
5,815 global ratings
5 star
82%
4 star
11%
3 star
4%
2 star
2%
1 star
2%
Gangs Of New York

Gangs Of New York

byLeonardo DiCaprio
Write a review
How customer reviews and ratings work

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon
See All Buying Options

Top positive review

All positive reviews›
IRON DESIGNER
5.0 out of 5 starsGood value good product
Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2019
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
Read more
20 people found this helpful

Top critical review

All critical reviews›
Jedinwa
2.0 out of 5 starsNot that impressed
Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2019
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.
Read more
8 people found this helpful

Search
Sort by
Top reviews
Filter by
All reviewers
3 star only
Text, image, video
Filtered by
3 starClear filter
344 total ratings, 152 with reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

From the United States

Wing J. Flanagan
3.0 out of 5 stars Burdened by its own weight....
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2004
Verified Purchase
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.
5 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Chuck
3.0 out of 5 stars The Story Was So-So, but It's Worth Checking Out for the Sets
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2016
Verified Purchase
3.5 Stars. Scorsese takes on history with an epic about the New York’s Five Points and the gangs that live there in corruption. Bill ‘The Butcher’ Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis) heads the Natives, who believe that America belongs to the native-born people and opposes the waves of immigrants (most of which are Irish) entering the cities. After Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio) sees his father, an Irish priest, die in a gang fight under The Butcher’s hand, he is sent away. Vallon returns years later to get his revenge. The Butcher runs Five Points and influences everything, including the local politics. Vallon slowly works his way up to The Butcher’s side by joining a local gang and also falls for Jenny Everdeane (Cameron Diaz). Soon Vallon’s present is found out and the stage is set for another epic gang war. Scorsese’s roving camera and “gangster” style seen in Goodfellas (1990) and Casino (1995) doesn’t quite work for an historical epic. While the style helped the other movies along, this modern sense was off-putting. Gangs of New York would have been better with more traditional movie making. Scorsese also tried to hard to give the movie a grand epic scope beyond the simplistic revenge plot. It became bogged down with convoluted storylines that took us away from the action and dragged us through the three hours. Day-Lewis, who was nominated for Best Actor, of course outperformed the rest of the cast even DiCaprio. He was only surpassed by the amazing set designed by Dante Ferretti, which was built in Italy. There are two special feature movies on the Blu-ray that go over the details and hardship that Ferretti put into the set, which lost the Academy Award to Chicago (2002). Nominated for 10 Academy Awards (Best Picture, Actor, Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Set-Decoration, Costume Design, Editing, Sound, and Original Song), Gangs of New York lost in all categories. While it was a visual piece and had it’s moments, it’s not worth the three hours, like some of Scorsese’s other movies. It is still worth checking out if you haven’t seen it before.
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Laura OBrien
3.0 out of 5 stars Mildly Entertaining and Informative
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2017
Verified Purchase
As a US History teacher, I show movies to give my students a visual component to their reading. While "Gangs of New York" gives a gritty picture of life in the Five Points area of New York City and introduces us to real-life characters such as Boss Tweed, I do have to remind my students that the movie isn't historically accurate.
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


H. C. Mclaughlin
3.0 out of 5 stars Meh
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2017
Verified Purchase
It was gritty, but in a broadway sense of the word... I was waiting for them to break out in song. This was a serious time of discrimination in American history the often gets ignored and should have been presented as such. I never came to enjoy any of the characters.
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Russ J. Morisi
3.0 out of 5 stars Not stored on your computer if your wifi is weak too much buffering
Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2020
Verified Purchase
It's a good movie but its stored in the cloud so you need internet to watch... not good for planes
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Dan Magnan
3.0 out of 5 stars "Part 2 On Disc 2" Seriously ??
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2009
Verified Purchase
With all due respect to the movie(The only reason I can't go below 3 stars), the movie AND special features being split evenly between two discs was a disappointment. One would think that when purchasing a 2-disc special edition of a movie, that disc one would contain the feature film, and perhaps any commentaries, and disc 2 would contain all of the special features. One would think. As a result, swapping out disc one and disc two is necessary to watch the movie in its entirety.
I love the film, and give it 5 stars, and the special features are sufficient, but feel like I made the wrong purchase since the film is not contained on one dvd.
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


JustinFlagstaff
3.0 out of 5 stars Maybe my least favorite Scorcese film
Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2018
Verified Purchase
Maybe my least favorite Scorcese film. Not bad, especially getting to watch Daniel Day Lewis, always good. Just a little to fantastical.
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Ed Julia
3.0 out of 5 stars Gratuitous Violence
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2017
Verified Purchase
Not impressed by the gratuitous amount of violence. In fact, I stopped watching about half way through. If you are into gore and dismemberment, then this movie is for you.
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Oscar
3.0 out of 5 stars Too e
Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2019
Verified Purchase
Amazon movies is too expensive. One pays for the prime membership and than pays 3.99 to watch movies.
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Low on the list of must watch but probably watchable if not just for the "world" created by the production
Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2017
Verified Purchase
All that can be said about this bloated spectacle has been said. While not offensive, it certainly could have been so much more.
Helpful
Report abuse
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


  • ←Previous page
  • Next page→

Need customer service? Click here
‹ See all details for Gangs Of New York

Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations
›
View or edit your browsing history
After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Back to top
Get to Know Us
  • Careers
  • Amazon Newsletter
  • About Amazon
  • Sustainability
  • Press Center
  • Investor Relations
  • Amazon Devices
  • Amazon Science
Make Money with Us
  • Sell products on Amazon
  • Sell apps on Amazon
  • Supply to Amazon
  • Become an Affiliate
  • Become a Delivery Driver
  • Start a package delivery business
  • Advertise Your Products
  • Self-Publish with Us
  • Host an Amazon Hub
  • ›See More Ways to Make Money
Amazon Payment Products
  • Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Cards
  • Amazon Store Card
  • Amazon Secured Card
  • Amazon Business Card
  • Shop with Points
  • Credit Card Marketplace
  • Reload Your Balance
  • Amazon Currency Converter
Let Us Help You
  • Amazon and COVID-19
  • Your Account
  • Your Orders
  • Shipping Rates & Policies
  • Amazon Prime
  • Returns & Replacements
  • Manage Your Content and Devices
  • Your Recalls and Product Safety Alerts
  • Amazon Assistant
  • Help
EnglishChoose a language for shopping.
United StatesChoose a country/region for shopping.
Amazon Music
Stream millions
of songs
Amazon Advertising
Find, attract, and
engage customers
Amazon Drive
Cloud storage
from Amazon
6pm
Score deals
on fashion brands
AbeBooks
Books, art
& collectibles
ACX
Audiobook Publishing
Made Easy
Alexa
Actionable Analytics
for the Web
 
Sell on Amazon
Start a Selling Account
Amazon Business
Everything For
Your Business
Amazon Fresh
Groceries & More
Right To Your Door
AmazonGlobal
Ship Orders
Internationally
Home Services
Experienced Pros
Happiness Guarantee
Amazon Ignite
Sell your original
Digital Educational
Resources
Amazon Web Services
Scalable Cloud
Computing Services
 
Audible
Listen to Books & Original
Audio Performances
Book Depository
Books With Free
Delivery Worldwide
Box Office Mojo
Find Movie
Box Office Data
ComiXology
Thousands of
Digital Comics
DPReview
Digital
Photography
Fabric
Sewing, Quilting
& Knitting
Goodreads
Book reviews
& recommendations
 
IMDb
Movies, TV
& Celebrities
IMDbPro
Get Info Entertainment
Professionals Need
Kindle Direct Publishing
Indie Digital & Print Publishing
Made Easy
Amazon Photos
Unlimited Photo Storage
Free With Prime
Prime Video Direct
Video Distribution
Made Easy
Shopbop
Designer
Fashion Brands
Amazon Warehouse
Great Deals on
Quality Used Products
 
Whole Foods Market
America’s Healthiest
Grocery Store
Woot!
Deals and
Shenanigans
Zappos
Shoes &
Clothing
Ring
Smart Home
Security Systems
eero WiFi
Stream 4K Video
in Every Room
Blink
Smart Security
for Every Home
Neighbors App
Real-Time Crime
& Safety Alerts
 
    Amazon Subscription Boxes
Top subscription boxes – right to your door
PillPack
Pharmacy Simplified
Amazon Renewed
Like-new products
you can trust
   
  • Conditions of Use
  • Privacy Notice
  • Interest-Based Ads
© 1996-2022, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates