|
Movie
B+ |
Video A- | Audio A+
| Extras A-
Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Cameron Diaz,
Jim Broadbent, John C. Reilly, Henry Thomas, Brendan Gleeson, and Liam
Neeson
director Martin Scorsese
Miramax (Buena Vista Home Entertainment)
2002 | Action - Thriller - Romance| R | 167 minutes
Region 1 | DVD-9
& DVD-9
(movie spans two discs)
anamorphic
widescreen 2.35:1 aspect ratio
DTS 5.1 |
Dolby Digital 5.1
Summary: Gangs of New York is a
gritty film about the early day of New York City as various gangs struggle
to control the various neighborhoods, like The Five Points. The
opening gang fight is not for the squeamish. The battle sequence is
very gory as the Natives fights the Irish immigrants' gang, known as the
Dead Rabbits, for dominance.
Daniel Day-Lewis plays Bill "The Butcher" Cutting, leader of the Natives, while Liam Neeson plays the Priest, leader of the
Dead Rabbits. In this battle, the Butcher slays the
Priest, leaving the Priest's son, young
Amsterdam Vallon, an orphan.
Amsterdam (Leonardo
DiCaprio) grows up in the protective environment of the Catholic church,
but upon reaching age of majority, he shuns the church's teachings to seek
out The Butcher and take revenge for his father's death. Amsterdam
chooses the annual party where The Butcher celebrates the defeat of his
most respected enemy, The Priest. To get close to The Butcher,
Amsterdam befriends him and becomes part of his gang. As a romantic
diversion, Amsterdam woos the lovely but not-so-innocent Jenny (Cameron
Diaz).
With a run time of two hours and 47
minutes (the feature film spans both discs), Gangs of New York offers considerable historical value in
this period of New York City. The informative bonus features
augments the movie nicely in this regard, offering much more details and facts
about the period. This is a tough period in American history. This is not
a happily-ever-after romantic film. This is a gritty and raw
film that is true to the spirit of early New York City
gangs. If you're looking for a movie that will take you away from
your everyday life, this one will do that and then some...
Special Features:
Disc 1: feature film (part 1); audio commentary with director
Martin Scorsese; Set Design" featurette; "Exploring the Sets of Gangs of
New York" featurette; "Costume Design" featurette; "History of the Five
Points" featurette; Five Points Study Guide; theatrical trailer, teaser
trailer; Sneak Peeks: theatrical trailers for Kill Bill,
Frida, Chicago, Confessions of
a Dangerous Mind, The Quiet American,
A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies
(DVD-Video release)
Disc 2: feature film (part 2); audio commentary with director
Martin Scorsese; Discover Channel show: "Uncovering the Real Gangs of New
York"; U2 "The Hands That Built America" music video
DVD released on 7/1/2003 | Reviewed 8/12/2003
List $29.99 | online $18.99 | order from Amazon.com,
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Additional Notes: Unless we specify otherwise, the
video and audio quality are very good when their grades are "A-"
or better. Only the highest number of channels of surround sound
format is listed (e.g., Dolby Digital 5.1). If there are both Dolby
Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 soundtracks, then both are listed. All
DVD-Video discs are backwards compatible with stereo-only playback
systems.
Let us know what you think about this DVD review, write to us at
Staff@TimeForDVD.com.
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Associated equipment used in evaluation: Sony
DVP-NS725P progressive scan DVD player, Sony
KP-65WV600 65" rear projection HDTV-monitor (16:9 screen aspect ratio), Sony ES STR-V444ES A/V receiver, four
B&W CDM 9NTs as left/right main speakers
and left/right surrounds, B&W CDM CNT center channel speaker, Monster Cable
ULT V1000 Ultra Series THX component video cable, Monster
Cable Interlink LightSpeed 100 (Toslink) optical cable, Monster Cable
Interlink 400 MKII interconnects, Monster Cable
Original speaker cables in bi-wire configuration with Monster Cable twist-on gold-plated banana plug
connectors, Lovan Sovereign T HiFi audio
rack, and Sony MDR-V600 studio monitor headphones. Our home theater equipment was calibrated
with the Video
Essentials DVD.
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