Gangs of New York | So Much for Pathos

[@Videokind]

New York gang

[@GEMINIEARTHWALKER]

Gangs remains my personal favorite Scorsese Film.

[@Conankun66YT]

your description of the movie as a medieval style war movie in the streets of a city really put words to an impression i had when i first watched the movie.

[@KennyEspling]

Criminally unknown channel. Your stuff is both well presented and well researched. I feel enlightened every time I watch your videos.

[@HistoricNerd]

Gangs of New York is one of those movies that struck me as a wildly acclaimed film but it really has faded into the back ground in the last few years

[@soyborne.bornmadeandundone1342]

Feel the same way. Prim lookin star gazer lol. For some reason that line stuck with me and I don't like it. Stop being cringe Leo!

[@sanctimoniouslocke3941]

My feeling when I watched this movie (which was like 18 years ago when I was a dumbass kid, so take this for what its worth) was that the final confrontation between the gangs was set against the backdrop of the riots in order to highlight how insignificant the inter-gang conflict was. I'm not sure there was ever an intention to draw a thematic parallel between the gang violence and the class warfare; it was just a way to give the audience a sense of relative scale. The clash of the gangs seems big and dramatic and important when that's what we're focused on, but then the camera pulls out and its like, "Oh, this actually didn't matter at all compared to what's going on just over there." The very last scene, when we're shown the skyline being replaced by the modern skyline, seemed to me to underscore that sentiment. History didn't care about their petty squabble; they lived, died, and time simply moved on without them. None of this is to say that I disagree with you about where the focus should have been. I didn't know until watching this youtube video that the rioting that happened in the background was rooted in racial animosity. The film should absolutely have made that *crystal* clear to the viewer. I wonder if that 3.5 hour version of the movie would have spent more time setting up the riots themselves, rather than being so hyper-focused on the revenge plot.

[@Chris-ci8vs]

Fully agree with you here. However I must say that it definitely could have been handled better and so yeah, I would be curious and keen to see a longer cut.

[@steakismeat177]

They showed it. They primarily focused on them rioting about the draft but they do show some of the racial underpinnings of the riot in how the mob lynches any black person they can get their hands on. The movie portrays it as the lower classes directing their anger about the draft onto black people, whom they see the war as being to protect.

[@Enite]

Loved it - your channel and views are vastly underrated, my friend! Please keep musing, and sharing those thoughts with us to ponder along with you! :)

[@ManuelaAlmeidaRamos]

just here to continue the Aviator's praise, it's maybe my favorite of his (it changes every month)

[@elianne4753]

This is a wonderful analysis, and I agree with a lot of it! I think this movie would’ve worked better as a miniseries because, as you’ve said, it was juggling way too many subplots at once, which made those subplots half-assed and unresolved. There’s only so much you can cram into an already long movie. But if Scorsese could’ve stretched it out into about 9 or 10 hour-long episodes, I think then he could’ve really taken his time and delved into all the historical detail and subplots he wanted. In that way, he could really give his characters the background development they needed, explore the different gangs like the book he based the film off of had done, establish more of the Civil War going on at the same time so there’s all this built up tension by the time the riots occur, and you can still have this epic tale of revenge that doesn’t feel so rushed and confusing.

[@ProfessorFlowers]

Loved this video! I loved how you walked through the movie, what was put into it, and the analysis afterward. The only thing I would add is that African Americans are often, but not always, descendants of slaves rather than descendants of immigrants. Though I definitely understand what you're getting at. Great video, I'm looking forward to the next!

[@alejoparedes2388]

One of the best film analysis I've ever seen on KZbin.

[@gor764]

Scorcese has such a rich variety of films. Gangs of New York and Silence feel like they're made by completely separate people. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Often times directors can end up having a one note quality. Tarantino, Nolan, and Wes Anderson have a bit of this going on. I'm not critiquing that, as I definitely love knowing what I'm in for when I see a Tarantino film, but there's something to be said for a filmmaker like Scorcese who can tonally and aesthetically do a 180 and give us soemthing fresh.

[@catherinejohnson8315]

You are so good, please accept my comment for the algorithm. Aranock’s shout-out sent me here

[@heptonaut]

this is a banger, well done

[@JAMAICADOCK]

The problem is the script. The central character is too nebulous. Does he want to avenge his father or not? At times he doesn't seem interested, even to the point of saving Bill the Butcher's life. We are never given reasons as to what inner conflicts are holding back Amsterdam in his mission. Does he have a grudging respect for Bill? Does Bill's veneration of the Priest, stay Amsterdam's hand ? Or perhaps Amsterdam might have been plagued by religious doubts, I mean that was a sitter that Scorsese surprisingly missed. Not one confession in the whole movie. Could have had a scene wherein Amsterdam creeps up behind the butcher with a gun, but can't pull the trigger. Melodramatic for sure, but revenge is a melodramatic subject. A big opportunity was missed by Scorsese, to make a Hamlet-type exploration of revenge. Which is unusual for Scorsese, who usually excels at psychological drama. That said, I disagree with your criticism of the ending, the gang fight being upstaged by the Draft Riot demonstrates how pathetic their petty gang violence really is, and how such battles are swallowed up by larger historical currents. I mean if you're gonna die for a cause, you might as well die for a better future. The ending in that sense is almost a Marxist critique of the Lumpen proletariat.

[@caseyexplosion4746]

Damn well captivating video

[@Personal_Chizo]

Mate, that last line was a perfect ending, I'm gonna have to rewatch this movie (and a whole bunch of Scorsese stuff!).

[@josephreusch]

I've only watched it once, I remember Daniel Day Lewis was amazing and Leonardo DiCaprio was really bad (although maybe it was just his spotty accent). I should rewatch it and see what i think

[@dylangoodluck1890]

Scorsese's lack of intersectionality in regards to race and class is big sticking point in a lot of his work. He privileges social and racial groups he has experience and understanding with to the point of myopia at times. I can only hope that Killers of the Flower Moon, which centres similar conflicts amongst racial and class divisions, will be a more considered and mature attempt at what he did in GoNY.

[@egx161]

What are you talking about?

[@coolexio]

In what way specifically?

[@BoomTribeEntertainment]

Boohoo keep crying about it! You have every other piece of mainstream media now filled with woke BS . People are actually sick of intersectionality

[@peterhall5070]

I just finished viewing your documentary analysis of "Gangs of New York" and it was excellent. Thank you for your hard work and research which ends up resulting in a brilliantly executed, detailed and thought provoking analysis of this film. I am quite the fan of "Gangs of New York". While I was already familiar with several of its historical inaccuracies, you flushed out several ideas, especially thematically that I hadn't considered; ideas which seem to run contrary to Martin Scorsese's suggested idea of wanting to "build democracy on top of the old world". If that indeed was his idea towards a theme of "we can always rebuild in the worst of circumstances", I certainly accept, no less than I would of a person offering their opinion on a particular topic. However, I tend to go along with the idea suggested in the last few lines of YOUR film, that "Its not so much the old world being left behind but the new world being born of the failings of the old world." I just viewed "Gangs" earlier this year for the third or fourth time but your documentary analysis actually gives me a desire to go back and view it yet again. Perhaps I will. Thank you very much.

[@WensleydaleCheddar]

Banger vid as usual! Eyyy Henry cameo

[@mollynoise]

great work as always 🔥

[@Videokind]

Thanks :D

[@Sumec90801]

It's amazing to me how much I put a lot of the Hamlet-esque drama I 'remember' being in the movie, in myself when watching it as a child. Also engaging with this video. It was good.

[@alejoparedes2388]

Second time watching. Truly amazing stuff. Can't wait to see your next video.

[@MrTauren1996]

Thanks for the cursed knowledge that there's a scorsese cut that I won't be able to see.

[@lightbearer.94]

this is my favorite Scorsese film of all time & my first mention before Goodfellas Casino The Departed Taxi Driver Raging Bull.. Bill the But her was an iconic role!!

[@vjsmyth]

Great video as always!

[@sarah_cook]

Wonderful little analysis

[@GeorgiyTerentiev]

Thanks for this essay! I wanted to have some analysis of this movie after watching it yesterday to help me digest it. You did a great job.

[@Furore2323]

+1 Kathman points +1 Inserra points +1 Zedig points

[@EezhamDemon]

Loved this analysis. I watched this about 10 years ago and did not recall the race riot part of it, wow that's so awful. Genocide and slavery are always so sugarcoated in a way of realigning white supremacy to a more covert way.

[@Mister_Rosco_to_you]

This video gets a like, especially for you saying "a pinch of salt" instead of the infuriatingly common "grain of salt"!

[@mattlawrence1932]

DDL the best actor in history , he literally deserves a Oscar just for literally being his self when hes not acting in a film , thats how good he is & Leo is by far the best actor of my generation (the last 30 years) hands down!!!! The only one that comes close is Christian Bale & I only say that because they're almost the same age!!!!! I love seeing a young Leo going toe to toe with DDL in this film & seeing him getting schooled by DDL , its the only reason this movie is so damn good !!!!! If it had any other actors it would be even less remembered even if De Niro played The Butcher , nobody would remember it the same way like the majority of his films actually , he's one of the greatest actors but he literally only plays good roles when he's wit Scorsese & all the top directors he's acted wit but the majority of his other roles wit lesser known directors are usually forgettable performances considering how many films hes actually done since his start in the late 60s unlike DDJ & Leo that both carefully choose they're roles like brain surgeons!!!!! *Daniel Day Lewis* is in his own category ofcourse 👍 Best actors of all time long long long before my generation : *James Cagney* (the original gangsta) *Marlon Brando* *Paul Newman* (most underrated actor ever put on screen) *George C Scott* *Lee Van Cleef* *Robert Shaw* & *Charles Bronson* Best actors long before my generation : *Jack Nicholson* (most of the time) *Anthony Hopkins* *Harvey Kietel* (most of the time) *Robert De Niro* (most of the time) *Michael Cain* (underrated) *Al Pacino* (sometimes) *Clint Eastwood* & *Klaus Kinski* Beat actors of all time right before my generation: *Samuel L Jackson* (hes older but started late in his career) *Tom Hanks* *Ralph Finnes* *Denzel Washington* (more overrated at times) *Lawrence Fishburn* (Super underrated at times especially his earlier films) *Joe Pecsi* *Bryan Cranston* *Tom Cruise* (better actor than I give him credit for) & *Steve Buscemi* Best of my generation: *Leonardo DiCaprio* *Benicio Del Toro* (loved him long before all of u other fans did) *Christian Bale* *Micheal Fassbender* *Johnny Depp* *Brad Pitt* *Tom Hardy* *Steven Graham* *Daniel Radcliffe* & *Shia Labouf*

[@gor764]

I wonder if a TV series format a la Boardwalk Empire would have helped with some of the plot bloating you discuss here. You could partition out the various political and social conflicts across 3-4 seasons of television and nothing would have to feel rushed or overwhelming.

[@StayAnonymous12]

I liked the detail and insight you gave into one of my all-time favorite films (can see a lot of research went into this) but in terms of some of your criticism my general rule of thumb is if it's needed to spend so long dissecting the nuances of what is so bad (or good) about any art, then youre probably clutching at straws. Particularly your main critique about its narrative/ratial themes is dumbfounded - stories are not obliged to represent an angle that they were not designed to represent, especially just because that apeases a trending topic/issue way after the fact.

[@supbro7347]

I think your criticism towards the end about the racist motivation of the riot is sort of the point of the film. There is a line from the politician who’s been basically playing both sides the whole film where it’s said “you can always pay half of the poor to kill the other half” or something to that effect. I believe that’s what it’s saying where the draft has turned both victims against eachother. Or one half against the other more accurately. That’s how I read the film. No matter how common your goals are the government wields this power. Idk. Rambling

[@elastronomer8462]

Film was great.

[@anasevi9456]

Great movie and honestly the same for me, thought it was cack until I realised unintentionally Scorsese had given us a very very accurate glimpse into the american soul, big warts and all. Elites using racial tensions to pit the working classes against eachother is a big problem the world over, but as many other things; Americans go big with this dire problem.

[@KyroEmeraldblade]

A great analysis, although I partially disagree. I always thought the purpose of the riots and the rising skyline was to show that our petty squabbles mean nothing to the endless march of progress and the powers that be. Sort of a middle point to this theme that Scorsese would hint at in Casino and finally nail home in The Irishman. I also always thought the movie existed as a critique of the tribalism inherent in humanity, and not attempting to tell the story of how we’ve been able to move past it. It isn’t saying that this is the America we’ve moved on from, it's saying this is who we are as people. This is how Scorsese always tackles violence in his films, from Taxi Driver, to Goodfellas, to Wolf of Wall Street, to Silence, to Killers of the Flower Moon. He depicts morally corrupt people but his purpose is never to have us point and say “look how awful they are” like a spectacle, but to shine a mirror on humanity and modern society. At least that’s how I see it. That’s why it’s so poignant to me that the twin towers remain in the final shot, considering how Islamophobia spread rampant throughout the city and the country after 9/11. To me he’s saying, look at yourselves, look how far you’ve come. And the answer as you’ve said, is not very far at all. But you find this contrast to be unintentional, I think it’s absolutely the point. I do agree that the entire film feels unfocused. The third act especially feels totally rushed through, and that romance love triangle stuff is really underbaked. The film just feels like a Miramax movie trying to win an Oscar, and so it falls victim to many trends of it’s time. The forced romance, the score that barely works, the u2 song at the end, the choppy edit. You can practically see Marty's vision is clashing with Weinsteins desire to make a commercial and marektable film. You are absolutely on point when you say it seems like Weinstein wanted it to be his Titanic. It’s a shame Marty didn’t get to put out his perfect version of a story he’d been so passionate about for so many years. But still, I like the movie. It’s definitely minor Scorsese, but i like it more than some major Scorsese ventures like Casino. I like the ideas Scorsese is tackling, and DDL is so good he sells the entire revenge plot for me. Personally I think the film was overrated on release, but pretty underrated now.

[@JeffreyDeCristofaro]

Personally I love this film - it's my second favorite of Marty's works just behind Taxi Driver and one of my Top 💯 Favorite Films of All Time. Having said that, I understand where you're coming from and I couldn't agree more that it has certain flaws, some more obvious than others - for which I can only have further reason to hate Harvey Weinstein, whose name already taints other favorites of mine - but that shouldn't necessarily count against it. I also believe that a film should stand on its own merits regardless of whatever troubles it encountered in production or release or who worked on it or whatever flaws in terms of plot logic, characterization, performances and/or cinematic execution get in the way in the way of the actual story it's telling, and on that level this one delivers with a passion. We may never see its like again, which has sadly become more apparent in this particular day and age, and that this unique vision of Marty was able to see the light of day against all odds is nothing short of astounding. No matter the level of its imperfections, it's an example of grand ol' fashioned filmmaking being carried to a whole new level that no one before thought was possible or since has come remotely close to equalling, and which during the time managed to transcend its current cinematic climate and audience as an instant classic and true masterpiece of early 21st-century American cinema. It's looks much better than ever before, if not entirely wholly timeless, and if time has been kind to it in that regard, it can only become far kinder to the film in the years to come.

[@Redem10]

What Gang of New York is one Scorcese Minor.....then again I am a history buff

[@Olivia-uo3kd]

❤

[@nealandkriz]

Thx! I feel many of the points you make have bothered me a long time in most of Scorseses films. Particularly the depiction of violence or criminal acts that are always sensationalized to the point where a viewer is being tricked to empathize with perpetrators. That might be intended as subtle subversion but to me it comes across as irritating. He did it again in Killers of the flower moon, depicting brains and bodily mutilation to shock people instead of feeling grief or compassion for the actual victims. That’s why people idolized Travis Bickle, that’s why Jordan Belfort is not really the baddie but a defacto anti hero where moral ambiguity within a capitalistic and violent society becomes the central theme. Almost cynical and hopeless.

[@CharlieJayWAY]

34:44 I was on board until you said this. Americans are complicated sounds like as educated you are i dont know if youve experienced america. but within all the hatred and bad past we are still united and americans so to call scorsese in his movie disingenious as a new yorker is pretty inaccurate. great video i just had this discrepancy im subscribing.

[@ChrisMorganComedy]

So much for barevity..

[@egx161]

Ok. You didn’t like Gangs of NY. You don’t really know what happened. Scorsese is still a great director.

[@oMvAvMo]

Wow amazing video. I strongly believe that GoNY is the best movie EVER made from the art design and costumes point of view. For the rest except for Day Lewis and few other actors for the rest is an absolute abomination. I'm not afraid to say that Cameron Diaz and MOST IMPORTANTLY Leonardo DiCaprio delivered their worse performance EVER that's just my humble thought and has always been. Teofilatto Dei Leonzi

[@P.normal]

Movie itself is terrible. Irish cliches, over the top weird patriotism.