Studio executives summary / pitch
|
| $90
million shock history fest. New York in the mid 1800's where street gangs run
amok. |
Short
plot summary |
|
Amsterdam Vallon's
(Leonardo DiCaprio) father, Priest Vallon (Liam Neeson), is killed in a gang fight
by William Cutting, a.k.a. 'Bill 'The Butcher' (Daniel Day-Lewis) at the Five
Points, New York City. Amsterdam
is only young when his father is killed. When he grows up he comes back a'lookin'
for revenge... The love interest is provided by Cameron Diaz (Jenny Everdeane)
a pickpocket. |
Rating |
| Boobie
warning, flaming drinks, outrageously tall top hats, ultra-greasy mustaches, very
complicated extravagant scenery, Italian extras. |
What our
panel of critics thought |
|
"Daniel
Day-Lewis has always frightened me. When I heard that he completely disappeared
in to his character in this movie, I lost my regular toileting pattern. I haven't
been able to direction my 'number ones' downwards since." "Bill,
tough guy, rough guy, brawler type: a unique performance of the Whoopsie Daisy
phrase. Both chilling and Mary Poppinsesque in a mustach at the same time. It's
uniqueness is one of a kind." "I
love nothing better than a big bustle on a woman. It's such a shame that Diaz
doesn't have an enormous veiny crinkled ass." "Did
I spy Mr Scorsese in that posh house? Oooh, roughing it with the scallywags too
good for him was it?" "Bill,
you are a glass eyeballed, wonky nosed, greasy mustached triumph of viciousness.
However, if they ever do a smelly scratch card feature for this movie, try to
avoid scratching the Bill the Butcher one. I bet he smells of a combination of
butcher shops, tobacco, and urine all rolled into one." "Stunning
masterpiece release delayed due to September 11th. A long but very worth while
movie." |
Please tell me the ending
|
| Amsterdam
attempts to kill Bill the Butcher at the annual anniversary celebrations of the
defeat of the dead rabbits (his father's gang, thus they are celebrating Amsterdam's
father's murder.) This fails and Amsterdam (his true identity now revealed by
his 'friend') is beaten to within an inch of his life. He
is nursed to health again by Jenny and he reforms the dead rabbits. He challenges
Bill and they both die in the ensuing riot which is finally put down by federal
forces. |
Justify
this movie's existence in the classic strand. From
theVoiceof Reason.com's Veritable Cornucopia |
|
Is
this, finally, the last movie ever to be made like this? A real set made in Italy,
correct in every detail, and filmed as if the event is on going? A masterpiece
of everything, this movie is pretty much perfect for its type, although there
are a few too many tall hats for my liking! Only kidding kids, the number and
height of the top hats are sheer perfection, and every detail, including the pigeons
nesting in the top of some of the head attire, is just one of the countless details
to which Scorsese strove for, and achieved. Well done me old bugger. A
long, almost 3 hour movie, but there is no slow bit to speak of. You get
your $90millions worth and the DVD is stuffed to the rafters with extras, including
a tour of the set in Italy. According to the DVD commentary, Scorsese's original
cut was almost 4 hours - something to look forward to in the inevitable directors
original cut version of this movie. The
problems with the filming were quite well covered at the time - filming took much
longer as the Italian authorities enforced a maximum working day, and there were
a number of on set accidents, some involving pigs. And the September 11th attack
delayed its release. None the less a triumphant piece of cinema. As close to perfection
as makes no difference. |
Quotable
quotes (real) |
Bill
the Butcher about Irish immigrants: "If only I had the guns I would shoot
each and every one before they set foot in America." |
If
I were to watch this at home how best should I sit? |
|
In the about
to street fight your pets position of 'one more pip out of any of you and I put
this can opener down right this minute and you go hungry tonight!' Ya hargh hargh..
In me power... |
Could this
movie be improved with more towel slapping shower room action? |
| At
this moment in history nobody every bathed and no time is wasted showing our heroes
in such positions of cleaning in water. Every one stunk at this time in history
and were proud of it. |
How over-violent
is this film? |
|
Yes this movie,
at times, is horribly violent. Bill the Butcher tortures Amsterdam and asks the
audience to call out which part of his body is he to cut out. A nasty moment of
movie history, and we feel sure Day-Lewis spat and dribbled just as his character
probably would have done for real. A
funny moment when Bill bludgeons to death the elected representative, telling
the audience 'this is the minority vote', is both violent and very funny. |
Would your
pets enjoy this movie? |
|
Dogs
are great fans of mustaches and believe that this is another sign that humans
really want to be dogs. Cats
may be shocked at how tall Leonardo DiCaprio is, they always got the impression,
looking like we was about 13 and all, that he was cat sized. Not any more. Expect
grudge whining and possible phantom pregnancies to divert attention away from
this movie, which, in cat years, is 17 hours long. Crocodiles
will enjoy Bill the Butcher considerably. Not since Crocodile Dundee will they
laugh so. |
What can I take from this movie to make me a better citizen of the United States? |
| Ensure
you have the $300 on hand to avoid the draft if they ever make that deal again.
Always follow the fashion of the gang you want to be associated with and learn
to fight early on in life (like at school) so that you can win fist fights without
even thinking about it later on in life (you will find this is a surprisingly
useful skill to have). Never
cut your hair until it hits your shoulders. Always have a stiff upper lip when
you are being hanged, and try to design a completely new accent to keep everyone
else on their toes. |
Is there enough painted clothing in this movie? |
|
In England,
at this time, men who fist fought removed their shirts as the shirt they were
wearing was probably the only one they had. Clearly, in the land of plenty, and
this lot are supposed to have nothing, they had tons of clothing, and even more
clothes still that they were happy to paint with red stripes to show they are
the dead bunnies, or whatever they wanted to call themselves. |
How much would
you pay for a copy of this movie in goods? |
|
Any hat of this
time in history - you may be using them as a pot plant stand in your home, look
carefully. |
Is there any time for red hot pash in this movie? |
|
Yes, DiCaprio
and Diaz do their best to help keep the troops happy. Watch out for a pash killer:
Bill the Butcher watching you sleep after an evening of pash with your new girlfriend...
Run
for the bathroom (i.e piss out of the window, at once!) |
Other comments
|
| A
real masterpiece. The
scope of the set is truly mesmerizing and you get a feeling of authenticity. Bill
the Butcher is a horrible character and is likely to star in a number of nightmares. |
Date of Review |
| July
4, 2003 |