Gangs of New York (2002)
- Martin Scorsese originally wanted a completely different ending for the film, but test audiences preferred the one we see today.
- During the filming of Gangs of New York, Leonardo DiCaprio improvised one of the most famous lines in the movie.
- The incredible score for Gangs of New York was composed in just a few weeks after the original composer dropped out.
Gangs of New York is a 2002 American epic historical crime drama directed by Martin Scorsese. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Amsterdam Vallon, a young Irish-American who returns to the notorious Five Points neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in 1862 to avenge his father's murder at the hands of Bill "The Butcher" Cutting, played by Daniel Day-Lewis, a xenophobic gang leader who controls the neighborhood with brutal authority. Amsterdam infiltrates Bill's inner circle, earning the Butcher's trust and affection while secretly plotting his destruction, all against the backdrop of the Civil War draft riots that nearly tear New York City apart.
Daniel Day-Lewis's performance as Bill the Butcher was a masterwork of theatrical menace β his glass eye, meticulously maintained mustache, and American flag-draped cloak made him one of the most visually and verbally unforgettable villains in Scorsese's filmography. The production, which took nearly 20 years to develop and involved massive practical sets built at Rome's CinecittΓ Studios, was one of the most ambitious and troubled in modern Hollywood. Gangs of New York earned $193 million worldwide and received ten Academy Award nominations.
