Overview
In a brutal world of crime and vengeance, a young man seeks to reclaim his family's honor.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- gritty
- operatic
- brutal
- historical film night
- scorsese marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film sprawling and flawed but historically immersive, visually impressive, and elevated by Daniel Day-Lewis's electrifying performance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Amsterdam Vallon returns to Five Points sixteen years after his father's murder and works upward inside Bill Cutting's gang world.
The Five Points district, gang warfare, immigrant crowds, fires, and political spectacles are built as a densely realized nineteenth-century New York.
Nativist gangs, Irish immigrants, the Dead Rabbits, and Boss Tweed's political machine compete for control of Five Points.
Daniel Day-Lewis's Bill the Butcher rules Five Points through ritualized violence, intimidation, and public performance.
Films like Gangs of New York, and why
Once Upon a Time in America
shared historical crime drama, gang warfare, immigrant communities, and morally compromised urban power structures
The Untouchables
shared sweeping period gangster narrative, stylized violence, political corruption, and charismatic criminal antagonists
The Last of the Mohicans
shared historical epic scale, revenge-driven conflict, elaborate production design, and intense villainous performance
Movie Details
- Director
- Martin Scorsese
- Release Date
- 2002-12-14
- Runtime
- 168 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (7443)
Cast
- Leonardo DiCaprio
- Daniel Day-Lewis
- Cameron Diaz
- Jim Broadbent
- John C. Reilly
- Henry Thomas
- Liam Neeson
- Brendan Gleeson
- Gary Lewis
- Stephen Graham
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Philo, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel, Starz Amazon Channel, Starz, Starz Apple TV channel
- Rent
- JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Gangs of New York about?
- A young Irish-American returns to Civil War-era New York and infiltrates a brutal gang kingdom to avenge his murdered father.
- What is Gangs of New York like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Gangs of New York as brisk, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Gangs of New York violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Gangs of New York as graphic.
- What did critics think of Gangs of New York?
- Critics broadly found the film sprawling and flawed but historically immersive, visually impressive, and elevated by Daniel Day-Lewis's electrifying performance.
- Which films are like Gangs of New York?
- Films with a similar feel include Once Upon a Time in America, The Untouchables, and The Last of the Mohicans.
- How long is Gangs of New York?
- Gangs of New York runs 168 minutes.
- Where can I watch Gangs of New York?
- In United States, Gangs of New York streams on fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Philo, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel, Starz Amazon Channel, Starz, Starz Apple TV channel.
