Tag: movie

Film Review: Vengeance In Five Points

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Gangs of New York is a very long film directed by Martin Scorsese that does take some patience to get through in spite of some captivating performances, especially with a certain Daniel Day-Lewis in the cast.

The screenplay is written by Jay Cocks, Steve Zaillian, and Kenneth Lonergan and was adapted from a book published in 1928, what was Herbert Asbury’s The Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the Underworld.

Leonardo Dicaprio, Cameron Diaz, Jim Broadbent, and John C. Reilly are included in this obviously talented cast. Cameron Diaz does seem a little miscast here, but she is not too distracting.

The film starts off in 1846, taking place in a New York slum known as Five Points where a gang fight is about to erupt between Irish immigrants and American natives. The leader of the Irish gang is cur down by the leader known as the Butcher, played by Day-Lewis. Sixteen years later, the son of the slain man has returned to Five Points for vengeance. DiCaprio’s character goes by the moniker “Amsterdam”. In order to get closer to his target, Amsterdam positions himself as the Butcher’s protégé. A brash pickpocket played by Diaz comes to Amsterdam’s attention and complicates his plans to avenge his father. Another war is brewing between the New York gangs, and a major city could be caught in the crossfire.

The set designs are stunning. Daniel Day-Lewis delivers a powerful performance as the brutal gang leader known as Bill “the Butcher” Cutting. DeCaprio also leaves an impression with his talent, but Day-Lewis stands over everyone in the arena of acting.

The film is just too long. It does seem that Amsterdam could have pulled off his objective too many times before the climactic battle sequence taking place. Bill the Butcher is an intimidating fellow, so I am glad that he was not taken out sooner.

It’s still a visually appealing film even though it feels that further editing could have occurred. It’s an exhausting film to watch at times. The fight scenes are gruesome but well-executed.

I had been thinking of finally watching this film for some time, and although I would not label it as a disappointment, it didn’t pack quite the punch I was hoping for.

My complaints about this film may have more to do with my choice of genre and certain expectations than Scorsese’s editing choices. It’s still a decent film and should be watched. Just make sure the day is slow and one has the attention span to stay focused.

Classic Film Review: The Strange Women of Limmeridge House

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

The Woman in White is a mystery drama film that was released in 1948 and is actually quite impressive in regard to the look but is a little slow on the plot development. Peter Godfrey is the director of the film while the screenplay was written by Stephen Morehouse Avery. The film was based on a well-known novel by Wilkie Collins, which was written in 1860. That could explain why the film feels a little slow at times.

Included in the cast are Alexis Smith, Eleanor Parker, Sydney Greenstreet, Gig Young, Agnes Moorehead, and John Abbott.

A man hired to tutor a woman on drawing walks from a train station to an estate known as Limmeridge encounters a woman in white in the night. The woman vanishes when a carriage approaches. The man, Walter Hartright, is told of an asylum nearby, and that a woman had just escaped. Hartright makes it to the house and meets the residents. He then meets Laura Fairlie, who bears a striking resemblance to the woman he encountered during his late-night walk. Hartright begins to learn some strange secrets of the house, including a cousin who disappeared some years before. There is a fortune at stake, and Hartright finds that he may have to free a woman wrongly imprisoned within the asylum and figure out which member of the house is capable of murder to protect their secrets.

Okay, this is a pretty strange and convoluted plot. The acting was pretty good though. I also was impressed with the set design considering the time when this film was produced.

It feels a bit of a slog to sit through this thing at times because I had a hard time staying focused on the gist of the story.

It is a film that take some concentration at times.

The costuming and set design were remarkably well done. It’s a very pretty movie to watch in spite of it being in black and white. That alone may be enough reason to give this another viewing.

Anyway, there are some challenges when it comes to understanding the motivations of the characters and some elements of the story, but it’s still a film worthy of some time.