Martin Scorsese's Most Important Film...

Exploring the Foundation of a Cinematic Legacy

America was born in the streets.

No other filmmaker captures the gritty streets of New York quite like Martin Scorsese.

He is a filmmaker known for exploring flawed yet relatable characters who must not only wrestle with a brutal and corrupt world, but the corruption within their own souls, often forcing the viewer to ask themselves; “How does one maintain their morality in a world full of sin?”

His protagonist’s are often outsider’s searching for belonging and recognition, grappling with guilt while yearning for redemption, suffering the pain of alienation, or torn between worldly temptations and their loyalty to God. 

Many of his film’s overarching themes grapple with the cost of embarking on a criminal voyage, as well as the pursuit and corruption of the American dream. 

While these struggles are innately human, Scorsese often explores them through the lens of our nation’s culture. The American expedition of going from a nobody into a somebody. 

Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull & Mean Streets, are all aspects of this journey.

These are stories about America, for which the urban metropolis of New York serves as a microcosm.

There is a film in Scorsese’s catalog which I believe is the most crucial. A necessary film which deserves more recognition for its impact and legacy.

That film is Gangs of New York. 

From a pure cinematic and storytelling standpoint, your average Scorsese fan will not put this film at the top of their list. However, let me explain why it is his most essential.

The story behind Gangs of New York chronicles the birth of modern America. A time in which the country and its people were grappling with their identity. What brought us here, who we should be and everything in between. A time when, as Scorsese puts it, violence was an everyday occurrence; “Violence of all kinds. Domestic, Street, Gangland, everything.”

Tribal warfare, racial tension, waves of immigration and the embryos of organized crime, were all festering in a city which the film’s protagonist describes as “more like a furnace.”

The formation of gangs in the Northeast was fueled by immigration and poverty. Two waves of European immigrants, many of whom were low skilled labor workers, settled in these urban landscapes. The arrival of these groups overwhelmed the housing capacity of these newly forming cities, sparking conflict between Anglo native born Americans and European Immigrants. This inevitable clash served as a breeding ground from which gangs would eventually emerge.

Amsterdam Vallon, the film’s protagonist, returns to the Five Points area of New York after his release from an orphan asylum in 1860. He embarks on a mission to kill Bill the Butcher, a high ranking gang leader responsible for the murder of Amsterdam’s father. As the young Irish immigrant infiltrates Bill’s organization, his desire for retribution grows complicated as the Native born Bill becomes his surrogate father.

Amsterdam’s journey and his relationship with Bill act as the perfect metaphor for the immigrant’s journey into the heart of America and subsequent assimilation into the broader culture. We see Amsterdam’s inner conflict, torn between loyalty to his family lineage versus his desire for belonging and acceptance.

During the commentary for the film, Scorsese said “I made a lot of films that take place in New York. It is a city which has marked me. I’m fascinated by the history of America. By the history of the city. In a sense, this film represents the foundation on which all my other movies are based. It creates a world in which the worlds I depict in Mean Streets, in Goodfellas, in Raging Bull to a certain extent, Taxi Driver… It’s the foundation from which those films emerged.”

Within the landscape of this milieu, you can see the early incarnations of the issues Scorsese grapples with; the immigrant coming to America, warring tribes, the corrupt overlap of gangs and politicians, struggling with faith versus the reality of a violent, immoral world.

In the beginning of the film, during the battle sequence between the natives and the immigrants, the latter group emerge from the cities underground tunnels. Scorsese describes them as the metaphor for every group that is dispossessed. They are the underground men. They rise up to create a day of judgement.

The issues and themes of identity are latent throughout the film, with it’s key characters symbolizing entire generations of people. Amsterdam represents change, the immigrant who is fighting for his place in the world. Bill the Butcher is the old guard, the Native who aims to conserve the traditions of his people.

Scorsese notes that while this film is based on history, he tried to create a heightened sense of reality, a breakdown of civilization. The Five points area symbolizes the breakdown and rebirth of society, of what America was aspiring to be… The fight for individual freedom and a better way of life.

Scorsese describes the rebuilding of a new society, in which families break down into tribes, a leader emerges and a faith binds them. “Tribes must have a religion.”

Gangs of New York is about the fall and birth of the American empire. These events built the modern city which molded Scorsese’s upbringing and influenced his artistic outlook. A man who went on to make an undeniable impact on our culture and inspire an entire generation of filmmakers.

It’s interesting how integral Gangs are to our nation’s history.

In the modern era, gangs are synonymous with negativity, but without them, it’s safe to say we wouldn’t be where we are now.

Violence and brutality were necessary ingredients to create modern civilization. We owe it to ourselves, as well as to those who fought and died for our freedom, to not squander our opportunity. To make the most out of the lives we were given.