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colin farrell in a rare situation, actually using his irish acent, to great comic affect, sent to bruges with fellow hitman played by brendan gleeson, to wait for news on a hit, gleeson wants to do tourist things, farrell hates it, and just weants do drink, and be any where but brudge, full of irish wit, with farrell, on fire, as his irish sence of humour comes full flow, full of witty observations, on amung things, americans, and this dull town, and dwarfs, he a joy to watch, but gleeson also, there to reign things in, but also bringing humour out, some great comic violence, and some serious stuff going on too, which balances out nicely, even ralph finnes trys his best ben kingsley from sexy beast, but not so good, but doesent spoil it, some nifty set pieces also, anda film with no easy outcomes
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time to defend this, i like this a lot, i know its very split with people liking this to hating it, but i think theres a lot going for it, and like spielbergs artificial intelligence, feel this needs defending as well
its the 1860s in manhatten, civil war is raging on and newyork is a mess, the five points a section in manhatten is a melting pot of violence, and two people are at war, william cutting known as bill the butcher and priest vallon leader of the dead rabbits, after a vicious battle where bill the butcher wins and kills vallon, we cut 20 years later and vallons son amsterdam fresh out of reform school returns to his childhood home with vengence in mind, its time for bill the butcher to go down.
once arrived, things have changed, but not much, its still a violet place and many more organisations sprung up, but the dead rabbits have been outlawed, and bill is much more powerful, so as he trys desperatly to get close to bill while also seeking right oportunity to strike back, and refrm dead rabbits, and claim back five points as theres again. this was scorseses passion project since 70s, and finally with decaprio was able to get funding a lng and troubled project, this came out christmas 2002, but was due out 2 years before, delayed many times, then theres rumours of a longer cut, but scorsese denies this, i feel this is scorsese using all his tricks to great efect, music, cutting, especially, with tricks seen in films like raging bull and others, the set loks fantastic, really capturing newyork of that time, the story is interesting and engageing, and althugh many people grumbled at it not being a blood fest, theres certainly enough grizzly moments, the fight at beginning is superb, if short. and the last 10 minutes when ritos break out and attack on manhatten by the army is breathtaking, the central relationship between bill and amsterdam is very good, and in day lewis a menaceing charactor is born, its rumoured deniro turned down role, and you can se day lewis doing deniro, decaprio hlds up well, and hes not crap in this, yes his voice over is a lowpoint, it was oviously done months later, and doesent match too well, but thats about the biggset thing wrong here, supporting turns from, john c riley, henry thomas, jim broadbent and cameron diaz are good, this film gets a lot in, so running time is nessery, from local politics to the civil war and the draft riots, its all fitted in and around the main story well, and puts them in it nicly, and to finish film off with a great u2 song, the hands that built america, which als fits well, scrsese and decaprio have done 3 films together now, this aviator and the departed, a great working relationship, and gangs certainly a welcme adition to scorseses career, a bold movie from the wrlds greatest living filmmaker
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