The logic of struggle in the "slaughterhouse"

Shaun 2022-04-19 09:01:13

Go to the cinema to see an in-house movie. It's a little pity that simultaneous translation spoils the auditory pleasure. However, the two-and-a-half-hour-long film is really shocking, and I often hear the audience in the back row exclaiming and sighing. The mighty United States, which can be called a model of civil rights, was so smoky and evil just 150 years ago. Immigrant Irish immigrants and "local gangs" (they are not really native, the earliest native Indians have long since been killed) fought with cold weapons on the streets, anti-conscription riots, officers slaughtered the city, and New York turned into a sea of ​​blood and corpses . The audience who walked out of the theater all shook their heads. Is this the truth of history? Fortunately, I have read some articles before and know that this is a masterpiece completed by the great director Martin Scorsese after 30 years of hard work to collect historical materials, and finally received an investment of 100 million US dollars.
Some people accuse the director of his "anti-American" tendency, saying that liberal intellectuals in the United States have always had a tradition of anti-government, and deliberately smeared the glorious history of the Civil War period. You must know that it was the year of the New York riots. The famous saying is sonorous: of the people, by the people, for the people! (1864) I don't think Scorsese is anti-American. The slogan of "Gangs of New York" is: "New York was born on the streets." The purpose is very clear, that is, to reveal the truth that "behind civilizations are slaughterhouses". The so-called "No power comes first, no power comes second", all powers rely on shirtless battles, with countless lives in exchange, no power, only the life of being slaughtered. The boss in the film said: "You can hire half the poor at any time and kill the other half." Behind the grand history is full of killing. In fact, the Chinese are no strangers to this. "Cultural Revolution", such a grand oracle, the red ocean means a sea of ​​blood. The rediscovered old history of "cannibalism" during the Cultural Revolution in Guangxi really devoured the capitalist roaders! So I came out of the theater and said to my friends: What kind of cruelty is this? If someone really used the same method to film the Cultural Revolution, it would be called thorough!
Scorsese has made some classic "violent" films such as "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull". "Gangs of New York" has pushed the display of violence to the extreme, and some critics even said that the violence of the film is as gorgeous as an opera. It's hard for me to understand how the opera is violent, let's call it "gorgeous violence". It's true that violence becomes an outright show. Stimulate the viewer's senses and primitive desires.
Intellectually, how did the "slaughterhouse" logic of struggle forge the United States today? The film ends with a series of overlapping shots, and New York in 1864 gradually transformed into a bustling international metropolis. It only gives the audience a false sense of vicissitudes. There are no clues in the film about how the United States has passed through this stage (this depends on Mr. Linda's book). Naturally, this is not an answer that a film director must give. On the contrary, I prefer the ending of "Heroes of Heaven and Earth", replacing "dou" with "harmony". The realm is higher than that of "Gangs of New York". Unfortunately, from the point of view of the film, it is a failure.

View more about Gangs of New York reviews

Extended Reading
  • Esmeralda 2022-04-22 07:01:02

    Very textured, a vivid and cruel New York history, which can be seen in conjunction with Koolhaas's "Crazy New York". The two male protagonists are very wonderful. The director's epic perspective, the film discusses civilization, Faith, politics, freedom, revolution and many other issues, Scorsese is really awesome, this is not an ordinary gangster movie.

  • Lucie 2022-03-26 09:01:01

    Great epic movie. It's not just a mere street gang revenge, it's also a witness to the changing times. In the last thirty seconds, this three-hour chronicle was turned into a drop in the ocean, and it was full of energy. Martin Scorsese, DiCaprio, Daniel Day Lewis. It's worth watching again.

Gangs of New York quotes

  • Amsterdam Vallon: Lord, place the steel of the Holy Spirit in my spine and the love of the Virgin Mary in my heart.

  • Boss Tweed: The appearance of law must be upheld, especially while it's being broken.