In early 1860s New York, Irish immigrant Amsterdam Vallon is released from prison and returns to the Five Points, seeking revenge against his father's killer, William Cutting, a powerful anti-immigrant gang leader. He knows that revenge can only be attained by infiltrating Cutting's inner circle. Vallon's journey becomes a fight for personal survival and to find a place for the Irish people.
Nominated for 10 Oscars. 50 wins & 135 nominations total
Top Critics Reviews
fresh:
The result reverberates on the screen with a deadly force and fury more intense than anything Mr. Scorsese has yet achieved on the meanest and most beloved streets he could imagine or recall.
– Andrew Sarris,
New York Observer,
16 Jan 2003
rotten:
What we're left with has the patness of a history lesson about our roots and the melting pot and what it means to be an American.
– Peter Rainer,
New York Magazine/Vulture,
16 Jan 2003
rotten:
You have to honor its mad ambition. But sadly, it feels like a dream too long deferred.