
Gangs of New York is a movie directed by Martin Scorsese in 2002 and based on the book The Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the Underworld by Herbert Asbury, first published in 1927. The movie features Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Cameron Diaz, Jim Broadbent, John C. Reilly, Henry Thomas, and others.
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“The movie is better than the book”
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Storyline
In the slum neighborhood of Five Points, Manhattan, in 1846, two gangs have engaged in a final battle in Paradise Square over who holds sway over the Five Points; these two factions participating in this event are the Nativist Protestants led by William Bill the Butcher Cutting, and a group of Irish Catholic immigrants, the Dead Rabbits, led by Priest Vallon. Having witnessed this, Vallon’s young son hides the knife that killed his father and is taken to an orphanage on Blackwell’s Island.
Movie vs Book

Year
2002
Minutes
167
Movie Rate
7.50
Source: IMDb
Movie
Gangs of New York
Director: Martin Scorsese
Country: USA
Year: 2002
Length: 2h47m
*Provided by Amazon

Year
1927
Pages
366
Book Rate
7.18
S: Goodreads
Book
The Gangs of New York
Subtitle: An Informal History of the Underworld
Author: Herbert Asbury
Country: USA
First published in: 1927
Length: 366 pages
Genre: Non Fiction
Book series: The Gangs of New York
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From Goodfellas to Gangs of New York, some of Scorsese’s most acclaimed films are based on books.
“I liked the film very much but I found working on it incredibly stressful; I would probably not adapt my own work again - you need to have distance from the book.”
DAVID NICHOLLS (Writer and Screenwriter)
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