This week the bird boys link up across the border and chop it up about a flawed classic and what some call the “last of the great American epics”, Martin Scorsese’s “Gangs Of New York”. This movie took over 30 years to get made and, although flawed, features some really amazing work from Scorsese and his talented cast and crew. “Gangs Of New York” is a story of many things... revenge, democracy, religion, corruption, violence, immigration, crime, and many other things that would come make up the city of New York and America as a whole. It functions as both a straightforward narrative and a commentary on the founding of democracy in the new world. Plus, the cast is just incredible… Daniel Day-Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio, John C. Reilly, Brendan Gleeson, and Liam Neeson (just to name a few). Unreal.

From a mile-long recreation of 1800s New York built in Rome to Daniel Day-Lewis’ insane method acting and his role as the ruthless William “Bill The Butcher” Cutting to the technical prowess of Scorsese to early DiCaprio breaking from the expectations of his career… this movie has tons of stuff to love. No, it’s not the best Scorsese film, but it features some of the best parts of Scorsese’s cinematic DNA and is worth a rewatch. Plus, white on white racism, Brendan Gleeson’s turn as Monk and his tragic death on screen, the killer supporting cast, the struggles of immigrants and the violence against those who make up the backbone of American society throughout history, that incredible opening sequence, Bill the Butcher being one of the most memorable and most evil characters ever, Leo’s meteoric rise in the aughts and his many collaborations with amazing directors over the years, the historical inaccuracies in the film and the surprising stuff that is actually true, Amsterdam and McGloin’s bar fight and New York’s predisposition to gambling, a Daniel Day-Lewis character face-off, the power of a Scorsese montage, and a whole lot more.

But, as we said before, this film definitely has its flaws, so we talk about the pacing issues in the last couple acts of the film, Cameron Diaz being pretty boring and lackluster in this movie, her horrible Irish accent, that stupidly slow “chase” scene between Leo and Diaz in uptown, all the extra political/class-related stuff that pops up during and just before the Draft Riots and the end of the film, why the first two-thirds of this film are so much more enjoyable to watch, and more. Plus, we ask would this movie work better as a limited series? Can we recast Cameron Diaz? Did we get the emotional payoff we deserved in the story of Amsterdam and Bill Cutting? Is Scorsese too focused on the bigger picture and too heavy-handed at the end of the movie? Or does it ultimately work really well as an extended allegory?

Plus, Otis didn’t get the right record in the mail twice in a row now but might still be able to game the system and win, PALMREADER waking up to gunshots in Pennsylvania, crossing the U.S. border, a surprising interaction with the border agent, figuring out how to get a free COVID test to come home, Otis might be shadowbanned, and a couple more ravings from the bird boys.

Prepare to receive the true Lord!

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BIRD PROTOCOL - Episode 44: Gangs Of New York

Welcome to the Cemetery. My name is Joe.

I offer artwork, engineering, and production at competitive prices. I also promote live shows that primarily showcase local artists. The Cemetery Sound mandate is to make the music scene a more interconnected and prosperous place. All genres welcome. DM me for inquiries or visit my website.

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I write/perform/engineer as PALMREADER (sometimes stylized as PLMRDR) doing hip-hop production and as a rapper/lyricist.

I write and perform electronic post-pop music as Anxiety Weekend.

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