One of, if not, the most powerful scene in Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York is the storyline’s climax at the Chinese theater during the 18-year anniversary of the fight at Paradise Square, and the sequence starting from Bill’s attempt to kill Jenny during the knife-throwing event and ending at the Butcher’s marking of Amsterdam. The tension comes to a rise as Johnny’s exposes Amsterdam to Bill, thus inciting the rage of the Butcher that manifests itself within the tense spectacle of his and Jenny’s knife-throwing act. The fast-paced jump cuts between Bill’s throwing of the knives and Jenny’s reaction to her near-death encounters escalate the gravity of the situation in a way that heightens the audience’s fear for Jenny’s life. The closely cropped shots of each character’s face and the dimly saturated hues that cover the setting further accentuate the darkness of the subject matter, highlighting the insidious nature of Bill. Furthermore, the rhythm of the strings in the background adds to the suspense of the entire sequence, testing the boundaries of Amsterdam and Jenny’s relationship as the latter’s life is held in the balance of the former’s greatest enemy.
The dialogue that comes from Bill serves as an ominous warning of what is to come later on in the sequence, as he taunts Jenny with death in front of an animalistic live audience. The knife-throwing act is clearly a routine that they both have performed before, but with the newfound knowledge that the Butcher has of Amsterdam’s true identity, the trick becomes one filled with lethal intent and venomous rage. In that moment, the audience as well as the characters are able to truly see how Bill earned the title of “the Butcher.” Witnessing the sadistic triumph from Bill, Amsterdam advances in his agenda to murder Bill in one of the most dramatic scenes in the movie. Scorsese uses the image of fire to both as the focal point of the shot as well as manipulate the lights and shadows cast on the characters to spotlight certain people, specifically Bill and Amsterdam. Fire, being a symbol of power and destruction, serves as prelude and catalyst to the battle that ensues with the two men. In a fast-paced sequence, the chaotic transition from Amsterdam throwing the knife to Bill countering with his own attack emphasizes the severity of each person’s actions and confirms the inevitable turn of events.
The culmination of Amsterdam and Bill’s struggle hits its peak when Bill gains the upper hand over Amsterdam, and proceeds to showcase both Amsterdam’s deceit and Bill’s dominance in front of a crowd of rowdy spectators. In this moment, the theater becomes an arena, where strangers are calling for a gruesome death by the notorious Butcher. The tracking shot of the butcher knife in the air and landing next to Amsterdam’s head parallels the Jenny sequence with the knife throwing, thus emphasizing Bill’s superiority over everyone in the room. Scorsese makes it known just how brutal the world that the story is set in is, and how power is only achieved through violence and through loyalty.
This scene in particular drew my attention because of the execution of the shots taken to create a tense buildup of anxiety and suspense to the ending shot of Bill marking Amsterdam with the hot poker. Even after all the beatings that he gives Amsterdam, Bill gets the last laugh by putting salt in the wound of the victim, branding him as his own and essentially making him an outcast from his society. It is this intensity that creates the most vivid imagery and metaphor within Scorsese’s film.
