History YMMV / GangsOfNewYork

** Out of the ten UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s that ''Gangs of New York'' was nominated for, it won none of them. This makes it one of only five movies to get a double-digit number of nominations without a win.[[note]]The other four movies are ''Literature/TheColorPurple'' and ''Film/{{The Turning Point|1977}}'', both of which got eleven Academy Award nominations and won zero, and ''Film/AmericanHustle'' and Creator/MartinScorsese's later film ''Film/TheIrishman'', both of which also got ten nominations but no wins.[[/note]]

* AwardSnub: Out of the ten UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s that ''Gangs of New York'' was nominated for, it won none of them. This makes it one of only five movies to get a double-digit number of nominations without a win.[[note]]The other four movies are ''Literature/TheColorPurple'' and ''Film/{{The Turning Point|1977}}'', both of which got eleven Academy Award nominations and won zero, and ''Film/AmericanHustle'' and Creator/MartinScorsese's later film ''Film/TheIrishman'', both of which also got ten nominations but no wins.[[/note]]

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: Amsterdam looks out across the lake where there are people dancing in front of a fire. The scene shifts immediately after. What?

* TearJerker: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-8Lu7MRjQs The ending.]]
-->"In the end, they put candles on the bodies, so's their friends -- if they had any -- could know them in the dark. The city did this free of charge. It was four days and nights before the worst of the mob was finally put down. We never knew how many New Yorkers died that week before the city was finally delivered. My father once told me we was all born of blood and tribulation. So then, too, was our great city. But for those of us who had lived and died in them furious days... it was like everything we knew was mightily swept away. And no matter what they did to build this city back up again -- for the rest of time -- it would be like nobody even knew we was ever here."

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Bill's actions as he chooses how to handle TheReveal concerning Amsterdam's true identity are much given to this. He begins with his brand of savage, sophisticated anger during the brutal rendition of "The Butcher's Apprentice", then composes himself before offering up a heartfelt toast to 'Priest' Vallon, honouring Amsterdam's father with deep respect after nearly killing his girlfriend. The entire scene could be interpreted as Bill struggling how to handle the news that his favoured protege -- a young man like a son to him -- is planning to put him in the ground, taking out his feelings of betrayal on Jen but ultimately [[SecretTestOfCharacter giving Amsterdam a chance to choose whether or not to make his move]].

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: We are supposed to feel sorry for what happens to [[spoiler: Johnny]], except for the fact that in general, he was a backstabbing little weasel, Amsterdam's entire plan would have worked, if he didn't tip off Bill, all over the fact that Amsterdam got with a woman who had ''absolutely no interest in him''.

* SoOkayItsAverage: While on its own it is considered a good movie, this is usually considered to be one of Martin Scorsese's weaker works. Usually, mind you. However, the movie has grown in reputation since.

* AwardSnub: Out of the ten UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s that ''Gangs of New York'' was nominated for, it won none of them. This makes it one of only four movies to get a double-digit number of nominations without a win.[[note]]The other three movies are ''Literature/TheColorPurple'' and ''Film/TheTurningPoint1977'', both of which got eleven Academy Award nominations and won zero, and Creator/MartinScorsese's later film ''Film/TheIrishman'', which also got ten nominations but no wins.[[/note]]

** Out of the five actors nominated for the Best Actor Oscar that year, Creator/DanielDayLewis was the one who received the most prior awards for his performance, winning ''several'' awards (including the BAFTA and the SAG). Coming into Oscar night, Day-Lewis was the likely favorite, and yet he didn't win. (Though as he lost to Creator/AdrienBrody in ''Film/ThePianist'', and that Day-Lewis [[AwardCategoryFraud wasn't technically the lead actor]], the loss is justified.)

* MemeticMutation: The shot of Bill the Butcher asking "What in heavens' name are you talking about?" is a widely used meme in Russian-speaking parts of the internet.

* SugarWiki/DevelopmentHeaven:
** The crew actually built what was essentially a full scale complete replica of the Five Points in 1800's New York in Italy just to film the movie. All of the costumes and props were painstakingly created to be historically accurate too. According to one of the extras on the DVD, Creator/GeorgeLucas visited the set and complained to Creator/MartinScorsese that it could all be easily done on computers for much cheaper. But Scorcese wanted to put that effort in, and Lucas was ignored.
** And Creator/DanielDayLewis is sort of the king of this trope--for one thing, he practiced tapping his eye with the knife until he could do it without flinching (because his character has a glass eye). He also [[EnforcedMethodActing stayed in character]] on set all the time, as usual.
*** That glass eye bit? Not in the script. [[ThrowItIn Lewis just thought it fit the character.]]