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First of all, this movie kicked leagues of ass. As usual in a Scorsese production, the dialogue was fantastic and the attention to set detail was incredible. Cameron Diaz is FINALLY starting to resemble a halfway-talented actress, and she didn't annoy me as much as I thought she would (although I still cheered when she got robbed on the docks near the end). Daniel Day-Lewis deserves an Oscar for some of the more delicious scenery-chewing I've seen.
But I have a couple questions, mostly about historical accuracies. I'm not lambasting the movie; I simply don't know.
1) I know the draft riots really happened. Is there documented proof that a pivotal gang battled also occurred on or near the same date?
2) I was a little confused by the cannonballs fired from a ship in the harbor. These cannonballs destroyed the five points. How close were the five points to the harbor? I know there were other parts in the movie that took place near the docks, but the art direction made it look like the Five Points were a "central" square at least 5 or 6 blocks from the docks. What was the range of a typical cannonball? Also, how did the soldiers on board the ship know about the fighting in the five points? Could a soldier conceivably see the rumble starting at the points, then run to the ship and order the cannons to fire?
3) Why didn't they develop John C. Reilly's character more? He appeared in the opening sequence and then only two other times in the movie. I never saw what side he took during the final rumble or what became of him.
HS
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