Posted by Championship_Vinyl at 199.234.88.30 on July 17, 2003 at 15:34:18:
In Reply to: But I heard that was not entirely factual.. posted by Lithmick on July 17, 2003 at 15:26:17:
The film 'Gangs of New York' is a fictional story, right? I mean, it's a story about two fictional gangs having a fictional showdown when the U.S. Army lays siege to New York City. The actual mass rioting and consequent martial law was because of Civil War Draft policies and the U.S. government's intolerance and lack of compassion for immigrants and blacks.
The fictional gangs led by Leo and Danny didn't directly cause any of that (although there was a bit of artistic license used to the point that Scorsese implied such), and therefore, you'll won't be reading about the film's events in a "real" history book.