<Tr> <Th> Box office </Th> <Td> $193.8 million </Td> </Tr> <P> Gangs of New York is a 2002 American epic period drama film directed by Martin Scorsese, set in the mid-19th century in the Five Points district of New York City . The screenplay is by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian, and Kenneth Lonergan . It was inspired by Herbert Asbury's 1928 non-fiction book, The Gangs of New York . It was made in Cinecittà, Rome, distributed by Miramax Films and nominated for numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Picture, among nine other Oscar nominations . </P> <P> The film is set in 1863 and follows fictional gang leader William "Bill the Butcher" Cutting (Daniel Day - Lewis) in his roles as crime boss and political kingmaker under the helm of "Boss" Tweed (Jim Broadbent). The film culminates in a violent confrontation between Cutting and his mob with the protagonist Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his allies, which prefaces the real - life New York Draft Riots of 1863 . It was released on December 20, 2002 and grossed $193 million worldwide . </P> <P> In the slum neighborhood of Five Points, Manhattan in 1846, two gangs have a final battle in Paradise Square: the nativist, Protestant "Natives" led by William "Bill the Butcher" Cutting, and the Irish Catholic immigrant "Dead Rabbits" led by "Priest" Vallon . Bill kills Vallon and declares the Dead Rabbits outlawed . Having witnessed this, Vallon's young son hides the knife that killed his father and is taken to an orphanage on Blackwell's Island . </P>

Who played the butcher in gangs of new york