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Another glaring inaccuracy in the 2002 movie was the presence of catacombs under the Five Points district. Bill the Butcher and the other gangs are shown as practically literally living underground. However, there were no catacombs in the neighborhood. Scorsese added these caves for dramatic effect. While the catacombs did not exist, they were a compelling setting for the movie.
====The Violence and the Gangs==How much violence was there in New York City?==
[[File: Gangs three.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Slum dwellers in the Five Points]]
<i>Gangs of New York</i> is a compromisingly violent movie, and it is typical of Scorsese’s oeuvre. Many commentators likened it to modern gangster movies. The motion picture focuses on the recurring fights and battles between the native gangs led by Bill the Butcher and the Irish gangs. At the start of the film, Bill the Butcher and his mob engage in a pitched street battle with the Priest Vallon's Irish gang.
The gangs are shown to be armed with weapons such as swords and axes. In other violent incidents throughout the movie, there are many casualties and many fatalities. While gang fights were very common in the 19th century, New York and bar brawls were probably much more common than now. Scorsese exaggerates the level of violence, and there were very few gang battles portrayed in the movie. There were only a few instances when guns and swords were used.
Even though Five Points was poor, it was not that violent, and murder was rare. At this time, there was hardly a murder a month in all of New York. New York is currently one of the safest cities in the United States, and it was probably even safer in the 1860s. The Rise of the Mafia and the Prohibition led to a dramatic increase in violence that the city became famous for.<ref> Schneider, Eric C. Vampires, dragons, and Egyptian kings: Youth gangs in post-war (New York. Princeton University Press, 2001 ), p. 67</ref>
Scorsese did not understand the nature of the gangs in 19th century New York and assumed that they were similar to modern street gangs such as the Crips and the Bloods and organized criminal organizations such as the Mafia. Before and during the civil war, the gangs in New York City were primarily political clubs and often met to talk local politics. Their primary focus was politics. They wanted to get their allies elected. There was violence but mostly around election time, and this was intended to intimidate their political opponents for the benefit of political bosses such as the infamous Boss Tweed.<ref> Mandelbaum, Seymour J. <i>Boss Tweed's New York</i> (J. Wiley, 1965), p 124</ref>
