Jay Cocks

Jay Cocks, man, what a career. Born smack in the middle of New York City back in ‘44—yeah, right at the heart of it all—he’s one of those screenwriters who’s kind of flown under the radar compared to the big egos, but his work? Legendary. The guy's fingerprints are all over some gritty, unforgettable films. “Silence” from 2016, for instance, that’s a wild ride. Not your average Sunday movie, either. It’s got this heavy, haunting atmosphere—Scorsese’s all over it, but Jay’s the one who helped carve out the soul, honestly. It’s about faith and doubt and suffering, taking you to 17th-century Japan, making you question everything. Then there’s “Gangs of New York”—that movie just oozes chaos and old-school brutality. Those street battles, the tension, the way the city’s practically a character in itself… that script pulls no punches. Jay had a hand in crafting that mayhem, turning history into something raw and alive. Not to mention “Strange Days” from ‘95, a total trip—futuristic, edgy, kind of paranoid but in the best way. The man’s got range, bouncing from period pieces to dystopian thrillers without missing a beat. He was even married to Verna Bloom for a while, which, if you know her work, honestly makes sense. Two creative minds, probably a lot of late-night debates and wild ideas. Jay Cocks isn’t just a name in the credits—he’s that guy fueling some of cinema’s wildest, most thought-provoking rides.