King of New York (1990)

A former drug lord returns from prison determined to wipe out all his competition and distribute the profits of his operations to New York's poor and lower classes in this stylish and ultra violent modern twist on Robin Hood.

Director:

Abel Ferrara

Writer:

Nicholas St. John

Stars:

Christopher Walken, David Caruso, Laurence Fishburne

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christopher Walken	...	Frank White
David Caruso	...	Dennis Gilley
Laurence Fishburne	...	Jimmy Jump (as Larry Fishburne)
Victor Argo	...	Roy Bishop
Wesley Snipes	...	Thomas Flanigan
Janet Julian	...	Jennifer
Joey Chin	...	Larry Wong
Giancarlo Esposito	...	Lance
Paul Calderon	...	Joey Dalesio
Steve Buscemi	...	Test Tube
Theresa Randle	...	Raye
Leonard L. Thomas	...	Blood (as Leonard Lee Thomas)
Roger Guenveur Smith	...	Tanner (as Roger Smith)
Carrie Nygren	...	Melanie
Ernest Abuba	...	King Tito

Storyline

A former drug lord returns from prison determined to wipe out all his competition and distribute the profits of his operations to the city's poor in this stylish and ultraviolent modern twist on Robin Hood.

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Plot Keywords:

drugs | prison | drug lord | hospital | detective | 

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Taglines:

The cops tried to stop him their way...Now they'll have to do it HIS way.

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Genres:

Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

X

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Italy USA UK

Language:

Spanish English

Release Date:

28 September 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

El rey de New York

Filming Locations:

5th Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$2,554,476 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Reteitalia, Scena International, Caminito

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The work of real-life friends David Caruso and Wesley Snipes in this film helped them get casted in, respectively, NYPD Blue and New Jack City each of which launched both actors into stardom.

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Goofs

In the car chase, the right headlight gets knocked out in the dark sedan, but later shots of the chase show both headlights working on all three cars.

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Quotes

Frank White: [to Gilley before he kills him] Hey. You.

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Connections

References Nosferatu (1922)

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Soundtracks

"Am I Black Enough For You?"
Written and Performed by Schooly-D (as Schooly D)
Courtesy of Jive Records
Published by Willesden Music Inc.

User Reviews

Characters are a bit one-note, but Ferrara's direction is intriguing and Walken is great as usual

Abel Ferrara as a director has his ups and downs. In his entire career, the only masterpiece he made was "Bad Lieutenant". However, the rest of his films are always interesting if never completely successful. "King of New York" is a very offbeat crime film and will not appeal to those seeking another "Goodfellas". However, the film eventually won me over because of its dreamlike atmosphere. This is one of the more surreal mob films I've seen. Most of the characters are a bit one-note, but Ferrara's direction is intriguing and Walken is great as usual. The film is slowly paced which, along with the bizarreness, makes it very inaccessible.

Walken turns in his most Walken performance. I'll leave that up to you as being a good thing or not, but personally I love the man. He is strange as all hell and unnerving at moments but is memorable all the same. I'm not sure if the humor was intentional, but there's something hilarious about watching Walken dancing to Schooly D surrounded by marijuana smoke. The supporting cast is one of the most bizarre ever assembled and is truly once in a lifetime. Laurence Fishburne's character is a blaxploitation throwback stereotype but easily steals the show. Victor Argo, David Caruso, Wesley Snipes, Janet Julian, and Paul Calderon are all good in their roles. "King of New York" is definitely not for everyone, but those interested in more offbeat and dreamlike films will enjoy it. Its more of an art film than an action film. (7/10)