King of New York (1990)

A drug kingpin is released from prison and seeks to take total control of the criminal underworld in order to give back to the community.

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

After completing a lengthy prison sentence, one-time drug kingpin Frank White returns to New York intent on reestablishing his empire and making things as they were before he left. Others of course have taken over the business during his absence but that clearly isn't going to stop White. While he is gunning down the opposition, he decides he's going to give away the money he'll make to modernize the hospital in his old neighborhood. Drug dealers aren't the only thing he has to worry about however: a group of rogue cops decide they are going to take him down.

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Plot Keywords:

cult film | neo noir | drugs | prison | gang | 

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Taglines:

Where "Scarface" left off... "King of New York" begins.

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Genres:

Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 August 1991 (Italy)

Also Known As:

King of New York

Filming Locations:

436 W. 162nd St., New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$2,554,476

Company Credits

Production Co:

Reteitalia,Scena International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

David Caruso and Robert LaSardo also starred together in CSI: Miami.

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Goofs

After Emilio Zappa is assassinated in the phone booth, one gunman holds a newspaper under the deceased Zappa's face. The Headline reads "Frank White released from Prison" but the article's body below that headline is completely unrelated.

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Quotes

Frank White: You think ambushing me in some nightclub's gonna stop what makes people take drugs? This country spends $100 billion a year on getting high, and it's not because of me. All that time I was wasting in jail, it just got worse. I'm not your problem. I'm just a businessman.

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Connections

Referenced in Adjust Your Tracking (2013)

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Soundtracks

Dream On
Words & Music / Joe Delia (as Delia) - Nicholas St. John (as St. John)
Slymoon Pub. Co. BMI
Performed by Freddie Jackson
(c) 1989

User Reviews

This Is One Mean Story

Now here's a film with a mean edge....very mean....almost too mean. If I didn't like Christopher Walken (and who doesn't?) I wouldn't have watched this low- life trash. But Walken makes the trash fashionable somehow. Plus, I always like looking at great nighttime shots of New York City.

A nice job of restoration was done on this latest two-disc DVD. The film finally looks good. This is stylishly filmed, too.

Story-wise, as mentioned, it's very rough, lots of f-words, and a simple story of a crime boss who is released from jail and is trying to reclaim his hold on the city's mob scene.

It's an interesting cast. Besides Walken is a trio of actors who wound up becoming stars: David Caruso (a TV star), Lawrence Fishburne and Wesley Snipes. All of them are nasty, too. Sometimes they make Walken look good in comparison. Unfortunately, two of those guys are cops and filmmakers love to make the cops into unlikable bad guys. They certainly are here.

So, if you're feeling ornery and want to take out some hostility without hurting anyone or anything, just flip this disc in your DVD and it should be what the doctor ordered. If you can relate to any of these people in this movie, call a minister, priest, rabbi or psychiatrist. You need help.