King of New York is written by Nicholas St. John and directed by Abel Ferrara. It sees Christopher Walken star as Frank White a former drug lord that has just been released from prison. Frank returns to his old gang that has been run by Jimmy Jump(Lawrence Fishburne) in his absence. He sees an opportunity to rule New York and begins assimilating the local gangs. Whilst at the same time trying to find 14 million dollars to save a local hospital, that is being closed down due to the corrupt ineptitude of the city's bureaucrats. In a modernistic take on robin Hood.
King of New York is easily one of Ferrara's best looking films. It's stylishly shot, and has an effective moody atmosphere. The action scenes are well crafted and are visually bloody and brutal. The film has a lot of things going for it. It's just a shame that it gets let down by a lacklustre script. The motivations it gives to its characters, in particular Frank's feel shallow and disingenuous. Also the films 'Robin Hood' social commentary is barely touched upon. It doesn't become a factor until the end of the film, when Walkens character begins reflecting. This sub-plot is unfortunately too little too late.
Christopher Walken gives a fairly subdued performance that's a-lot more nuanced then his usual boisterous performances that he gives. It's just a shame that he wasn't given a whole lot of depth to work with, other then to stare blankly out of a window. The standout performance in film comes from Lawrence Fishburne, his drug dealing gangster Jimmy Jump has multiple layers to him. Jimmy goes from being hilarious to sympathetic to downright scary, which is exacerbated by Fishburne's electric performance. Every time the film focuses on his character. the film comes alive and he illuminates the screen.
The film also tries too weave in a police side story, asking questions about brotherhood and whether what they do is effective and how unjust the system is. The chemistry is there between the three police officers played by David Caruso, Wesley Snipes and Victor Argo. They all give fine performances. This side story however felt like a completely different film, and distracted from the main plot.
King of New York is your standard gangster flick, it offers nothing original and wont reinvent the genre. The film has terrific performances and an inciting moody atmosphere. It's a shame the film is let down by a flat script, which is filled with a paper thin plot, and typical gangster clichés.
King of New York is easily one of Ferrara's best looking films. It's stylishly shot, and has an effective moody atmosphere. The action scenes are well crafted and are visually bloody and brutal. The film has a lot of things going for it. It's just a shame that it gets let down by a lacklustre script. The motivations it gives to its characters, in particular Frank's feel shallow and disingenuous. Also the films 'Robin Hood' social commentary is barely touched upon. It doesn't become a factor until the end of the film, when Walkens character begins reflecting. This sub-plot is unfortunately too little too late.
Christopher Walken gives a fairly subdued performance that's a-lot more nuanced then his usual boisterous performances that he gives. It's just a shame that he wasn't given a whole lot of depth to work with, other then to stare blankly out of a window. The standout performance in film comes from Lawrence Fishburne, his drug dealing gangster Jimmy Jump has multiple layers to him. Jimmy goes from being hilarious to sympathetic to downright scary, which is exacerbated by Fishburne's electric performance. Every time the film focuses on his character. the film comes alive and he illuminates the screen.
The film also tries too weave in a police side story, asking questions about brotherhood and whether what they do is effective and how unjust the system is. The chemistry is there between the three police officers played by David Caruso, Wesley Snipes and Victor Argo. They all give fine performances. This side story however felt like a completely different film, and distracted from the main plot.
King of New York is your standard gangster flick, it offers nothing original and wont reinvent the genre. The film has terrific performances and an inciting moody atmosphere. It's a shame the film is let down by a flat script, which is filled with a paper thin plot, and typical gangster clichés.