CheerupSilver
Very Cool!!!
Glucedee
It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.
Jonah Abbott
There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.
betty dalton
Always strange to be rooting for the bad guys, but when the biggest gangster is personified by none other than Mr Cool himself Christopher Walken, then it makes sense to want to cheer him on. Cristopher Walken plays a gangster just released from jail who triggers a shooting rampage in order to win back the monopoly over the drug trade in his town. He wants to become King of New York in the drugtrade. This movie really consists of nothing else but cool gangsta poses and shootouts. That could be its weakness, because superficial poses and violence upon violence can get boring. But fortunately it doesnt. Too bad however that the cops arent really believable in the context of the story. It would have made the movie more balanced. Now the cops appear to be cartoonlike characters only written into the story as an excuse for another shootout with Christopher Walkens gangsters.King of New York fails to be a true crime classic and becomes one of many tough gangsta movies in which violence gets glorified. But it is done in a reasonably cool way I must confess. Director Abel Ferrera really made an effort to overwhelm you with realistic shootouts. But that is a bit of the problem with this flick: shooting and posing is all there is. Christopher Walken deserves all the credit for his fascinating performance, because the man oozes coolness. He is truly the personification of a smiling shark. He and he alone saved this movie from becoming a b-movie. Could have been better, but the movie was quite enticing, as long as it lasted....
Martin Bradley
Abel Ferrara's masterpiece is in the same genre and the same class as DePalma's "Scarface". Christopher Walken, (superb, as always), is the titular "King of New York", a major drug dealer who wants to use his ill-gotten gains for more altruistic purposes, as in building a children's hospital. but the police and most of his associates don't see things his way.This was as close to a mainstream movie as Ferrara ever made though the somewhat unusual story-line and treatment may not be quite what you would expect. This is a gangster movie that sits somewhere between the art-house and the multiplex. It's also the most visually intoxicating of Ferrara's films; it's got a sheen to it that you don't usually associate with this director and it has one hell of a car chase and gun battle in the rain. It's also got the starriest of his casts; apart from Walken there's David Caruso, Laurence Fishburne, Wesley Snipes, Giancarlo Esposito and a terrific Victor Argo. Mainstream or not, the film has settled into major cult status and as such is regularly revived.
Claudio Carvalho
When the drug kingpin Frank White (Christopher Walken) is released from the prison, his gang under the command of his henchman Jimmy Jump (Larry Fishburne) and he murder the competition. Frank and his girlfriend Counsellor Jennifer (Janet Julian) frequent political parties and he decides to modernize the hospital of his old neighborhood using part of his profits dealing drugs. But the rogue cops under the leadership of Dennis Gilley (David Caruso) and Thomas Flanigan (Wesley Snipes) decide to eliminate Frank White and his gang simulating an attack by a rival gang despite the protest of their leader, Detective Roy Bishop (Victor Argo). "King of New York" is a crime film directed by Abel Ferrara with a great cast, with names such as Wesley Snipes, Laurence Fishburne and Steve Buscemi in the beginning of career. Christopher Walken performs an interesting character, a drug lord that believes he is a businessman and a sort of modern Robin Hood trying to benefit his former poor neighborhood before he dies. The showdown in the conclusion is expected and fits perfectly to the story. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "O Rei de Nova York" ("The King of New York")
Scott LeBrun
Working with his frequent collaborator, screenwriter Nicholas St. John, NYC based independent filmmaker Abel Ferrara uses the city as the backdrop for a memorably seedy and garishly lit story of cops and hoods, focusing on a veteran crime lord named Frank White (Christopher Walken).Frank's been out of the game for a long time due to a prison stretch, and now he's developed some sense of morality. Assisted by a mostly black crew, he sets about brutally eliminating his rivals, intending to spend the money he makes on improving his neighbourhood. Naturally, there's a team of detectives (among them, characters played by David Caruso, Wesley Snipes, and Victor Argo) out to get him.Ferrara, as could be expected, has a great sense of style, nicely capturing the look of his locations. The score by Joe Delia complements the visuals created by a team including cinematographer Bojan Bazelli. Granted, the movie is very grim and gritty stuff, and it may be too violent for some tastes, but it's gripping as hell and the characters are all compulsively watchable.Walken is understated in the lead role, and surrounded by good actors. In fact, there's a lot of familiar faces in the cast. In addition to those mentioned, Laurence Fishburne (displaying a magnetic presence as a drug abusing thug), Janet Julian, Giancarlo Esposito, Paul Calderon, Steve Buscemi, Theresa Randle, Roger Guenveur Smith, Frank Adonis, Vanessa Angel, Robert LaSardo, James Lorinz, and Harold Perrineau all turn up as well, making this fun to watch.One especially great sequence takes place in the rain during the aftermath of an assault on Whites' compound. The movie begins well and keeps moving fast (it's 104 minutes long, but it doesn't feel like it) with one entertaining scene after another, and in the end it packs a pretty hard punch.Highly recommended to fans of crime fiction.Eight out of 10.
