King Of New York

(Ferrara, 1990)

Christopher Walken is Frank White, a notorious drug kingpin recently released from prison who, without breaking stride, fully intends to make up for lost time. As premises go it’s far from original, but with Walken on sinister, serpentine form and a supporting cast of loud, nasty and unscrupulous bruisers from both sides of the law, King Of New York has enough in the way of raw ingredients to produce a darkly delicious experience overall.

The irrepressible White wastes no time in sending a message to anyone who might stand in his way, and those who refuse to deal on his terms soon find the alternative less than conducive to their long-term health. Here is a gangster who is supremely confident in his methods and his manpower, and for much of the film it seems like he may just be untouchable.

As his enemies try desperately to bring him down, White merely goes from strength to strength. He uses his ill-gotten fortune to nurture a facade of respectability, infuriating the authorities and driving them to extreme lengths. Frank would exploit the law to see himself elected mayor, while his foes would forsake it to see him dead.

The film is as stylish as you might expect from Abel Ferrara, but all the beautifully dingy scenes of rain-swept streets and sweeping shots over the neon-lit New York skyline can’t cover up the fact we’re expected to take what we’re seeing at face value, without questioning the often baffling premise and storyline turns.

If you simply allow yourself to be caught up in the wake of Frank White’s manic slash-and-burn across New York by night, chances are you’ll have a really good time watching this film. A young Laurence (here billed as Larry) Fishburne puts in an excellent turn as Walken’s psychotic right-hand man, and David Caruso is highly entertaining as a hot-headed cop determined to dethrone the King of New York no matter what the cost.

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tl;dr: Noisy, violent and debauched, King Of New York is a modern day Robin Hood story as told by an artisan of grimy immorality. Walken is mesmerising even when he stars in turkeys, but here he puts on one of the most formidably intense showings of his career. It might not make a lot of sense at times, but for fans of hard-edged gangster films, this is a must-see.