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Editor's Note
Christopher Walken stars as Frank White, an ultracool crime boss, in this moody gem from director Abel Ferrara. Released from a long stint in jail, White rejoins his devoted gang, which includes the trigger-happy Jimmy Jump (Laurence Fishburne), Test Tube (Steve Buscemi), and his attractive attorney girlfriend, Jennifer (Janet Julian). Setting up headquarters in Trump Plaza, they start wiping out members of rival mobs in a bid to take back the streets and indulge in lots of cocaine and sex, but ultimately White has more noble ambitions, such as giving a fortune in drug money to charity. David Caruso, Victor Argo, and Wesley Snipes costar as a group of bitter cops who don't buy Frank's change of heart and decide to go outside the law to take him down. Poetic, sexy, funny, somber, and very violent, this critical hit cemented the rep of Ferrara and has earned a strong cult following. Bozan Bajelli serves as director of the arresting cinematography, which is full of rich shadows and gold, blue, and red hues. For fans of films such as THE GODFATHER and SCARFACE, this is essential viewing.
Plot Summary
In Abel Ferrara's KING OF NEW YORK, drug lord Frank White, recently released from prison, ruthlessly maneuvers to take control of the entire city's drug trade. When the police declare war on the convict, White strikes back by putting a contract out on the cops.
| Features | Note: This release is in the UMD format for Sony PSP players only. | | Full Frame - 1.33 |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
|  | Studio: Lions Gate |
| Release Date: 2/21/2006 |
| Running Time: 106 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1990 | | Catalog ID: 18432 | | UPC: 00012236184324 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Video: Color |
| Cast & Crew
| Memorable Quotes| "I spent half my life in prison. I never got away with anything, and I never killed anybody that didn't...that didn't deserve it."----Frank White (Christopher Walken) to Bishop (Victor Argo) |
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| | Professional Reviews | Rolling Stone
"...Ferrara's blend of toughness and lyricism turns this visionary crime film into something stylish, seductive and haunting..." 10/18/1990 p.49Sight and Sound
"...Christopher Walken lends the role a certain sleazy charm..." 07/01/1991 p.46 USA Today
"...Ferrara knows how to shoot the grimmer parts of New York..." 10/01/1990 p.4D New York Times
"...Grisly yet electrifying..." 09/22/1990 p.13 Film Comment
"...Exhilaratingly nasty....It moves like a bat out of hell..." 01/01/1991 p.54-8 Los Angeles Times
"...Abel Ferrara, director of KING OF NEW YORK is a virtuoso of grunge....Christopher Walken is the ideal actor for Ferrara because he combines an ultra-scary stolidness with balletic grace..." 10/26/1990 p.F6 Empire
4 stars out of 5 -- "[With] a giant performance from Walken, who turns silence into noise with every icy look." 10/01/2008 p.174 Sight and Sound
"Canny casting caught Steve Buscemi, Laurence Fishburne and Wesley Snipes early in their careers..." 11/01/2008 p.85 |
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