Review of King of New York (1990) by Lady D — 15 Jul 2011

I really dug the whole early 90's ness of this entire movie. We had some amazing actors such as Larry Fishburne and Wesley Snipes, giving their all in some memorable side roles. King of New York tells the tale of Frank White, a crimelord that easily buys popularity with the community.

He simply flashes some cash around and the cops become the bad guys. Soon, out of sheer desperation, the cops reduce themselves to the level of thugs. They use intimidation and violence. The film shows that such tactics are only a short term solution to a much bigger problem.

As all great crime epics should, it shows the allure of crime and the devastating downfalls. Walken is astonishing in his role and Argo simply bursts alive opposite him. The latter shows the real pain and suffering that must be endured to maintain strict morals.

It's sad how far Walken pushes him.