Rating: 
Summary: Underated Classic
Review: A classic that that never got it's just due.This is the movie that the NOTORIOUS B.I.G got the term "the black Frank White".
Rating: 
Summary: Almost a good movie
Review: I was very impressed with the first twenty minutes of the movie-basically up to the point where Christopher Walken asks Larry Fishbourne why he didn't visit him in prison and the room fills with tension. The rest of the movie, beginning with Fishbourne's answer, left me cold. For whatever reason the over-the-top violence and machismo that works in Scarface doesn't in King of New York. There isn't a serious enough attempt to make all of the outrageous events in the movie seem plausable (does everyone in Chinatown walk around strapped with a machine-gun?). Christopher Walken is good as a psychopath, but you don't root for him the way you do Tony Montana, who really seemed like the underdog ("You need people like me, so you can point your finger and say look, there's the bad guy. Well say hello to the bad guy.") All-in-all, this movie is a mediocre crime drama, worth seeing after you've watched The Godfather Trilogy, Goodfellas, Casino, Carlito's Way, Scarface, Mean Streets, Menace to Society, Deep Cover, New Jack City, Heat and probably a few others I'm forgetting.
Rating:
Summary: jimmy jumps cackle
Review: The best scene is that between jimmy jump all coked up with two pistols and the vigilante cop wesley snipes scared and stupid coming after him, and their parallel deaths (sorry) is great. The movie's too long. Larry Fishburne's last scene will stick in your head for some time.
Rating: 
Summary: Gangster requiem.
Review: Some way into Abel Ferrara's 'King Of New York', two gangsters conspire in a small cinema showing F.W. Murnau's 1922 horror classic 'Nosferatu'. Playing the scene where the vampire disembarks his corpse- and rat-ridden ship docked in England, it has clear reference to Ferrara's protagonist, Frank White (Christopher Walken in one of cinema's great, mercurial performances), a drug-smuggler recently released from a long period in prison, hoping to reassert his local criminal power. White refers to his return as 'coming back from the dead', and Walken's long, haunted figure and dancer's movements have some of the aristocratic grace of a famous screen Dracula, Christopher Lee. Mostly seen at night, he gathers new recruits (fresh blood) around him to 'feed' on. One remarkable shot, after a prolonged sequence of speedy violence, has him lit so his eyes shine like some haunted undead; another has the camera following him through a railway station until it is stopped by bars - it can only impotently watch as White glides up the stairs to be swallowed by the night. The film even has as one of his opponents a cop played by future vampire-slayer Wesley Snipes.But the 'Nosferatu' allusion points to something else - Ferrara's strange absorption of silent cinema. In terms of content, 'King' is a gangster film like any other: loud, ugly, violent, brutal, lurid, hysterical. But it has a purity and beauty very different from the stylised melodramas of Martin Scorcese, whose equally bloodthirsty 'Goodfellas' came out in the same year. The first ten minutes is an astonishing, virtually wordless, visual tour-de-force, not simply presenting the main character, his situation and environment, but introducing symbolic motifs that are all the more powerful for being real, a part of Frank's world, and not simply imposed. Bars and grids (in prison, gates, bridges etc.) are the most prominent, signifying initially Frank's literal imprisonment, then his difficulties with the law and fellow criminals, and his frustrated ambitions (including a Guiliani-like zero-tolerance programme to clean up the streets), but eventually, as we might expect from a Ferrara littering his film with religious iconography, something much more metaphysical, outside the confines of genre (hence the references to Melville). After this, there is a lot of talk - noisy, profane, funny, aggressive, threatening - but the best sequences retain this silent aesthetic: the night-club double cross leading to a car chase and man-hunt under a bridge; a police funeral in which a limousine hit provokes the scattering of black-clad, bankside mourners; the 'Le Samourai'-like subway confrontation between gangster and cop [although the film's very greatest scene, Larry Fishburne's Jimmy Jump ordering fast food just before being busted for murder, depends for its effect on the conflict between talk and silence, his bluster oblivious to the soundless arrests playing out behind him]. The use of huge, intense close-ups recall the emotional silent era, as does Ferrara's camerawork, more deliberate and heavy than Scorcese's flash pyrotechnics. The staging of set-pieces is as artifical as Murnau's setscapes in 'Sunrise'; the underworld carnival is more Celine than Scorcese. Even the use of blue filter in key scenes is less a signifier of atmosphere or artifice than a nod to the practise of 'colorising' monochrome silents. By employing this style from a period he clearly loves, Ferrara is able to inject a spirituality and ceremonial gravitas not immediately apparent in the crudity of the genre subject.
Rating: 
Summary: THE KING IS DEAD...LONG LIVE THE KING
Review: Frank White (Christopher Walken) is a crime boss just released from prison. He rejoins his henchmen, headed up by Jimmy Jump (Laurence Fishburne). No sooner does White step out of prison, that the killing games begin. White is out to finance a local inner city hospital that is on the verge of being closed for lack of funding. He is determined to do this by using the ill gotten gains of drug trafficking, his and that of other drug lords. Since the others apparently will not relinguish the money voluntarily, force is used, quite a bit of it as a matter of fact, to get their money and/or drugs. Officers Dennis Gilley (David Caruso) and Thomas Flanigan (Wesley Snipes) are part of a team of cops that are looking to stop White. They are outraged that he is on the street and that they are seemingly unable to stop him by fair means. They decide to resort to foul means and end up all the worse for their efforts. Throughout the film, the line is sometimes blurred between the good guys and the bad guys. There is no happy ending here, and justice may or may not be deemed to have been served, depending upon the viewer's own subjective viewpoint. The performances are good overall, and in particular, Fishburne's manic character, Jimmy Jump, is a good foil for Walker's coolly detached character, Frank White. This is not really a character driven movie, however, but rather a plot driven one. There is a lot of action, a lot of shootings and carnage, and some car chase scenes that will keep the viewer on edge. The violence, when it occurs, is bloody and protracted. Moreover, in addition to being bimbos and sex toys, the women also pack high powered heat and shoot with the best of them. Despite some plot holes, the film entertains, though just how entertaining the viewer will find this film will depend on the viewer's tolerance for violence. The DVD itself is pretty much no frills, offering pretty standard features, such as widescreen, a theatrical trailer, scene access, and a music video. There is no commentary. The picture, though dark, is clear, as is the sound.
Rating:
Summary: The Godfather meets Robin Hood
Review: Abel Ferrara's "King of New York" is a dynamite film that pulls no punches; its "in your face" style hits you head on. The "King" is Frank White, played with cold-blooded aplomb by Christopher Walken, a paroled gangster with ice in his veins who wants to be the baddest of the bad-... drug lords in the city. He'll win respect and the backing of social bigwigs by rescuing a city hospital from privatization, but his real interest is the bottom line supplied by the lucrative drug trade. To this end, he's ready, willing and able to wipe out the competition from Italian, Latino and Chinese interests. Frank is as white as his surname but his henchman are almost all black. Out to get Frank and stop his criminal interests are a group of New York's Finest who, in their zeal to fight fire with fire, come across as being almost as bad as the thugs they want to put away. There are some really excellent performances in this film; besides Walken, the standouts are Laurence Fishburne as White's right-hand man Jimmy Jump, David Caruso as the overzealous cop who destroys himself trying to destroy White, and Wesley Snipes, as the black cop who is scorned by White's black thugs as a traitor and a wannabe; even his name, Flanigan, emphasizes this. I especially liked Teresa Randle as White's sometime girl friend, Raye, as beautiful as she is deadly with a machine gun. There is plenty of violence in this film, blood and bullets flying all over the place, and Ferrara's direction, the cinematography, and the terrific score (check out Schooly D's "Am I Black Enough?") underline the dark tone of the film. It's not a film for everyone, but if you're into a movie that shows the gritty underbelly of New York to chilling effect, this movie may be for you.
Rating:
Summary: King Of New York
Review: If you are a fan of gangster movies then this is a must have video.
Rating: 
Summary: Horrid!
Review: I have seen just about every mobster movie ever made, some were good and some were bad but this takes the cake as being the work one of all those. Chistoher Walken should never have taken on the role as Frank. I'm am not saying he is a bad actor but he is horrible in the role as a ganster. This has a ton of action way to much action the whole movie is action way to much for my likeing. The storyline is horrible a guy gets out of jail and takes over the drug world of New York. The cops fianally get all over his place and take out his whole crew. nd at the end of the movie he lets a cop shoot him in the stomach, what an idoit! Why in the world would you let a cop shoot you. Bottom line this movie is horrible so do yourself a big favor and do not buy or even rent this movie ever. I'm sorry if you think I am being so cruel but you will wonder ehy they ever made this movie if you see it.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing but disappointing
Review: I saw "King of New York" ten years ago and was intrigued by the trailers for the film that I had seen during the weeks before. Although there are some good moments in the film, the story is ridiculously wrought with the absurdly unexplained. For instance, why would a high-profile prosecutor (Janet Julian) so openly cavort with the infamous Frank White who knows Pete Hamill on a first-name basis? And why is Dennis Gilley (David Caruso) SOOO obsesed with bringing dealer White down in a city where cabbies get their brains blown out and social workers get their necks slit for two dollars? Although the grandiose shootout on the Queensborough Bridge was somewhat exciting, I was troubled by the fact that trained officers could fire five zillion rounds with weapons that sound like cap-guns at White and Jump and not hit either of them a single time at often such close range. And Frank's affinity for kids overtly clashes with his casual willingness to hire those same kids to deal dope when they become a little older. And Victor Argo turning in a great performance as someone else here said? Please-I've seen telephone poles with more personality than him.
Rating:
Summary: Violent Action/Drama
Review: The ruthless underbelly of the New York criminal world is examined somewhat graphically in "King of New York," directed by Abel Ferrara, and starring Christopher Walken. Upon release from prison, New York crime boss Frank White (Walken), determines to become a major player in the city's underworld and wastes no time in putting the wheels of his plan in motion. Among the major obstacles he encounters are King Tito (Ernest Abuba) and Larry Wong (Joey Chin), both kingpins of their respective organizations, veteran detective Roy Bishop (Victor Argo), and Dennis Gilley (David Caruso), a young, hot-headed Irish cop who seemingly single-handedly wants to take back the city from the riffraff who control it and seem somehow impervious to prosecution. None of which matters to White, who is adamant in his quest to become the King of New York. Though hard-hitting and excessively violent, Ferrara's film lacks the grittiness of say, Scorsese's "Mean Streets," or "Taxi Driver," but nevertheless makes an impact, due mainly to the unfettered violence, as well as the subtle, understated menace Walken brings to the role of Frank White. There's an edginess that permeates the film and the characters who bring it all to life, with the exception of White, who-- as played by Walken-- is the picture of restraint, the eye in the center of the storm. And it's that cold, soulless, almost haunted look of his that makes him so disconcerting. It's the contrast between his calm demeanor (which threatens to explode at any moment) and the overt violence with which he is surrounded, that gives him that sense of power, and it's also one of the strengths of the film. There is definitely something unsettling about Walken's presence in a role like this (and indeed with many of the characters he's portrayed in his many films); he has a natural ability and the looks-- which he uses so well to his advantage-- to convey the very essence of evil in all it's myriad forms. If they is any doubt, check him out in "Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead," and "Sleepy Hollow," just to mention a couple. He has the tools to make you believe his characters, and with adroit skill he uses them all, as he does here with his creation of White; and his performance is one of the highlights of the movie. Walken doesn't have the floor to himself in that regard, however, as Laurence Fishburne (billed here as "Larry") gives a memorable, high-powered performance as well, as Jump, White's main man who provides the muscle for his organization. Fishburne pulls out all the stops and laces Jump with high voltage energy that never runs out, while taking a page from the John Woo Book by brandishing pistols in both hands at once, which serves to enhance his lethal potential. And his over-the-top, in-your-face attitude is the perfect antithesis to Walken's calm, and is in it's own way just as disturbing in the aloof disregard of-- and lack of respect for-- life. I guarantee this is one pair of hoodlums you will not soon forget. The supporting cast includes Wesley Snipes (Thomas), Janet Julian (Jennifer), Giancarlo Esposito (Lance), Paul Calderon (Joey) and Steve Buscemi (Test Tube). Ferrara's film is fast paced and relentless, and he adds a nice touch to the ending that contrasts well with all that precedes it, and yet "King of New York," even with the outstanding performances of Walken and Fishburne, never quite captures that elusive something that would've taken it above and beyond the average crime action/drama. It does have it's moments, however, and the aforementioned performances alone are worth the price of admission. Just don't come to this one expecting anything extraordinary; it's a good movie, but the Oscars will have to wait for another day.
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