On K List of Movie Reviews

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King of New York (1990)

Rate: 6
Viewed: 10/05, 12/19

KingNY
10/05: King of New York is a disappointing, weak movie.

It places too much focus on the secondary characters but not enough on Christopher Walken. There's nothing wrong with his performance. In fact, Christopher Walken is the sole reason why I had high expectations. Why is there so much unnecessary screen time for David Caruso? He's among the worst actors ever, and how he got big on TV is one of the greatest mysteries in life.

The plot is futile, and the message is never forthcoming. It's safe to say there isn't a clear idea of what the movie is supposed to be all about. Sure, it looks visionary and is, at times, ultra-violent, but I'm left underwhelmed despite the cool-sounding title and Christopher Walken's face on the movie poster.

All in all, Abel Ferrara proves again he isn't a capable director.

12/19: My rating of King of New York is now improved from '4' to '6'.

Honestly, it's not a good movie which has always left me feeling nothing afterwards. Sure, Christopher Walken is cast, and he's gangsta. But that's where King of New York stops which is a shame.

The fault lies with Abel Ferrara because he's not a competent director. He needs to learn to stick with what's working well and prolong it. A good example is when Frank White was starting to settle in while soaking up the glitzy part of New York City. It was the best part of the film, but Ferrara just went through it quickly and moved on. To make matters worse, he decides to give David Caruso a large amount of screen time. Why? The red-haired moron has no appeal whatsoever.

All in all, King of New York is a sad waste of Christopher Walken's potential to do something evil.