Welcome to The Best Movie You NEVER Saw, a column dedicated to examining films that have flown under the radar or gained traction throughout the years, earning them a place as a cult classic or underrated gem that was either before it’s time and/or has aged like a fine wine.
This week we’ll be looking at KING OF NEW YORK!
THE STORY: Frank White (Christopher Walken), a drug lord recently released from prison, aims to take complete control of the New York underworld, while simultaneously buying respectability by investing in the community.
THE PLAYERS: Starring: Christopher Walken, Laurence Fishburne, Wesley Snipes, Victor Argo, and David Caruso. Directed by Abel Ferrara.
“King of New York made Scarface look like Mary Poppins.” – Abel Ferrara – The Guardian
THE HISTORY: In the mid-eighties, director Abel Ferrara was making a name for himself as a TV director for hire, based on his work with Michael Mann on “Miami Vice”, and, in particular, the acclaimed first episode of “Crime Story.” His big-screen career was more of a mixed bag, with his early exploitation work giving way to more ambitious, but still lurid, tales like FEAR CITY. After a disastrous experience on the film CAT CHASER, Ferrara opted to make the uncompromising gangster epic, KING OF NEW YORK, which he’d spent five years writing with frequent collaborator Nicolas St. John.
“My old neighborhood when I was kid, that’s where I come from, so the movie was very close to me… Abel was lucky to have such good actors. It was a highlight of my life.” – Christopher Walken – Variety
The resulting film was highly controversial, narrowly escaping the dreaded X-rating from the MPAA. It was received so poorly upon its premiere at the New York Film Festival that, according to the IMDB, many audience members, including Ferrara’s wife, walked out of the film in protest. During a second showing, Laurence Fishburne and St. John were booed off the stage. The film went on to make a modest $2.5 million at the box office, but over the years that followed the film gained a cult reputation thanks to video rentals and the burgeoning hip-hop scene’s fascination with the film.
WHY IT'S GREAT: KING OF NEW YORK is, arguably, the movie that gave birth to the Christopher Walken we know and love today. Granted, he was around a long time before he teamed up with Abel Ferrara for this gangster tale, and had even done some iconic roles, which included winning an Oscar for THE DEER HUNTER, plus THE DEAD ZONE, A VIEW TO A KILL and more. However, this was the first film that gave him free rein over a character, to inhabit the part with all the “Walken-isms” we’ve come to expect from the man. In KING OF NEW YORK, he’s got the classic Walken hair, the classic Walken delivery (calm, then explosive, then calm again, emphasis on “every third word”) and even some hip hop dances moves thrown in for good measure (Walken loves to dance – and had he been born forty years earlier would have been a song and dance man).
“You probably don’t notice it unless someone mentions it. There are a number of times including at the end, when I talk in the shower – when I look into the lens. And Abel and I discussed that, making the connection of Frank White with the audience.” – Christopher Walken –Variety
His Frank White is an indelible creation. Slick, smooth, likable (he’s genuine in wanting to help the poor) but also a murderous snake that would kill you rather than argue with you, he’s one of the greatest big-screen gangsters of all time. He’s matched by Laurence Fishburne (then called Larry) as Jimmy Jump, one of the big screen’s first gangstas, and an iconic character in his own right. Like Frank White, Jimmy Jump isn’t sadistic, but he’ll kill without hesitation and heck, he’ll even enjoy it if he thinks you have it coming to you (although he’s also capable of kindness and mercy, and is unfailingly loyal to Frank). While all about the gangsters, the cops in KING OF NEW YORK are a similarly memorable bunch, including a young Wesley Snipes (right before doing NEW JACK CITY and becoming a star) and David Caruso. People mock the latter now due to his mannerisms as Horatio Caine in “CSI: Miami”, but at the time he was considered an ace character actor. He’s actually amazing in this as well as the similarly under-appreciated MAD DOG & GLORY, a role that won him “NYPD Blue” (before hubris led to his initial downfall).
It’s all tied together by Ferrara’s aesthetic, which is almost art-house in its execution at times, before diving into insane, over-the-top violence that seems like it was influenced by Hong Kong action cinema of the era. The soundtrack is also top-notch, with great eighties hip hop by Schooly D, with his "Am I Black Enough for You?" expertly scoring the big set-piece where Caruso and Snipes try to set Walken up in a drug deal that goes awry for all involved. Also keep your eyes peeled for a young Steve Buscemi as one of Frank’s underlings, “Test Tube”, right before he started working with the Coen Bros and became one of our most beloved character actors.
BEST SCENE: If KING OF NEW YORK has a truly iconic scene that puts it in the pantheon of great gangster films, it’s no doubt the part where Frank, in the midst of making love to his lawyer, Jennifer, on the subway, is accosted by a gang of muggers (including a young Harold Perrineau). They don’t know who they’re dealing with, and Frank quickly pulls a gun, but rather than erupt in violence, he tells the guys to look him up at the Plaza hotel – he’s got work for them. Excellent.
SEE IT: KING OF NEW YORK is widely available on Blu-ray, DVD and digital.
PARTING SHOT: KING OF NEW YORK stands as one of the defining gangster films, with its influence felt to this day, although surprisingly it’s also a movie many casual movie fans don’t know about (hence it’s inclusion in this column). If you want to see the genesis of the cool-and-crazy Christopher Walken we know today, check this out. It’s a great movie.