A Quick Tip by Charley2
A finer, odd-ball, violent crime drama I've yet to see. King of New York, the rise ands fall of Frank White (Christopher Walken), a quiet psycho just released from prison who just wants to built a hospital in the South Bronx, is mesmerizing in it's corrupted morality. Even the cops are as bad as some of Frank's gang, and that's saying a lot.
Cocaine is the currency of choice, and we see plenty of it -- in piles, in bags, in casks, in lines and in noses. The movie is dominated by men, but even the women -- girl friends, lawyers, mistresses -- all have a role to play, even if its just to be bare breasted and do a lot of sniffing.
The cast features major dynamic performances from actors such as Lawrence Fishburne, David Caruso and Wesley Snipes. Fishburne turns in a virtuoso performance, whether gunning down the opposition with a revolver blazing in each hand, or just ordering chicken, ribs, fish with tartar sauce and hold the potato salad. Even the smallest roles are vivid, featuring bits from Steve Buscemi, John Tuturro and Paul Calderon, among others.
Towering over them all is a fascinating, dominating performance by Walkin. He doesn't snow much emotion from Frank about anything. Still, "I never killed anybody who didn't deserve it," says Frank. He's right, in a queasy kind of way. Walkin's Frank White dominates the movie.
