|
|
| Special Features: |
Widescreen letterbox format.
Chapter selection.
Interactive menu.
Theatrical trailer.
TV Spots.
Schoolly D Music Video. |
| Video Format: |
Widescreen (1.85:1)
[SS-SL]
|
| Languages: |
English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
|
| Subtitles: |
None.
|
| Captions: |
No
|
| Casing: |
1-Disc Keep Case
|
Able Ferrara’s work is always interesting. While not all of his movies work, they are still fascinating to watch. His masterpiece, "Bad Lieutenant" is an engrossing and repelling look at the road to hell. "King of New York" follows the same route, but falls short of the intensity and insight he achieved with "Bad Lieutenant." I think this is due to the fact that Frank White (Christopher Walken) is a bad guy with out any inner conflicts. He doesn’t feel guilty about the chaos he causes. He doesn’t want to reform. He is evil. Harvey Keitel’s performance as the title character in "Bad Lieutenant" on the other hand showed a police officer who lost his way and who tries desperately to get back to where he once stood. This fault aside, "King of New York" is worth seeing for Christopher Walken’s crazed performance.
Frank White is getting out of jail. His gang of black killers pave the way for his release by executing several rival gangsters. Once he is free, Frank himself slays a Mafia boss to announce his reemergence in the underworld. From this point on, Frank battles the other gangsters who want him dead, and a group of policemen who take it upon themselves to put a stop to his reign of terror by any means necessary.
There is only one character in this film that has any redeeming qualities whatsoever. Frank is evil. His main henchman, Jump played by Laurence Fishburne is evil. The policemen played by David Caruso and Wesley Snipes turn evil in their quest to kill Frank. Frank’s lawyer, Jennifer (Janet Julian) is a hot blonde who whores herself out for the riches and excitement Frank provides. There is one cop who refuses to sink to Frank’s level in order to try and stop him.
The performances are fine. The action scenes are riveting. There is a car-chase shoot-out across the George Washington Bridge that is pure excitement. Look for Steve Buscemi in a small role as one of Frank’s gang. Blood, bullets and breasts abound in this comic book tale of Evil vs. Evil. In the end, you will forget the film. As usual, you will remember another one of Mr.. Walken’s gonzo performances. All in all, the film will fade from memory. It is worth seeing once. "King of New York" doesn’t work as a cautionary tale. It is ultimately a bleak, heartless film in which almost every character in the film dies without redemption.
Fair movie. Poor picture. Not bad sound. Lousy extras.
Picture Quality: 6/10
This movie looks as if it was shot through a liver ravaged by Hepatitis. Every thing has a jaundiced yellow tint to it. This is probably intentional on Mr. Ferrara's part. These are sick characters in this film. Poor delineation of colors, especially with the darker colors. At times the black part of the screen didn't seem to have any form or function. Noticeable artifacts.
Sound Quality: 8/10
Decent use of the surround sound. Bullets seem to whiz past your head during the film's many shoot-outs.
Menu: 5/10
The main menu design is terrible. Very unattractive. The chapter selection part of the menu is cool though. If not for the chapter selection design, the menu rating would be much lower. Easy to navigate.
Extra Features: 2/10
The trailers and TV spots look and sound worse than the movie. The "Sccooly D" video is a cheaply made black and white video who's only redeeming value is having Laurence Fishburne getting funky with Sccooly D.
The Final Word:
I have always wanted to see this film because of Christopher Walken. A movie like this could become a person's guilty pleasure if it weren't so downbeat. Unlike Tony Montana in "Scarface," Frank White has no humor to him. Without that, "King of New York" becomes a one-rent movie. Even with the low price, I can't recommend buying the DVD.
I rented this from cafeDVD.com. I can't recommend their company enough. Quick online service. Large selection of mainstream, independent and foreign films. They mail it to your front door. $3.00 for a DVD for a week! Blockbuster can't touch that price or service. Check them out. They also have many "saver-packs" available.
Rusty White
|
American Red Cross volunteers have been deployed to the hardest hit areas of Katrina’s destruction, supplying hundreds of
thousands victims left homeless with critical necessities. By making a financial gift to Hurricane 2005 Relief, the Red
Cross can provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those in need.
