King of New York

Released in 1990, King of New York brought Abel Ferrara’s distinctive vision of New York to the gangster film. Shot largely at night and on location, the film captures a city marked by the crime and upheaval of the previous decade, while Christopher Walken’s Frank White complicates the familiar figure of the underworld kingpin. Though controversial on its release, King of New York has since become one of Ferrara’s best-known films and a major influence on later New York crime movies.

Frank White (Christopher Walken), a drug lord from the Bronx, comes out of prison determined to once again set himself up in business. While some of his plans have a humanitarian purpose, Frank carries on his usual business and finds himself eliminating the competition and other bosses who have taken over while he was inside. When he loses his friend, Jimmy (Laurence Fishburne), he is determined to take his revenge and follows Jimmy’s killer in a bloody chase on the subway. Also starring David Caruso, Victor Argo, Wesley Snipes, and Giancarlo Esposito. With original music by Joe Delia.