In the News
In the context of the movie world that is in the reality of the outside world in which I have little to nil contact with, a filmmaker of prestige has passed away.
Jean Luc Godard has died.
Now what does this mean for a genius like I? Most likely it means that I should finally get around to giving his movies a shot. I've only ever gave a real chance to Breathless and to be honest, I much prefer the American version with Richard Gere.
Being a fan of the Silver Surfer and seeing a movie involve the comic character into the exploration of the main character, I truly can dig. But then again, the original does have Jean Pierre Melville show up and that guy was one of the greatest to ever direct. Nonetheless, I must give respect to the original for without it I wouldn't have the remake to enjoy.
Now that I think about it, another film of his that I managed to see was Band of Outsiders. That was cool. Black and white French film with no good youngsters pulling off a house robbery. Can't say I remember much else besides the dance number and for that that I put the blame on me brain. It ain't what it used to be in this ripe age of 62. I do know of his 1987 film with Cannon entitled King Lear and I have a inkling to give that a watch. Maybe check out Weekend as well.
I can admit that there are some movies of his that I should get around to watching but with the just around the corner Blu-ray release of Barfly and Dersu Uzala, this wallet of mine will be a dry well during these troubling times.
Outside of my own lack of getting what the big deal is; there are those that were watching Godard’s movies during their initial time of release and those persons had some far more well written words and honest tributes to share.
Such as the like of Paul Schrader who wrote a pretty good piece about how important he was. Martin Scorsese also got a good word in regarding his importance. John Boorman had a pretty funny one since he just said that his early movies were good but then his later films weren't as good but that Godard was better talking about movies than he was at making them.
Out of everyone who rose from the filmmaker retirement home, the one that stood out for me was seeing Abel Ferrara getting space to get his thoughts out. The one filmmaker I never thought would be given the space to give his opinion on anything. It’s even more surprising that somebody went out of their way to get HIS opinion. Possibly the most unknown known director of his generation.
The American Wunderkind
Abel Ferrara is hands down one of the hardest working directors to ever do the job. How can I make such an out of my ass statement and believe it? Easy. I’m just right…but here is history lesson to make you understand.
In The Beginning…
The world in which Abel Ferrara began making films, there were small independent theaters that needed films on the daily to screen. There were art house theaters, porno theaters, and everything in between that would play anything that has 8 or 9 reels to make up a decent running time.
The film exhibition business was one in which anybody who can make a movie had a decent chance of it getting it into these kind of theaters but the toughest part was actually making a movie. Having to find the equipment, needing the people to run it, having the film to shoot it, the actors needed to say the words on the script, and a script to have them read off and on and on and on. The process of film making was an expensive one but even after you would have managed to finish something, there was still the trouble of whether or not anybody will see it when the title of it is displayed on the marquee outside.
When Ferrara was starting out, this being after getting out of college and gaining some experience making short films, gets himself started in the porno business. It’s easy enough to see that people go to see dirty movies in a dirty movie theater and so it wouldn’t be too hard to get a low budget to film a low budget porno since the profit margins were good enough to justify the possible legal troubles.
He gets his start with 9 Lives of a Wet Pussy which requires him to step up and star in the film since the guys they got for the gig couldn’t stay hard.
That’s dedication as far as I’m concerned to have to put your dick on the line to get the movie done.
So the movie gets done and starts him off in making films then BOOM, an opportunity arrives for Ferrara to make a movie movie. Texas Chainsaw Massacre is released and in Variety, the numbers are showing that it was a real low budget movie making big money. Ferrara takes that piece of journalism to the porno producers then sells them on the idea of making a horror film to make an easy and legal profit. In comes The Driller Killer and the beginning of his career in independent features.
The Driller Killer gets released in 1979 and as of this time in 2022, Abel Ferrara has made around 30 films since. Some Television films are in that filmography but nonetheless, he has made a career of making films by independent means and hardly half or a good majority of them haven’t been distributed for release.
Spending all this time raising funds to make the movie, then having to make the movie with a tight budget which means a tight schedule then you hope it all works out in the end and after all that work in going about finishing a movie, nobody would pick them up for distribution.
Though, in all fairness, its hard to say EXACTLY if every one of these films are all great but nonetheless, the chutzpah that Abel Ferrara goes about in making his films should be appreciated.
Even after explaining my explanation, I feel as though I wasn’t clear enough with that explanation and so here’s another way to look at it.
The Elusive Studio Backing
The main consensus these days is that the major studios are evil conglomerates that have no want for creativity and instead are focusing more on trying to make money. This isn’t a necessarily wrong opinion to have but films have always been a dirty art form in which you need a lot of money to make one and even more to try and sell to get people to watch it.
Now, is it so wrong that some directors get involved with studios to make movies? Not at all. There have always been directors that succeeded in maintaining creative integrity with the use of this blood money. If there is a modern example of someone being successful enough to pull this off movie after movie with the backing of a studio, its Martin Scorsese. That guy has been involved with Studio backed film-making since he got out of the independent scene in like the early to mid 70’s.
Sure there was a moment or two what with After Hours and The Last Temptation of Christ but it overall, his career has been that of a studio backed director.
The biggest factor in being able to achieve this is that he has reached a point in his career to where his reputation as a filmmaker attracts actors of a certain mass appeal to want to work with him and so he can get the financing to make the movies that he makes.
Now, what does the studio system have to do with Abel Ferrara? Nothing much except for the 1993 film Body Snatchers which was a looser adaptation of Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Jack Finney but from what I’ve heard, its pretty good.
Outside of that film in particular, Abel Ferrara has hardly had any interaction with the studio system and can be seen as one of the few filmmakers of his time to keep on making movies independently. This is coming from the same time as a Martin Scorsese or Steven Spielberg and so imagine either one of those guys going the independent route for their entire career. A solid 50 or so years of trying to get money and keep it going movie after movie. To be able to make a career in film is tough but doing that must be real motherfucking tough but what a career it is.
The Good Shit
Now you know that he’s been working hard at trying to make something work with every film since every film is him fighting to get it off the ground with the possibility that it will face the failure of lack of distribution.
So Fucking What Francis Booth?
That’s a good point hypothetical reader and it is true that it takes as much effort to make a bad movie as it does a good one but this guy has made some real GREAT movies. Just to give a quick highlight reel here is a quick summary from the films I have managed to watch.
The Driller Killer
An artist living in some rat hole in the good old days of New York can’t seem to finish his goddamn buffalo painting but then he can’t seem to concentrate on anything but killing the homeless with a portable battery pack and a Black and Decker DRILL!
Abel Ferrara stars in the title role as the Driller Killer and doesn’t disappoint whenever he needs to put on a crazy face and go out and KILL! Give it a watch. Play it loud. Fuck you neighbors that complain.
Ms.45
A deaf/mute woman is raped once on her way home and then when she gets home, she gets raped again but this time, she strikes back! Little by little she starts to unravel at the disgusting nature of men and takes her vengeance with a .45 pistol and what seems like an endless amount of bullets!
Real Good stuff. The style and look of this era of New York where everything just seemed to be a passing fart away from collapsing is fantastic for the environment this woman needs to thrive in to get her murdering done. The movie being even better for the fact that the lead being played by the late Zoe Lund is great. Give it a watch and watch out for those Nuns at Halloween.
The Movie Also Has A Great Soundtrack
Bad Lieutenant
A police lieutenant is running wild in New York. Racking up a debt he can’t pay and injecting/inhaling drugs from anybody offering them. A Nun gets raped and the money involved in solving the case is enough for the lieutenant to pay off the debt. The perfect film for the relapsed catholic inside of all. Harvey Keitel brings the film up from the possibly ham that the material could be and what you get is a movie where the performance of the character itself is absolutely worth the price of admission.
The Addiction
A graduate student on her way home one night gets attacked by a vampire and ends up developing her own blood lust. Truly not the most interesting of plots to be written but the execution of this idea is pretty great. The addiction itself playing out like a drug addiction throughout the film all the while there being this philosophical bent in the film as the main character herself is working towards a PhD in Philosophy and so the movie leaves a greater and deeper texture when it comes to telling its story about vampires. Not too many scares in this one but the black and white cinematography showing of mid 90’s New York is a great place for vampires like these.
Mulberry St.
A documentary about the famous street during the time of the 2009/10, I ain’t too sure on the year from when it was filmed/released, Feast of San Gennaro. Basically, Abel Ferrara walks around and talks to people about their place in the feast and the history of the street. A very entertaining documentary if you ever wanted to see working class people just doing their thing to get by. Guest cameos include Danny Aiello, Mathew Modine, and Chuck Zito.
What a shame this is all I have managed to see so far but believe me, I am working on finding a copy of China Girl and Fear City.
With that at any cost attitude, the guy has made some truly fantastic pieces of work. The film review that follows is also one that I would classify as great even with my problems with it.
King Of New York
A 1990 crime genre film that has been filed under the so called Neo-Noir genre but I don’t think that’s what this film registers as. What it feels more like is a modern spin on the old Warner Bros gangster films. Style to be seen throughout the nitty gritty depiction of New York but it’s the explosiveness of the characters that catch your attention.
This film is also listed under the Hood Film genre but I don’t really see that at all since there is not much interaction between the characters and any “Hood” environment like a street corner or anything. These hoodlums are far more outrageous and heightened than anything you see in something like Boyz In The Hood or Menace II Society.
I had no interest for a quick summery as so what follows is a dramatic reconstruction of the film. Spoilers involved so beware dummy.
A Dramatic Reconstruction of an Interpretation of a Drama
Christopher Walken is Frank White. We find Frank White spending his last moments of peace before getting out of prison. Nothing being said between him and the guard or any of the other dudes in jail as he makes his way out and into a stretch limo.
Cut to: A man leaves a brothel then walks down a street to enter a phone booth . A triple tag team threat of hitmen shoot the shit out of him trying to make a phone call. They leave him a newspaper that reads Frank White just got out prison. What a shame he was dead before he got the news.
Frank White cruises through the street in style.
Cut to: Larry Fishburne is Jimmy Jump. An enforcer that stands out from other crazy and wild guys in this so called 'Hood Movie' genre.
The movie introduces him during a deal going down in a fancy pants Hotel room. They got Steve Buscemi checking out the cocaine while Jump is having a converation with Tito, their connect, and just acting a fool all around with Tito and his boys.
Jump asks for a root beer while Tito asks for his money plus 10%. Jump is offended by the extortion but recognizes that a deal is a deal. Except this deal ain't the deal. This is one of those take it all deals for Jump and as Tito opens the suitcase expecting money, all he sees are ready to be unwrapped tampons.
Tito asks what is the meaning of this and with good reason since it was supposed to be money.
Jump replies with: "They're for the bullet holes, puta." and pulls out 2 guns and starts shooting. Steve Buscmi pulls out a six shooter and adds more bullets to gun fight. Gunshots through the hotel door leaves bloody holes and another of Tito's men falls through it dead.
An associate of Jumps run through with a big ass gun and screams 'ROOM SERVICE, MOTHERFUCKERS!"
The shootout continues until Jump and his gang are the only ones left standing.
Frank White takes himself a shower, a warm one from the way that the steams rises, and puts himself into a brand new suit. A true getting out of jail in style suit. He's got himself a pretty good room in some luxury hotel as he looks out in the city skyline and apparently has woman hanging around to tuck a gun in his pants.
Jump arrives with his boys and you find out that him and Frank are in cahoots. A stand off between them. Silence. Frank White asks what Jump is drinking. Root Beer. They talk tough then Frank White does the greatest and unexpected Hello that I couldn't even put it into words.
Excitement fills the room as they congratulate Frank for finally getting out of jail and then Jump gives him the breaking news.
"Them Colombian motherfuckers they took permanent vacation in hell, if you know what I mean."
What does Frank say in response?
"Wow. I must have been away too long because my feelings are dead. I-I feel no remorse. I don't feel a thing"
If there is any indication in where this movie will be moving towards, it surely is not in any sense of a redemption for any of these character.
Frank White cuts the fun by having to make a meeting in downtown with a dude named Dalesio. Jump just wants to kill the motherfucker but Frank White got other business reasons to meet him.
Frank White arrives in style. Limousine status for some swanky upscale club where you drink and have low level volume conversations. The kind of place that one doesn't expect a gangster such as Frank White to be in but he's a chameleon. He fits in like he's wallpaper.
Frank arrives at a table with the people already talking and joins in but it seems that Frank White's reputation as a bad man precedes him but he claims to be reformed. Frank talks to a close associate and instructs him to speak to Arty Clay, another gangster man in New York, then when the associate leaves, Frank starts spitting sexy talk to a young attorney.
Frank White's associate meets up with an associate of Arty Clay and says he needs to speak to Arty Clay. He gets invited to a poker table in the back room and gives Arty the message about Frank wanting to sit down and talk business. Arty Clay don't like the fact that Frank White got friends with African Americans. He doesn’t say African Americans though. Then he goes on rambling about how he doesn't like Frank White until he reaches a climax and has to pull out his wiener and start peeing on the associates foot to get the point across.
Cut to: Frank White is hooking up with the attorney while they are riding the subway to no destination in their sight. Standing in the back of an empty car for the privacy until a group of hooligans walk in and look what the late 1980's thought was a tough look.
They ask for his wallet by showing off a knife and Frank White shows off the gun to catch them off guard but he doesn't use it. Instead he takes out a folded and rubber banded chunk of money and throws it their way and tells them to hit him up if they are ever looking for work. The thugs leave stunned at their sudden job prospects.
Cut to: Frank White barging into the poker room to let Arty Clay know that he got the message. Whether or not Frank's associate peed on his shoes to get it across, we do not know. Frank, Jump, and the whole gang show up to play poker. Frank White lays down the law.
"From here on, nothing goes down unless I'm involved, no blackjack, no dope deals, no nothing. A nickel bag gets sold in the park...I want in."
Arty gives him a smile as Jump reaches over and grabs the stack on the poker table but Frank finishes his speech.
"You guys got fat while everybody starved on the street. It's my turn."
Arty Clay opens his mouth and gets killed on the spot by Frank White. Then Frank does his good Samaritan part by offering those hoodlums a job all the while he keeps shooting at the dead body of Arty Clay.
Cut to: Detective Bishop. Not just any detective though because its tough guy Victor Argo playing as Frank's mortal enemy. Not the greatest character introduction with him pecking on a keyboard but it’s always good to see Victor Argo
Cut to: A bored Frank White watches bad theater but he knows that he’s gotta make the rounds with high society. The show ends and he meets with the mayor to discuss his sadness over the fact that a hospital in the Bronx didn't make the fiscal cut. City officials saying they can't afford it but Frank White says no problem, I got deep pockets. The city officials laugh and Frank White's lawyer tells him to cool his jets but Frank is on a mission to get every single dollar from the drug trade and into that hospital.
Then the cops show up to ruin the fun. David Caruso and Wesley Snipes show up as the detectives partners Dennis Giliey and Thomas Flanigan. And yes, Wesley Snipes character is Thomas Flanigan.
The cops take Frank White away from the high society event and into the backseat of a cop car.
David Caruso shows off how terrible of a driver he is by driving on the wrong side of the road but because he has the gumball flashing on the top of the car, all is well. Besides, its New York so its to be expected that people will drive on the wrong side of the road on the daily.
The cops take him to the boonies and reveal that they have Tito's body sitting in the trunk of the car. Frank White doesn't see what the big deal is but Wesley Snipes wants a go at him. Frank White has obviously had Judo lessons in prison for he takes down Wesley Snipes without a problem. David Caruso has to put a gun to Frank White’s head to stop him but Victor stops the scene and gives Frank a warning to stop what he's doing or else. The cops leave and Frank White watches them drive away and probably then wonders on how the fuck he’s going to get home.
Cut to: Cop wedding. Everyone is having themselves a good time. The 3 cops from the previous scene are having a good time. The guy getting married made David Caruso the best man and he gives a pretty alright best man speech. A bit spicy for this day and age but supposedly fun for the late 80's. Victor has to get some work done and heads home early.
Cut To: Victor smoking and drinking as he bird pecks down keys on a keyboard. What was he typing? I don't know. For the movie cuts to a shot from 'Nosferatu'. Frank's associate is trying to make a deal with the leader of a Chinese mafia outfit over some cocaine. Doing the deal in a movie theater while Nosferatu is playing. Ain't that fucking cool or what?
The leader of the Chinese Mafia, Larry Wong, doesn't like Frank White but money be money and nothings wrong when the money is right.
Cut to: Jump and his boy that screamed ROOM SERVICE MOTHERFUCKERS! are cruising along and stop in front of a local corner restaurant. What follows next is a direct quotation on what Jump orders:
"Yeah, you can start by giving me 15 pieces of chicken, motherfucker. Mix it up. I want barbecue, and I want crispy...I want six piece of corn and I want, uh...yeah, give me eight spare ribs and give me twelve pieces of shrimp. Uh...some onion rings."
When asked for ketchup or tartar sauce. He replies,"I want tartar sauce. You got any potato salad?"
The guy taking the order says he doesn't but then he berates the little children hanging around the arcade machines to leave them alone since they don't have any money.
Jump threatens violence to the man behind the cash register and tells him to hurry up with the food. Then Jump reaches inside himself and becomes a good Samaritan by giving those kids some quarters and their mother, or grandmother? She looked pretty old, a hundred bucks to take care of the kids. This 100 bucks being big money back in the late 1980's. Or was inflation just as ass as it was now?
Jump gets his order but on the realization that the restaurant does not in fact have root bear, he takes the order without paying and saying "Fuck you very much." but as soon as he turns around, there are the cops to ruin his day.
Confrontation erupts with Wesley Snipes getting in Jumps face and David Caruso saying they have a witness talking but Jump promises them that he never leaves a witness. The cops take him away but Jump refuses his right to be silent.
Cut to: Frank White and Jimmy Wang take a tour of the Bronx hospital that is on its way to getting shut down. The hospital officials leave and Frank starts talking about drug deals with the leader IN FRONT OF THE KIDS. Frank White selling the drug deal idea as something for the greater good but the leader ain't interested in anything but the money. Frank agrees to the deal but the leader has to let Frank know that he thinks Frank is out of his goddamn mind.
Cut To: Frank goes to his luxurious hotel room and receives a status on the Jump situation like he was in the White House. Turns out Enrico Mata is the one living witness. Who is that? Can't remember but I'm sure its someone Jump shot. 1 million bucks to bail him out but Frank ain't caring about the consequences and sure doesn't want Bishop being on his tail.
The bail gets Jump out of jail and they celebrate but the cops show up to ruin the fun again. David Caruso spits in his face and Wesley Snipes along with Bishop give the pair a dirty look. Jump tosses cash for the police to buy flowers but his friend that screamed 'ROOM SERVICE MOTHERFUCKERS' grabs the cash and tells them to go cheap on the flowers. Then moons the cop and away they go.
Cut to: Chinatown. Chinese Mafia hanging out in the street then all of a sudden LIMO ATTACK! Frank White's limo runs some people down and then other people from his gang pop up from out of nowhere and start shooting up the members of the Chinese Mafia.
Frank White and crew start bum rushing them and goes about killing them all until they got a gun on Jimmy Wang. They make a deal for the cocaine hidden in the barrels marked MSG with their guns and then Frank has his boys kill the connect right after. No mercy is how Frank White lives.
Frank White makes his dream come true and gives the hospital the money it needs by selling the drugs that the world needs. Or at least, I think he is at least working towards making that dream come true. There's this scene playing with people celebrating and so I think the idea being sold to me is that the hospital is being saved. Never mind, a reporter spills the beans and tells me what the scene is.
Cut to: Cops watching the televised news report and David Caruso says the name of the movie. Very nice. Then he goes on a rant about how the criminal are able to get away with murder, and he isn't wrong in this case, and how much cops get the shit end of the stick no matter how hard they try to make it work. Putting their lives on the line for 36k a year. Then he places an offer on the table in front of everyone. That they get Frank the only way they can and that is outside the law. That's right. These cops ain't playing by the book no more. They getting down and dirty with the criminals.
Cut To: Schooly D’s Saturday Night starts playing as the camera moves and catches the sight of everyone having a good time in Franks baller hotel room. Frank takes his lawyer girlfriend outside to get a better look of the city. He philosophizes his lost of time and having the need to catch up and hit the ground running.
Cut To: Frank's other old time lawyer gets harassed by Bishop to turn over as a witness but the play doesn't work and Bishop gets shut out.
Cut To: Franks limousine rolling up to Franks secret hideout in the boonies. Franks associate is bringing in some dudes that want to meet up with Frank.
Maybe he found the spot after the cops left in the boonies earlier in the film.
They got Schooly D playing on the speakers again as people are dancing up a storm, snorting it up, and making out.
Schooly D 'King of New York'
Jump and Franks associate don't get along and the dudes he brought along are straight silent. A deal is in the works but the dude needs to come back later to bring the rest of the cash. Ominous as the dude asks where the shit is and Frank just plays it chill and says "Next Door."
The dude leaves with the associate then pulls out a silenced pistol and takes out the guard at the front door. Leaving to believe that the associate is a stoolie for the cops. The dude leaves his bodyguard with Frank and Frank gets a woman to start working him over. Or something like that since she just starts making out him with him.
A masked man then runs up the stairs and tries to take out Frank but the woman by his side jumps in front and takes the bullets while Frank reacts and takes out his gun and takes out the intruder. The front door blasts open as guys with hoods over their heads rush in and starts shooting up the place. The dudes bodyguard ends up shooting the chick he was with but Frank shoots him dead.
Jump pulls out his two pistols and starts getting to work. Taking out one intruder as the others keeping shooting. Jump screams "Party Time Motherfuckers!" as he shoots his way out of the tough situation.
Bullets are flying everywhere with the true loss out of all this carnage is the fact that his boy that screamed "ROOM SERVICE MOTHERFUCKERS!" in the beginning gets shot the fuck up but at least he died standing up and taking every last bullet with him.
Jump makes his escape with an UZI as the Intruders follow behind him. He reaches the exit and Frank White shows up driving his own limousine. Jump jumps into the passenger seat and before he has a chance to close the door, one of the intruders jumps on the door and tries to force Jump out of the car.
Jump tries to pull him off and in doing so, pulls off the mask and reveals that he is in fact a Cop. A stunning realization but Frank White acts fast and hits the gas towards a fire hydrant. The cop slams head first into it and probably dies right then and there. Most likely he dead.
Jump laughs in hysterics at the sight and screams out "Nobody rides for free, motherfucker!"
The Cops catch up to the body and verify he's dead, leaving the rest of them to chase down Frank and Jump. Two Cop Cars & One Limousine. The car chase turns into a shootout with Wesley Snipes and Jump shooting at one another. A crack of lighting brings rain down on them. Car chase shootout in the rain as they drive over some bridge in New York. Very fucking cool.
Cars slamming into them while Jump keeps shooting at them and laughing in his hysterical laugh. One cop car tries to pull some PIT maneuver but no dice and the other spins out in the rain. Or sputters out. Either way, their car goes dead.
David Caruso and Wesley Snipes cruise through the rain in hunt for the limousine but nothing doing.
BOOM!
Jump reverses the Limo into their car and totals them both. Jump gets out of the limo and starts shooting at the cops then runs away. Wesley follows right behind with Caruso limping behind. Jump hides out in a dirt pile underneath a bridge.
Wesley Snipes tries to talk him out to shoot him but Jump plays it cool. Louder and louder Snipes gets but he doesn't get a response. Jump creeps along and gets the upper hand then shoots him. Berating him again and again as he keeps firing shots at him.
As Jump keeps on berating him some more, Wesley Snipes, full of bullet holes mind you, runs up to him to try and choke him out. Almost pulling it off to make Jump go bug eyed but he manages to put the gun to his belly and starts firing off. Snipes closes his hand tighter and Jump fires another shot. The confrontation growing to a stalemate until Jump fires the last shot he needs and Snipes goes down.
Jump feels relieved and asks about Caruso but too late, Caruso arrives late and shoots Jump full of holes. Now, while Snipes died silent in his death scene, Larry Fishburne is going to ham it up but in a good way.
Even with all those bullet holes in him, he starts screaming and withering on the ground for Caruso to finish the job. Screaming in pain that evolves into this sick laugh that interrupts Caruso trying to save his partner. Caruso does his best to save him but no dice and holds his dead partner in his arms as Jump does what he can to ruin the tender moment.
The pain becomes too much for Jump and so he starts rolling back and forth in hysterics. Celebrating shooting his partner while he knows that he’s the next to go. Caruso can’t take it anymore and finishes the job by putting the gun point blank on Jump's forehead then pulling the trigger.
The cops tried to get down and dirty but it sure didn’t look to be worth it.
Cut To: Funeral. How do the dirty cops go about in explaining how Snipes got killed in the line of duty when he was getting dirty? No clue but they manage to say something convincing and Snipes gets himself a cop funeral. No bagpipes though. What a bummer. Caruso feels bad and runs away in guilt from the funeral. Running towards his car and wanting to get out of there but the car won't start.
Frank's limo cruises alongside all the other service vehicles. Even his car is like a chameleon and he passes by every cop even though he is probably wanted dead or alive at this point. He cruises along and stops right next to Caruso.
Telling him "Hey. You." to get his attention then blows his head apart with a sawed off shotgun.
The limo speeds off and Frank is onto his next business appointment. Dealing with the associate that flipped on him. The associate pleads innocent but Frank just wants the truth. The Why of it all. The associate, beaten and bloody, spills the bills that it was all about the money and the chance to be free. Out of the game and into witness protection. They found the money with the associate and all Frank wants to do with the money is have them bury him with it.
Frank walks away from the scene. Not wanting to be witness to the murder and grabs sight of the skyline, now farther away than ever.
Cut To: Bishops house and him coming in with groceries and seeing Frank sitting at the table. Frank White starts talking the real deal when it came to the people that he killed and just how shitty they were and how they made money. He wanted to do nothing with how they made money and killed them for the better of the city.
Frank White philosophizes that if there was a criminal that can run a decent criminal enterprise in this town, it was him.
He then tells Bishop that there’s going to be a green light on any cop that's going to be involved with any case against him. Bishop ain't scared. He's a cop. A real cop. Living by the law. Frank breaks down more truth but the cop don't wanna hear it.
Frank takes out his gun then takes the cop's gun and has him arrest himself to a chair. Frank makes his exit. Turning around and pointing his gun and saying "Bang Bang" before leaving.
Bishop doesn't even hesitate and runs for the nearest gun to shoot off the handcuff. I mean, he probably could have used another cuff key but there WAS NO TIME! He needed to shoot it off and catch up with Frank.
Frank takes his time getting home and takes the subway. Bishop is hot on his trail and hops on the same train just in time. He starts rushing down the cars in search of Frank. Walking past people staring at the fact that he's passing by them with a gun in hand. He finally finds Frank but Frank doesn't give him any attention at first. Then after trying to warn off the cop, Frank grabs the nearest innocent bystander and puts a gun to her head. He tells the cop what he's capable of but Bishop isn't flinching. Frank doesn't hesitate and fires at the cop, killing him, but the cop manages to fire off a couple rounds before dying.
Frank leaves the subway with his jacket covering him and he makes his way above ground. Through the turn-still and up the stairs in just one long shot. It's a pretty good one too.
Surface side. What sounds like the squad car of every single cop in New York can be heard as Frank casually walks down the street and away from the noise. Turns out to be an ambulance though so Frank is in the clear and makes his way through traffic and into the back of a taxicab. Revealing only now that as he takes a seat that he did manage to catch a bullet back in the subway.
Then now, the sound of every single squad car in New York is accompanied by the sight of every single squad car in New York. Cops rush through the spaces between cars to find Frank White. Frank sits in the back with his gun out. A look of contemplation on his face and nothing more. All that's needed is that face to tell the story. More and more cops come around to surround the car.
Frank accepts the situation and dies. Just like that. He lets his hand rest on the seat and the gun slumps down towards the door. Roll credits.
What To Make Of It
It’s a good time to those that can take it as it is. Which feels more of a modern spin on the old Warner Brother gangster films as mentioned before. Films with Cagney in the lead like The Public Enemy but instead of a moral lesson in the end that shows the bad guys losing and the good guys winning the good fight; what one learns from King from New York is that it would be a good time if you can manage to pull it off like Frank White. Do it big with the little time you have and get some good goons to do some of the dirt. Something that wasn’t the norm for the current cycle of movies but this movie was on the cusp of the wave of change but broke off too early to be a part of it.
You have to remember that the world was coming back from the terrible decade known as the 1980’s. A time in which the quality of films were at their lowest and audiences were at their dumbest. Not to say that time has changed the situation in any way but the 1980’s was a tough time. There was also the threat of nuclear war and the inner cities, such as the kind shown in King of New York, were on the way down with the rise of the drug epidemic concerning Crack cocaine. People just wanted to have a good time and leave their troubles at the door when it came to the movies.
King of New York does not offer a good time for that late 1980’s crowd.
The movie portrays Frank White and his goons as the heroes of the piece with the cops being the villains of the film but in the end, who truly wins? Nobody. Frank doesn’t win. The cops sure don’t win. Society doesn’t win unless that hospital stays running but that’s doubtful.
It wasn’t as though King of New York was breaking ground by doing this but it just wasn’t the right time for it. Or maybe the film is just too brutal in the way it tells the story. It doesn’t hold back especially Laurence Fishburne as Jimmy Jump. That dude was able to go somewhere with that character and goddamn did he achieve something memorable. A true precursor and mold to a lot of characters that would be seen later on in the “Hood Films” genre. The crazy out of control character that can be seen in Tupac Shakur’s role in Juice or the character of O-Dog in Menace to Society and even there is a strong influence to the character of Nino Brown in New Jack City which came out a year later in 1991 and was played by Wesley Snipes.
People sure didn’t like what they were seeing but what did I see? Was it a masterpiece? A travesty? Something in between?
What I see every time I put this movie on is a good time that manages to succeed more so than fail.
The way it moves and Frank White’s character is interesting. Christopher Walken plays the role of Frank White with such prestige even though he seems to be indecipherable as a human being with emotion.
The cops are fine but are less interesting to watch and are so and so when it comes to being a villain to Frank White. They just don’t seem as dangerous as the cool, calm, and collected Christopher Walken.
Also, the whole plot revolving around saving the hospital wasn’t that interesting to watch nor could I truly understand Frank’s motive to keep it going. It felt like these strong characters are interacting with this whatever subplot but the main piece of Frank White taking out the competition and just literally trying to be the King of New York is great stuff.
But the real star is Laurence Fishburne as Jimmy Jump. If there is a reason to watch it, its definitely him. Just the most insane performance and should be a standard for anybody having to play a pistol shooting goon in any movie.
And so the movie failed to say the least at the box office and with the critics they just hated it. The movie was seen as glorifying the criminals and blah blah blah, there was just no love for it except for the hip hop crowd.
Fun Fact: Rapper Sean Pricewas so affected by Laurence Fishburne in this movie that he started walking around with 2 guns just like him. What follows is an excerpt of said fun fact from a 2012 article of Sean Price interviewing Mac Miller. RIP to the both of them.
Sean Price: They talk about the rap music, but movies really change you too. I remember that Christopher Walken movie, King of New York, and all my friends went to the movies to see it. And everybody came back from the movie theater like, “Yo, shit [is] different now, son. Shit different.” I’m like, “What the fuck you mean shit different?” They’re like “Nah son, shit different now, son. Go see that movie.” So I go the next day by myself and shit, and I wind up watching it twice. I went home like, “Yo, shit different now, real talk.” [Laughs]
So I know how the movies is: movies will definitely fuck your mind up sometimes. I was running around with two guns on my waist like I was Larry Fishburne or something. I wasn’t making no money, I was just running around with two guns like Larry Fishburne.
In fact, this movie had a life beyond the lack of box office and critical panning within the hip hop world. Plenty of references here and there but the most known is probably Notorious B.I.G using the alias Frank White within his songs.
A real shame overall on the movies original fate but something funny happens when one year later, another film comes out with a similar topic and manages to obtain both a positive critical response and reap the rewards of the box office.
New Jack City
There is a lot to discuss regarding the two but that’s for another rambling review somewhere else down the line. Ultimately, I believe that the reason for New Jack City being able to achieve what it did compared to King of New York was from the different tone that it went for.
New Jack City is willing to be serious when it needs to but it also lightens up far more than King of New York does and its Chris Rock that provides most of the comedic relief but also Wesley Snipes character doesn’t take himself too seriously and manages to have some charm in what he does when being a complete scumbag. Such as making big references to Scarface or just being able to laugh it up a bit to take the seriousness out of him but still maintain a sense of danger.
Whereas Christopher Walken has his moments of being a little sly but seems absolutely dead serious in nearly every interaction he has and then having an out of control character like Jimmy Jump to play opposites is where the comedic moments should come from and they do but its a very dark sense of comedy in which he would shoot you and start laughing about it.
There’s more to it regarding tone especially with New Jack City having this moral lesson about drugs are bad being present all throughout with the cops seeing the damage that it does to the community and how it just seems impossible to stop. And King of New York just doesn’t have any of that throughout its running time. It’s just all about drug deals going bad but always in Frank’s favor.
Then there’s the overall look of New Jack City which has a very commercial looking bent that reminds one of a music video style. That’s a solid look but King of New York is grim with shadows at every corner. Maybe that’s where it gets pinned as a Neo Noir but just the look shouldn’t it pin it that way since a lot of the Warner Brother gangster films were pre-Noir films.
Ramblings ramblings ramblings.
In the perfect world, these two would have been the perfect double feature to compliment one another in the variety of telling similar stories in different ways. In a non perfect world that we live in, a person is holding a gun to your head and saying choose one or die!
For this viewer, King of New York every time.