King Of New York (1990) ****

King Of New York (1990) has held up well. I hadn't seen KONY since probably the late '90s and as I rewatched it (via Arrow Video's stunning 4K UHD), I remembered the thirty-year-old film quite vividly and enjoyed it even more than I had on previous viewings (though I always did like it a lot). 

Released the same year as Scorsese's landmark GoodFellas (my review here), Abel Ferrara's film is an entirely different type of gangster movie—one heavy on mood and improvisation over traditional narrative stylings. Christopher Walken as the titular King, Frank White, is simply electric here, and Laurence Fishburne, as the superbly-named Jimmy Jump, all but steals every scene he's in. White's attempts at redemption and his desire to do good, to give back to his community—all while trafficking drugs and bumping people off left and right—provides a fascinating duality to the character, which Walken expertly channels. 

KONY features much more complex (and gorgeous) lighting and camerawork than is customary in Ferrara films. It feels like here the indie filmmaker was trying to prove that he could make an accessible film, and while KONY is decidedly less schizophrenic than much of his work, it still has his stamp all over it. I still have many (many) Ferrara films to see but KONY, along with his next film, 1992's Bad Lieutenant (review), stands as a towering achievement.

You can find my Abel Ferrara Feature Films Ranked list here.