King of New York

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King of New York

R

Released Sep 28, 1990

1h 44m

Crime

Drama

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Popcornmeter

74%

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31 Reviews

77%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

A crime lord plots to take control of New York's underground drug economy and distribute the profits to the poor.

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Critics Consensus

King of New York covers familiar narrative ground with impressive style -- and leaves plenty of room for its talented cast to deliver gripping performances.

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Variety Staff

Variety

Complementing Walken's bravura turn are equally flamboyant performances by David Caruso as the young Irish cop out to destroy Walken, and Larry Fishburne as Walken's slightly crazy aide-de-camp.

Mar 26, 2009

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Geoff Andrew

Time Out

A film which, despite splendid location work, lurches sloppily and messily from kill to kill, orgy to orgy, coke to crack, clich to clich.

Jun 24, 2006

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Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

Deliciously indecent.

Rated: B+

May 4, 2006

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

…King of New York’s grim fantasy clicks because it reflects a time when the battle between law and disorder was taken directly to the streets, with Christopher Walken bestriding the bloodshed like a kingpin colossus in Abel Ferrara's brisk crime drama….

Rated: 5/5

Jul 23, 2025

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...a progressively engrossing piece of work that benefits from its remarkably captivating central performance...

Rated: 3.5/4

Jan 6, 2025

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Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

This is the abysmal background of a sort of vomitive cinema. [Full review in Spanish]

Dec 2, 2022

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steve s

absolutely horrible. no plot, no character development. just a lot of shooting, car chases, and blood. what little there was of a story made absolutely no sense. women are no more than scantily dressed arm candy.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

06/26/25

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Meredith S

I heard a movie reviewer I follow on Instagram say this was right up there with Goodfellas. I figured it was worth another watch since I hadn't seen it for a couple decades so rewatched. Nope! I enjoy Walken but this movie was BAD -- sure it had okay moments but to compare it to Goodfellas is criminal!

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

04/24/25

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Chief B

Very atmospheric gangster flick and it's not Walken that steals the show but Fishburne. He's crazy good here. You like him and you hate him

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/23/25

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Ben L

If you are interested in watching this movie with me, I’m at the Plaza Hotel..ok, ask for Frank.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/12/25

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Phillip D

There aren’t a lot of original gangster movie plots anymore. Movies like this one set a high, high bar for any that follow. Casting was fantastic. Believable acting to go along with distinct characters. Great directing.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/25

Full Review

Angus S

Silly gangster cliches and gratuitous gunshots abound, in a dark, city noir setting trying to copy the gritty New York feel of Taxi Driver on the gangster side of town. Two stars may be a wee bit generous.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/17/25

Full Review

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Abel Ferrara

Director

Christopher Walken

Frank White

David Caruso

Dennis Gilley

Laurence Fishburne

Jimmy Jump

Victor Argo

Roy Bishop

Wesley Snipes

Thomas Flanigan

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Synopsis

A crime lord plots to take control of New York's underground drug economy and distribute the profits to the poor.

Director: Abel Ferrara
Producer: August Caminito, Mary Kane
Distributor: Artisan Entertainment, Live Video, Image Entertainment Inc.
Production Co: The Rank Organization [gb], Caminito, Scena International, Reteitalia
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 28, 1990, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 23, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.6M
Runtime: 1h 44m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, Surround, Stereo

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