King of New York

Christopher Walken is the dogged drug-lord determined to keep his empire together, in Abel Ferrara's brutally gritty crime thriller.

After being released from prison, drug-lord Frank White (Christopher Walken) faces a fight to keep his empire together. He decides to go for the jugular and employ the most brutal tactics to retain his prominence. But his unstable approach to business management threatens to take down the whole venture.

An enfant terrible of the video-nasty era (Driller Killer, Ms. 45) who seemed to quieten as the '80s progressed, Ferrara returned to prominence with this convincingly budgeted crime saga as the nineties began. Following it up with his legendary Bad Lieutenant, Ferrarra firmly re-established himself as NYC's grittiest filmmaker. The film also marked something of a turning point for Christopher Walken. Having carved a niche as a character actor largely confined to oddball supporting turns, his lead role here also showcased his suitability for playing psychotic criminals with a certain glint-eyed glee. Walken is himself supported here by a superb cast including Laurence Fishburne, David Caruso, Victor Argo, Wesley Snipes and Steve Buscemi.