Weekend Buff

King of New York (1990)

1990 was the high-water mark of crime in the City of New York. Lawlessness was the law of the city, and it showed. There were 2,245 homicides that year. Law abiding citizens were leaving in droves. There didn’t seem to be any end in sight.

Even the cops were seen as corrupt and ineffective. The Buddy Boys scandal of 1986 would pale in comparison to the corruption of Michael Dowd, and eventually lead to the Mollen Commission.

That was not an accurate picture of the NYPD. The systemic corruption of decades past was gone, but “bad apples” were around, and there were too many of them. The difficulty of policing in that era didn’t help. Many cops felt a sense of helplessness as crime just went higher and higher and drug dealers just got richer and richer. In some ways that led to more police brutality and more corruption.

The 1990 film King of New York exemplified this iteration of New York City, and it’s our recommendation for this installment of Weekend Buff. King of New York showed 1990 NYC as a place where crime ruled the day, and some cops felt that they had to take the law into their own hands to be effective. Yes, the portrayal of cops in the movie is over the top, but that is Hollywood for you. And there was a grain of truth underneath the Hollywood treatment of the NYPD.

King of New York stars Christopher Walken as recently released drug kingpin Frank White. He is on a mission to take over the city’s underworld. He eliminates rival Columbian and Chinese dealers, consolidating power with violence for his enemies and lawyers for the justice system. White and his right-hand man. Jimmy Jump, played by Lawrence Fishburne, are taking New York by storm.

Standing in their way are NYPD cops Detective Dennis Gilley, Detective Thomas Flanagan, and Lieutenant Roy Bishop, played by David Caruso, Wesley Snipes, and Victor Argo respectively. The film has a great cast and is well directed by Abel Ferrara (Bad Lieutenant, The Funeral).

As their investigations are frustrated by defense attorneys, legal loopholes, and uncooperative witnesses, the trio of cops go outside the law. And that never goes well.

The film captures the impossible position of law enforcement: fighting a war where the enemy wears suits, speaks like a politician, and hands out just enough favors to keep the community conflicted. It’s not just a crime drama; it’s a study in how power, crime, and morality collide on city streets.

No one could portend the coming renaissance that occurred under Giuliani, Bratton, et al. The city seemed hopeless, and this is a hopeless movie.

King of New York runs a little less than two hours. It is violent and dirty, but great acting, great action, and good drama make it a classic. You can catch King of New York for free on Amazon Prime Video or rent it for the usual $4 on other streaming services. Take a look back at the darkest days of New York. Fortunately, they were right before dawn.

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