Star-Studded Crime Classic Still Stuns Over 30 Years Later

King of New York centers on Christopher Walken’s eponymous drug lord, Frank White, who rules over a syndicate of organized crime in New York City. If you’re not familiar with the film but this name rings a bell, it’s probably because Frank White has been frequently name-dropped by rappers over the years, especially from acts such as The Notorious B.I.G., who frequently referred to himself as “the black Frank White” throughout the 1990s.

West Coast rapper Kendrick Lamar even sparked a powder keg of diss battles back in 2013 after referring to himself as “the king of New York” in a lyric on the Big Sean song “Control,” which many East Coast competitors misinterpreted in a literal sense.

At the very beginning of King of New York‘s narrative, Frank is released from a long-term stint in prison and returns to a penthouse full of his former collaborators, who have each grown into capable mobsters in their own right since his incarceration.

Looking to jump-start his return to the top of the criminal underworld, Frank executes a fellow crime lord who refuses to fall in line. As Frank re-acclimates to the bold new world, he rapidly draws attention from the police and struggles to find his footing amidst a world of crime that has seemingly lost all sense of moral standards and honor amongst thieves.

Christopher Walken’s performance in King of New York has been widely hailed as one of his best, bringing his trademark blend of menacing gravitas and quirky mannerisms to a well-rounded character frozen in time. Walken is joined in the cast by the likes of David Caruso, Laurence Fishburne, Victor Argo, Wesley Snipes, Steve Buscemi, and Breaking Bad‘s Giancarlo Esposito.

The film was written by Nicholas St. John and directed by Abel Ferrara, with most financing secured by Italian media tycoon and political magnate Silvio Berlusconi, who was known as the richest man in all of Italy at the time of production and later went on to serve as the nation’s Prime Minister.

While King of New York is widely lauded as a classic today, reviews for the film were quite harsh upon release, with many critics disgusted by the film’s glorification of violence and drug trafficking.

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Apparently, a number of people walked out of the theater during King of New York‘s premiere, including filmmaker Abel Ferrara’s wife, as the violence was considered too over-the-top to bear. Laurence Fishburne and Nicholas St. John were even booed off the stage at a subsequent screening of the movie, making it quite a surprise that King of New York has grown into such a cult hit today.

If you’re interested in checking the film out for yourself, or you’re just desperately in need of a rewatch, you’re in luck, as King of New York is currently streaming for free on Amazon Prime Video via Freevee.