Reviews (53)

The best gangster film you've probably never seen
Ranking up there with Scarface and even Goodfellas, King of New York is one of the best gangster films ever made, thanks largely in part to the magnetic and explosive performance by Christopher Walken. Walken is Frank White, a ruthless kingpin freshly released from prison who vows to use his connections and money for charitable means. On his trail however, are three cops (David Caruso, Wesley Snipes, and Victor Argo) who, by any means necessary, vow to bring Frank down. Profane, action packed, and filled with unforgettable performances (Walken, Caruso, and Laurence Fishburne are incredible), Abel Ferrara's King of New York is hypnotic from it's first frame to final shot, and the action scenes are pulled off better than most major budget pictures. This new Special Edition from Lion's Gate/Artisan includes a nice amount of extras to tide fans of the film over, and the commentary by director Ferrara must be heard to be believed.

THE KING IS DEAD...LONG LIVE THE KING
Frank White (Christopher Walken) is a crime boss just released from prison. He rejoins his henchmen, headed up by Jimmy Jump (Laurence Fishburne). No sooner does White step out of prison, that the killing games begin. White is out to finance a local inner city hospital that is on the verge of being closed for lack of funding. He is determined to do this by using the ill gotten gains of drug trafficking, his and that of other drug lords. Since the others apparently will not relinguish the money voluntarily, force is used, quite a bit of it as a matter of fact, to get their money and/or drugs.

Officers Dennis Gilley (David Caruso) and Thomas Flanigan (Wesley Snipes) are part of a team of cops that are looking to stop White. They are outraged that he is on the street and that they are seemingly unable to stop him by fair means. They decide to resort to foul means and end up all the worse for their efforts. Throughout the film, the line is sometimes blurred between the good guys and the bad guys. There is no happy ending here, and justice may or may not be deemed to have been served, depending upon the viewer's own subjective viewpoint.

The performances are good overall, and in particular, Fishburne's manic character, Jimmy Jump, is a good foil for Walker's coolly detached character, Frank White. This is not really a character driven movie, however, but rather a plot driven one. There is a lot of action, a lot of shootings and carnage, and some car chase scenes that will keep the viewer on edge. The violence, when it occurs, is bloody and protracted. Moreover, in addition to being bimbos and sex toys, the women also pack high powered heat and shoot with the best of them. Despite some plot holes, the film entertains, though just how entertaining the viewer will find this film will depend on the viewer's tolerance for violence.

The DVD itself is pretty much no frills, offering pretty standard features, such as widescreen, a theatrical trailer, scene access, and a music video. There is no commentary. The picture, though dark, is clear, as is the sound.

"King Of New York" DVD Review
Just like "Scarface" and "New Jack City" before it, "King Of New York" is a gritty gangster flick that takes real-life issues and mixes them with charismatic characters and stylized action that is so over-the-top that it could only work in a cinematic world. Walken's Frank White is the ultimate anti-hero, a murderous drug kingpin who uses his money for good purposes. No matter how good intentioned his motives are, the police are sick of his whole operation and are ready to go to war. The first half of the film has a rough but realistic edge to it while the second half spins into a bullet-riddled, blood-soaked, Hollywood action movie. The movie does have its faults. Fishburne's violent sidekick, while providing some entertaining moments, does occassionally come off looking like a dated and ignorant sterotype of Black youth in the late 80's. Not that it ever kept this movie from acheiving a type of urban cult following that is rivaled only by "Scarface". This movie was one of the first to showcase such young unknowns as David Caruso, Wesley Snipes, and Steve Buscemi and while it can't exactly be credited for launching their careers, it can at least boast their talented performances. But everyone in this film pales in comparison to Walken. He steals the show here. Speaking of steal-showing, this special edition DVD features an audio commentary with director Abel Ferrara that has to be heard to believed. I can safely say that I've never heard a director's commentary like it. A documentary on Ferrara should have been as entertaining but due to the fact that it has no interviews with the director himself, it doesn't quite live up to my expectations. There are a few colorful stories here and there but nothing like what you get on the commentary.

Nice new DVD package
I own the new special edition 2-disc set that includes 2 versions of the film- standard frame and widescreen, and contains the director's audio commentary track voice-over the video portion the film.
The director is a very very sick dude, folks, who hates the police and makes films which accuse the police of being responsible for everything thats bad in this world- both Bad Lieutenant and this film contain the cop haters theme to the max.

What makes this director a nihlistic sick mother is his attitude and language in his commentary (which quite frankly I enjoy!)- during the film his voice-over commentary reveals a sick mind- every woman who appears on the screen is singled out by the director and called a "piece of ..." while other such ditties do not pass unnoticed. This director has a serious mental abberation, a problem which he uses film to work out- hes basically working out his emotional problems by directing very sick films. While I enjoy his choice of language in the commentary and his absolute honesty, I cant help thinking what a sick mother this director is in real life.

The most darkest charecter, Frank White
This is one of Chris Walkens best movie, rated and nomminated for 4 oscars, King of New York is a classic gangstar movie based on 1930s crime caper lifestyle and the hunger of ruling the crime world, Frank who recently is released from the pen, he too has eyes set on dominating the crime world and goes into deep trouble and gang bangs to get to where he is, a grand kingpin.
This movie may be cliche but the storyline is like no other and the acting is what makes this movie great, sure it may be low budget but its a one of a kind and frankly, this is the movie the started all dark crime gangstar movies like Goodfellas and The Untouchables, it deserves props. 10/10. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Abel Ferrara, the bad boy of American independent filmmaking, madehis first splash with this violent twist on Death Wish and therevenge-vigilante genre. Nastassja Kinski look-alike Zoë Tamerlis Lundstarsas a beautiful mute seamstress in New York's garment district, a shrinkingviolet who is brutally raped and assaulted not once but twice in the sameday. After dispatching the second predator in an adrenaline-driven rush ofpanic, she pockets his handgun and disposes of the body in small chunks.Tamerlis makes the most of her wordless role, her wide-eyed vulnerabilityhardening to a dead-eyed determination as she transforms from quivering victim to avenging dark angel, a one-woman vigilante force hunting pimps,perverts, sickos, and slimeballs and using herself as bait. Consider thisFerrara's Taxi Driver, a very different portrait of New York's meanstreets. Though this shot-on-the-cheap production occasionally suffers from amateurish performances in supporting roles, Ferrara's impeccable eye forcomposition and bravura sense of editing create momentum that carries itthrough to its memorable Halloween party finale. Tamerlis is decked outin a nun's habit with a slash of lipstick across her face, a handgun tucked in a garter, and a contract out on the entire male sex. It's a deliriouslyeffective exploitation thriller that undercuts every expectation of thegenre. Ferrara makes a cameo as the first attacker. Tamerlis latercowrote and costarred in Ferrara's most notorious production, BadLieutenant. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Not your typical feminist revenge film...
Abel Ferrara's second major film (after Driller Killer, also rereleased on DVD), which has just been released on DVD, is the controversial "Ms. 45." The picture transfer is well done, really crisp and clear...you couldn't tell it was made 20 years ago except by hairstyles and clothes. The sound is not the greatest; some parts are hardly audible. And, there are no extras at all in this edition; no trailers, commentary, interviews, nothing. But as for the movie itself, those who are into revenge films will find it a pleasant surprise.

The late Zoe Tamerlaine (who has an uncanny resemblance to Denise Richards) stars as Thana, a sexy mute woman, who is the victim of rape and burglary. She survives, killing one of the rapists. But she doesn't call the cops...she instead takes the dead rapist and starts sawing up his body, later disposed in garbage bags. She then takes his 45 caliber, and this is when the movies gets really crazy. Her world becomes very delusional, and Thana starts shooting guys out of paranoia. But progressively she becomes even more trigger happy, and starts to kill any guy who advances on her, even when he is posing no immediate threat to her. The movie climaxes with a very wild, bloody shootout. "Ms. 45" has been quoted as Ferrara's "Taxi Driver"; Ferrara's direction is a less-gritty Scorsese, displaying New York through funny dialogue and scenes. The movie will satisfy gorehounds, and it will keep the viewer interested in this gory black comedy from start to finish. "Ms. 45" has been banned in many countries, and it had to be cut to get an "R" rating. Ferrara's excellent direction is a huge accomplishment this being only his second major film, and it places "Ms. 45" much higher than other feminist revenge films (eg I spit on your grave). After watching this movie, you'll see where they got the idea for "American Psycho"...

Appreciating the late Zoe Tamerlis
Zoe Tamerlis (also known as Zoe Lund) died a few years back in Paris of an apparent drug overdose. Even though she'd never be a household name, the actress had a cult following in the States -- largely as a result of her debut film, Abel Ferrara's violent Ms. 45. Made when she was only seveteen, Ms. 45 stars Tamerlis as Thana, a young, mute woman who works in New York's garment district and spends her days suffering in forced silence as basically every male on the planet either propositions her or taunts her with sexist comments. (One of the film's more disturbing aspects isn't that not a single positive man makes an appearance but that the male ogres who do show up are all so believable and familiar.) One day, in a coincidence that points to the film's exploitation roots, Thana is raped twice by two different men in one day. After the second rape, the mute Thana finally asserts her independence by killing her attacker and from there, the film's plot shifts into high gear. Thana now starts to roam the streets of New York at night, deliberately enticing men and then, once they respond, gunning them down. In perhaps the film's most famous scene, Thana dresses up as a sexy nun and takes on a street gang. Anyway, Thana becomes progressively more and more unhinged (and since this is an Abel Ferrara film, the New York imagery becomes more and more surreal and Hellish) and goes from shooting just potential rapists to any man who crosses her path. While the plot may make this sound like just another exploitation flick, the film actually has a disturbing intensity to it that makes it, at times, quite disturbing to watch. Ferrara's direction, while stylized, is also far more realistic than most other exploitation films and Tamerlis's amazing performance keeps the film rooted in a very real sense of pain and danger. She is the center of the film and she plays every aspect of her character with such force and credibility that its hard not to get sucked into her fractured reality. And its a reality that stays with you long after the film is over.

The original Kill Bill (...well, sort of...) ?
Take the swordplay out of "Kill Bill" and add a heaping cup of creepiness and you've got Ms.45: a helluva flick about a woman done wrong --REALLY WRONG-- who gets so much revenge you'll be afraid to look almost any female in the eye. This is not a film about a relationship (as "Kill Bill" was) but rather a hardcore film about lonely vengeance. It a slowly maddening spiral into the private hell of the ultimate victim. On one hand it will leave you cheering for her (feels so good to see male sex monsters get what's coming to them) and on the other hand you will be left screaming innocent men to run for their frickin' lives! This is a great flick. The perfect female "Death Wish". It was captivating from start to finish. Sexy, disturbing, and wild-eyed. The fact that it is dripping with 70's styles and sounds and ambience just made it all the more surreal to me. If you want a simple movie with a deep complex terror that will leave it's mark right between your eyes, you gotta see "Ms.45"!

And you thought you were having a bad day
I am glad "Ms. 45" is back on the shelf, because for a long time it was hard to find, certainly up here in Canada. This film is superior to "Driller Killer" in every way except for the lead track. Nothing touches the live performance of Tony Coca Cola and the Roosters playing The Grand Street Stomp. It is quite obvious in "Ms. 45" that that is not the sound of a trumpet. Anyway, for those who don't dig this, you can't tell me you can diss it. This, his second film, is night and day between "Driller Killer". What an obvious improvement. I was hoping that the DVD wouldn't be Vanilla and have at least a directors commentary. "Driller Killer's" commentray is legendary. And while you could chalk this up as being the female version of "Death Wish" there are some elements here that make it a true horror flick. For all those who liked "Eating Raoul", this is a must see. Suspension of disbelief is an obvious exercise here, but you won't be disappointed with it if this is your thing. See if you can spot Michael Richards as one of the extras at the Halloween party.

Gritty, Grim Revenge Flick That Thrills
I still vividly remember director Abel Ferrara a decade after I watched "Bad Lieutenant," a devastating cinematic experience about an immoral New York City police officer (played with grim effectiveness by Harvey Keitel) spiraling downward into the depths of drug addiction. Unfortunately, that was one of the few Ferrara films I ever had the opportunity to watch until I recently picked up a DVD copy of "Ms. 45," a 1981 "revenge" film that both intrigues and disgusts its viewers. I should say right here in the beginning that this Image Entertainment version of the film is slightly trimmed in several places, most notably at the end when one of the shooting victims takes a bullet off camera. Why they cut this small piece of the movie is beyond me, especially when they left in most of the other violent killings. Who can say why distributors do what they do, but in a movie like this that delivers plenty of shocks that didn't end up on the editing room floor, cutting anything out of it is unnecessary and annoying. Perhaps another DVD company will release a special edition version of "Ms. 45" with an uncut transfer of the film.

"Ms. 45" tells the story of Thana, a mute young woman who works in a clothing shop in New York City. Despite her disability, a disability that her male boss seems to remind her of every chance he gets, Thana does have a one thing going for her; she's pretty to the point of spectacular, although in the beginning of the film her natural shyness and tendency to hover in the background away from her co-workers obscures her looks. Life for this young seamstress looks like it will be a series of uneventful occurrences until the day two attackers rape her. These unfortunate, and to be frank, unlikely incidents cause something inside of Thana to snap. She kills one of her attackers in her apartment and promptly dismembers his body, remembering to take his .45 pistol in the process. What follows is a rampage through the streets of the city, as Thana guns down in cold blood any man who has the temerity to hit on her or annoy her in any way. She murders, by turns, a pimp, an insufferable photographer, several gang members, an Arab sheikh and his chauffer, a guy she meets in a bar, and many other gentlemen who are definitely in the wrong place at the wrong time. A curious thing happens to our anti-heroine as she embarks on her bloody sprees: she begins to blossom into full beauty. Thana dresses up, puts on make up, and casts fetching come hither looks at potential victims before the bullets start flying.

A big round of applause must go to Zoe Lund, the actress who played the Thana character. Certainly, a script that calls for the lead performer to play a mute must rely on something other than dialogue to propel the movie, and Lund fills the role to a tee with her wonderfully expressive face and doe like eyes. Her silent screams of anguish during the opening rape sequences convey the horror of the situation as well as, if not better than, using vocalized expressions of agony. Lund's transformation into a sexy angel of death is also intriguing to watch. It is quite unfortunate this actress died a few years ago, and even more regrettable that she didn't star in more films. Yes, she's that interesting to watch.

"Ms. 45" definitely falls in that loveable 1970s and early 1980s sub genre known as the "revenge" movie. The body count in this movie easily stacks up with anything Charles Bronson produced in his "Death Wish" franchise (with the possible exception of "Death Wish 3"). Ferrara doesn't take the usual route with this film, however, since he fills his picture with plenty of religious and gender imagery. For example, pay attention to the closing sequences of the film, when Thana goes on a rampage at a party. Obviously, her costume for the party is symbolic, but also pay attention to how the lady behind her holds the knife. I could take the opportunity here to present some sort of grand explanation or synthesis of what all of these symbols mean in the context of the movie, but I won't because I don't really know how they all fit together. I do know Ferrara takes his religion seriously (see "Bad Lieutenant," mentioned above), but the spiritual imagery in "Ms. 45" isn't as obvious as it is in the later 1992 Keitel film. The Ferrara canon, if these two films are any indication, cry out for a budding film student with an eye towards writing a master's thesis or dissertation.

The DVD version from Image Entertainment falls squarely into the mediocre category. There are no extras for the film: no trailers, no commentaries, no production stills, no cast interviews, and no television spots. The only thing you will find here is a menu screen. At least the transfer quality of the film more than makes up for these shortfalls, as the picture looks great for such a low budget production. The soundtrack really works well with the movie, too. Abel Ferrara continues to direct films, but he may never approach the visceral impact of "Ms. 45." If you enjoy films in the vein of "Death Wish," this winner is definitely up your alley. ... Read more

Reviews (61)

How can you forgive that...
I had heard, by word of mouth over the years, that "Bad Lieutenant" was truly extraordinary, but nothing could really prepare me for the sheer visceral impact of the film, or the electrifying, career best performance, given by Harvey Keitel, in fact I watched the film 3 days ago, and have deliberately waited 'til now to write this review.

After much thought I have to say that "Bad Lieutenant" really is a monstrous train-wreck of a movie, but what keeps you watching, utterly mesmerized, unable to look away for an instant, is Keitel's performance as the titular character. He's never given a name in the film, or even in the credits, he's just the "Lieutenant," and "Bad?" "Bad" doesn't even begin to describe this guy, as the front of the DVD case puts it, "Gambler. Thief. Junkie. Killer. Cop."

After surviving on the mean streets of New York for 20 years, he has seen, and pretty well done, it all; the "Lieutenant" is a man who exists in a nihilistic Hell of his own making, and we watch as he roars headlong towards his own destruction, along the way, plumbing the very depths of abject human depravity.

A lapsed Catholic, he is still wracked by guilt for the truly awful deeds he commits, whether it's doing and/or selling drugs, booze, sex, gambling, thieving, killing, the "Lieutenant" is a soul in torment. Unable to find a way out, he is sinking deeper and deeper into a morass of yet MORE drugs, MORE booze, MORE bets he can't cover, and more, meaningless, cold, emotionless, and depraved, sexual acts.

Yet somewhere deep inside this blasted shell of a man, there still exists a spark of humanity, so lost in the wretched, savage squalor of his life, that even HE doesn't know it's there. Then one day he becomes involved in the investigation of a crime that shocks even him... the brutal rape of a Catholic nun. Initially coldly dismissive of what the young woman had been through, he listens in on her conversations with her superiors and is shocked to his core to discover that even though her bruises are still fresh, she has already forgiven her attackers. She knows their names but won't pass them on to the police.

The "Lieutenant" can barely comprehend how can such a thing can be, how can she forgive such a terrible act... such a terrible sin? If she can forgive so much, then maybe, just maybe, he himself can find some kind of redemption, maybe someone - God? - can forgive him HIS sins. After his confrontation with the nun, howling out his characters pain, and anger, and hurt, and fear, Harvey Keitel gives the most searingly honest, desperate, and emotionally raw performance of his career.

Bleak, brutal, depraved, and honest, are some of the words that I would use to describe this film, which is NOT easy to watch, especially this NC-17 version, but it's a film that SHOULD be watched by anyone who is serious about Cinema as an art form. Between them, Ferrera and Keitel have produced an extraordinary cinematic experience, unbending and uncompromising in its exploration of the human condition, powerful and unforgiving, it forces you to actually THINK about the subject matter, and to face the rotten darkness in the heart of this particular human soul.

I would like to end this review with a bit of trivia concerning Keitel's performance. Regardless of whether you love this film or hate it - like "2001," this film seems to generate extreme reactions - no one can argue about the power, and sheer gut-wrenching truthfulness, of Keitel's performance. Depending on exactly when the film was released, Keitel would have been eligible for a shot at either the '92 or '93 Oscar for Best Actor. So who won? Well, I looked it up, and Keitel "lost" to, either, Al Pacino in "Scent of a Woman" in '92, or, God help us, Tom Hanks in "Philadelphia" in '93! Next time I find myself getting even mildly curious about who's taking home one of the gold statuettes, this little bit of trivia will kind-of put the whole tawdry circus into perspective!

A great movie that should be given its due.
A friend of mine once recommended me the "Bad Lieutenant" and raved how great it was and how I had to see it. After seeing the film, I realized why the "Bad Lieutenant" is such a cult classic. You would think that Keitel's character would be a good cop who does the right thing. Instead you get a corrupt junkie cop who is damned from the very beginning and knows it. The scene where a delusional Keitel sees Jesus is the most intense emotional performance I have seen since De Niro's jail scene in Raging Bull. Abel Ferrara thankfully resisted any temptations to glamorize Keitel's drug use because it would have made his downward spiral less real and tragic. This is not an easy movie to stomach. It provokes so many conflicting emotions about the character because you hate the cop for being so evil. On the other hand, you want to understand why he does what he does, because deep down, you want him to be saved even though he is too late. I can't believe Keitel wasn't even nominated for an Oscar because his performance in this film is the best of the decade. Keitel and Ferrara took a big chance on the "Bad Lieutenant" but those two seem to create their best work when they do.

Bad Movie
There is no other way to put it this movie is banality at its worst.

There is no real story here, other than Harvey Keitel's character going around doing bad things over and over again throughout the movie. No real plot, not real story line. It's just a montage of scenes of a bad cop doing things bad cops do.

Thumbs way down.

Bravado filmmaking at it's finest!
As tough as any review might seem, behind this trainwreck of a movie lies one of the most important pieces of work in bravado film history. Often compared with Taxi driver, Abel Ferrara 1992 effort is a disturbing hell of a ride from title to end credits. I consider myself lucky for having the stomach, the patience and the strengh to watch it repeatedly and still being able to absorb it without passing out with the high ammount of ultra disturbing material this film dares to offer...and I still enjoy it very much. Drugs, death, addiction...good lord...you should be asking yourself... why should I watch a piece of junk like this? this is no junk at all, this is a lesson too important! This film is strong, powerful, realistic, impressive, daring and bold in every aspect, and it does have the power to disturb and shock hundreds of thousands of viewers...and I believe that's a beauty! This is a film where no one's innocent, everyone is evil and redemption is the only cure. I hate doing reviews cuz films should speak for themselves, but all I have to say is that Harvey Keitel's bold self destructive and out of this world performance should be considered as the most viceral, dramatic, original and impressive charaterization of the 90's. This is his best performence ever!!! This guy showed the world that he can play anything you throw at him, no matter how difficult or dihumanizing it might be, he's the guy to pull it off brilliantly!. I can keep on writing for hours and hours about his impressive and jawbraking job on this movie but I wont...all I have to say is that if it wasn't for him, Bad Lieutenat wouldn't have 90% of its raw power...this guy is a class A actor all the way. And this also makes Abel Ferrara one of the most amazing directors alive...this movie is incredible!

Be prepared for this highgly recommended film that should go down in history as the most viceral and daring film of the 90's. But be warmed, this film has the power to bring everybody down!. I haven't watch a film like this again!

He's a bad cop and out of control. But there is redemption.
In this 1992 film Harvey Keitel is cast in the role of a bad cop. He's a addicted to cocaine, abuses power and is at the bottom of a downward moral decline. He shows us his weaknesses and bares his soul and we hate the acts he does but also see a tortured man who is out of control in every way. When another cop is about to arrest some thieves, Keitel sends the other cop away, takes their money and then lets the thieves go. He gets his payoffs in cocaine from drug dealers. He uses his police power to force some teenage girls to satisfy his sick needs. And he is constantly drinking to counteract his cocaine high. It's rather surprising, but not unbelievable, that he still lives with his family and four children but he has long since given up any attempt at reconciling to a middle-class life. And, to top it off, against the background of the World Series, he is way over his head in gambling debts.

Then he is brought into a case where a young nun is brutally violated. She knows the two men who have committed the terrible act but refuses to name them to the police. "I have already forgiven them," she says. This throws Keitel into a moral and spiritual quandary, and how he resolves it might be shocking to some but is understandable, given his character.

This is perhaps Harvey Keitel's finest performance. I felt his humanity in spite of all his nasty acts. Underneath it all was a very troubled human being. Wisely, the screenwriter didn't give him a name. We just think of him as the bad cop. And also, wisely, we don't get any back story. I had been actually waiting for it. I wanted to know the reason that would make a man act this way. But my curiously was never satisfied. Instead, I was thrown into the man's current moral dilemma. The result was a deeply disturbing journey into the depths of depravity and redemption. I applaud the filmmakers, as well the director Abel Ferrera, who, with the help of Zoe Lund, also wrote the screenplay. It took a lot of courage to bring this story to the screen. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Description

The pod people are back! Aliens take over human bodies and souls in this hard-hitting remake of the classic tale starring Meg Tilly, Gabrielle Anwar and Forest Whitaker. Year: 1993 Director: Abel Ferrara Starring:Gabrielle Anwar, Meg Tilly, Forest Whitaker ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Two out of three ain't bad...
The Least Successful of the Body Snatcher Movies..., for a reason, the movie was so slow that I fell sleep the first time I watched it! I'm a big fan of Jack Finney's book "Invasion of the Body Snatchers." (1954). The first two movies (1956 & 1978) were great because in their own way, each faithfully depicted the atmosphere of total dispair found in the book. This installment didn't adhere very well to the mood or the original plot, at the same time it didn't bring any innovation to the story line, the way that the 1978 version did. If you're a fan of "Invasion...", I don't recomend it. If you are watching it for the horror aspect, eigther of the first two is superior to this one. I also recomend, John Carpenter's: "The Thing"; and Robert Heilein's: "The Puppet Masters", staring Donald Southerland.

Best of the Body-Snatchers Movies
Many have felt that the ability for the pods to take over the whole town in the first movie was a good stretch. To take over LA in the second movie was just impossible. But in this third version of the story, the setting is just right.

An EPA agent and his family are visiting an army base where there might be toxic waste leaking into the environment. Little do they know that chemicals are not the real threat. Strange pods have been found in the marsh.

As you are probably aware, the pods grow into duplicates of people and then replace them. On an army base, once an officer has been taken, it is easy to trap the lower ranks. It also means that the pod people have access to weapons supplies.

But the locale is not the only improvement in this version. We get plenty of key scenes where you never quite know who is still themselves and who can not be trusted. The conversion process has also been improved to explain how the pods can copy people and what happens to the bodies afterwards.

There is quite a bit of nudity in this version, so it is not as accessible as the earlier versions, but is definitely worth it.

This was a good scary movie
Well the monster made them switch bodys

"My mommy's dead."
Preschooler Andy sees his mother crumble into dust on her bed, and then sees her doppelganger come out of the closet and put on a robe to cover herself. We, and Andy, first see his mother's replacement from below the waist, and it's hard to tell if Andy's horror is caused by seeing his sleeping mother's body dissolve, the life sucked out of it by the tendrils of a body-snatching pod, or by the sight of her replacement's naked body. Which is more terrifying to the boy - - sex or death?

"My mommy's dead" is also true for Marti, Andy's stepbrother. As far as Marti's concerned, her father has already replaced her mother with a pod, her stepmother. Body Snatchers is about family dissolution as much as organic decomposition.

"Pod movies" are more terrifying than run-of-the-mill invasion stories (like Independence Day, The Day of the Triffids, The War of the Worlds) because the aliens don't want to just kill us or enslave us, they want to be us. In Body Snatchers, Major Collins tells the pod people before he blows his own brains out, "You won't take my soul!" Better dead than pod.

Abel Ferrara (director of Ms. 45, Bad Lieutenant, and The Addiction) has done what Don Siegel did in 1955 and what Philip Kaufman did in 1978 - - given us a version of Jack Finney's novel The Body Snatchers that reveals its own era.

Besides the Communist-McCarthyite argument everyone sees in it, Siegel's version set in 1950s "Santa Mira" was about rural America and its repression. Kaufman's film in 1970s San Francisco showed the emptiness and disconnection in urban life that couldn't help but lead to the Greedy Age of the 1990s. Kaufman even set it near Silicon Valley, the center from which the economic tidal wave washed over everything. Ferrara's version, besides being a story of families torn up, is about militarism and ecological catastrophe.

Marti and Andy are the children of civilian EPA scientist Steve Malone and his wife Carol. Steve is making a tour of military installations checking for hazardous wastes.

We first see Marti reading in the family car, isolated from dad, stepmom, and brother. (Marti never makes the distinction that Andy is only her stepbrother; he's always her brother and she spends half the movie risking her own life to save him from the pods. In this movie the children have a better sense of what family should be than most adults.)

At the next army post on Steve's list of possible polluters, Marti hooks up with Jenn, the punk daughter of the post commander. Jenn's mom is drunk, passed out on the couch as Jenn mocks social etiquette and formally introduces Marti to her. "Mom's an alcoholic. That means I'll probably be one too," Jenn says, finishing her mother's drink. You might escape the pods, but you can't escape your family.

In Santa Mira in the fifties, we saw pods being distributed from the back of a truck on Main Street. In San Francisco in the seventies pods were kept in a greenhouse from which they were sent on to the rest of the country. But in the nineties soldiers take them out of a swamp (possibly polluted from all the toxic chemicals on the base) when they're ready to replace human beings.

It's not just an unlucky coincidence that the water around the post is good for growing body snatchers. These chemicals were always meant for killing. ("You don't know a thing about chemical warfare, do you, Dr. Malone?" the commander asks the scientist.)

Once the pods have taken over the post, the commander gives truck drivers their assignments - - transporting pods to other military bases from which the invasion will spread.

The army itself is a family, like the race of pods. When the pods happened upon the army post, they found a family that already had an ethic of individuals subordinating their welfare to the goals of the group. Individual death means nothing.

At the end of the movie, Marti and Tim (a young helicopter pilot Marti's become attracted to) take their (perhaps futile) revenge against the invaders for destroying their families.

Worst...
This is the worst remake of the remakes of the original. I enjoyed the first remake with Donald Sutherland but found this remake quite contrived and trite. Not the best, see the first remake and the original. Not the best film. ... Read more

Reviews (30)

what good actors do when good roles dry up
"New Rose Hotel" is the second attempt to turn a William Gibson story into a feature-length film (after the fairly disastrous "Johnny Mnemonic," starring King of Inexpression Keanu Reeves), and its pedigree is what drew me toward it: stars Christopher Walken, Willem Dafoe, Asia Argento(!), and director Abel Ferrara ("Ms. 45") all have steady reputations in the film world. This gave me a slight reassurance: "no matter how bad the script is, the cast and direction could make up for it."

Well, "New Rose Hotel" is the type of film that exists in the twilight zone between films that are so bad they're painful to watch, and films that are so bad they're a laugh riot. The story has something to do with two cyber-pirates (Walken & Dafoe) who hire Asia Argento to fall in love with a prestigious Japanese scientist, and collect a large sum of money in the process. The events unfold with a maximum of confusion and even when things actually seem to be making sense, they just get confusing again.

That's not to say "New Rose Hotel" is ALL bad. Sterling Video, which released this specimen, is a company pretty notorious for pushing out low-budget, bill-paying dreck featuring brand-name stars under the radar of the mainstream so as to pass unnoticed to the library shelves at your local video store. And this is no exception. While Walken and Dafoe bring trademark professionalism to their nothing roles, you know this wasn't a movie made for Academy Award consideration. Ferrara, however, seems to have given up hope after filming, allowing the editor to piece together what little story there was using the gimmick of close-circuit cameras for stylistic value. And Asia Argento, it must be said, is an AMAZINGLY bad actress who would have no career if she wasn't the daughter of Italain director Dario Argento; she mumbles her lines to the point where you won't be able to make out what she's saying (not a bad thing, considering this film makes good use of her physical assets).

"New Rose Hotel" is a low-budget, confusing mess that would be completely forgettable without the presence of Walken and Dafoe. Some scenes retain a sense of style, but other than that this is a lost cause. If you're compelled to rent this, go in with your expectations low and it'll pass easier.

We Liked It & Even Watched It Twice!
Apparently most viewers hate this movie. It is not an easy movie to follow, I grant you. However, I've seen most of Abel Ferrara's films and liked them plus I generally go for anything with Willem Dafoe in it. Walken is a favorite too. Hubby absolutely adored it and would probably go the whole 5 stars if he were writing this, which puts him at variance with almost everyone. I can't go that far but I will go 4 stars. The plot is not that tricky. What is tricky is knowing what moment of time you are in with the characters. At any given moment you can be at the start, middle or end of the story. In this it rather resembles "Memento," which is in the theaters now. Ferrara should have considered changes in lighting or some other visual key to cue the viewers into this time shifts. I've seen this done by shooting part of a film in black and white and the rest in color. I've also seen one time sequence shot in all cool or blue tones while the rest of the movie is shot in reddish hot tones. In short, there are ways to make this easier on the viewer. The plot is that Walken and Dafoe are going to make an Asian scientist fall in love with a call girl they've just met, Sandy. Sandy will bewitch the scientist and he will go wherever she wants him to go. Industrialists will pay Walken and Dafoe big money for the con. They in turn will pay Sandy a million dollars as her share. The question becomes though who is conning whom. While Dafoe is busy falling in love with Sandy, he doesn't follow through on tracing the various leads about her which come into his hands. One irony I couldn't get over was Dafoe being stunned by someone else's beauty, when, in his prime, he had to have been one of the most beautiful people on the planet. Move this back to the 1980s and probably no one would be looking at the call girls in this film! My absolute favorite movie by Ferrara is "Bad Lieutenant" with Harvey Keitel in the starring role. Keitel gives the performance of his life in that film and it is much easier to follow than this one. Before you totally write off this film maker, you might give that one a a try if all the negative reviews on this one are too much for you.

Pff
Well,
Everybody seems to hate this movie in almost all regards. I would say that it isn't spectacular, but I think it deserves better than a lot of these people are giving it. I can respect that they think differently of it.
*chuckle*
It's amazing how many people can be wrong.

Many complained that they didn't understand what was going on. Sucks for them, I guess they just aren't very bright I know I watched it, and had no trouble seeing what was going on. I read the book afterward, and thought it was quite a well-done adaptation, though I would have thought that they could have come up with a better william gibson story to do a movie of, considering the brevity of this particular one, and the abundance of other stories out there, many of which are considerably longer.

A movie that could have been.
Look, it's like this.
The story New Rose Hotel, by William Gibson is one which hilights the decay of society through peoples own self destructive impulses and that never ending bain of humanity greed.

As a story, New Rose Hotel is to be honest way to short to even contemplate making a movie out of it. There's just not enough there and when I watch the movie, it shows immensely. Dafoe and Walken are 2 of my favourite actors and there performance together I found to be of good status. What this movie needed to do was give the viewer a good explanation as to the status of the society , this different world, basically an atmosphere. Instead it gives you a blurred corporate scene and then your thrown into a bar with women that can't sing and the 2 main characters forcing themselves to make out there enjoying the poor entertainment. The exchanging of information should have been more secretive and when people wispered in others ears you should have been given a zoom on that audio. Then there was the main guts of the story, with the nano technologist. This was what could have been the movies saviour, alas it was brushed over and the conversations where the main focus of the movie. This brings me to my last annoyance. The person in charge of camera directing should have been .... Instead of seeing people interacting together at important sections of the story, you got terrible close ups of single faces that were below amateur quality and destracted you from the dialogue. All in all Gibson should have written extra material for the movie and a lot more should have been spent on atmosphere to enhance the intrigue of the story, even if it meant getting more cost effective actors. ...I like to end with a positive note, and the only one I can make as far as capturing the story goes, is that the end scene that Dafoe acted out at the end was effective enough.

If your like me and a fan of William Gibson and these two great actors, you may want this movie as part of your collection, but I tell you now, after your first viewing it's one that will sit and gather dust very quickly.

Another love-it or hate-it film.
Notice that almost no one gives this film its average score (around 2.3 stars)? It's a classic bimodal distribution: hate it or love it. Well, maybe "love it" is a bit strong, but for those who 1) don't know the plot ahead of time, and 2) carefully follow the plot as it develops in the film, particularly in the last quarter, the story is quite gripping. If you've read the story ahead of time, or lose the plot while watching, it will just seem like a very low-budget muddle.

Like many of Gibson's stories, this is hardly science fiction-- in fact, it's more purely noir than many other more noir-y looking films that come to mind. As such, it's about money, love, betrayal, women, memory, machismo--that sort of stuff. Having read the story after seeing the film, I'd almost say the movie was better, while still being true to Gibson's spirit: less of the narrator's whiny voice, more Fox; more mystery, less pseudo-futuristic-cosmopolitanism. And a much better finish.

The best part is really the much-maligned last quarter, which in its memory flashbacks leads you to discover for yourself who betrayed whom and why. The conclusion, if you care about these sorts of issues at all, is really quite sad and moving. Not knowing when it would end, I jumped up close to the TV to hear Argento's reply to Dafoe's last line. To end there shows that these guys knew what they were doing. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Not very remarkable
I can only judge this film by the USA version of the DVD, which is what I viewed.

I didn't like it very much. I understand that it was meant to portray a somewhat tawdry lifestyle of strippers in the seedy part of NYC, but this film didn't hold together that well, despite the presence of a first-rate cast.

The nudity (mostly strippers doing their dance routines) made me yawn after a while. I expected some nudity in this movie, and nudity doesn't offend me (I've drawn many nudes in Life Drawing class!). But I thought the dance sequences got to be too long and derivative. Obviously everyone else's mileage will vary on this point, and I guess the fact that I am female is not insignificant in explaining my sentiments.

Jack Scalia, Tom Berenger, Billy Dee Williams and Melanie Griffith are the main stars. Griffith's performance is kind of lackluster, but I don't recall her maturing too much as an actress until much later. (This film was made in 1984.) Tom Berenger is good as the brooding ex-boxer sporting a head full of curls. (Oh my word -- the clothing and hair in this movie were *so* '80s!) Jack Scalia is handsome, square-jawed and likeable in his part, as is Billy Dee Williams, (though I didn't think his character was written very well).

I didn't understand why the story was written the way it was -- why is there so little mystery? We know who the killer is right off. What motivates him to kill? I never did find that out -- maybe I dozed off and missed that bit of information when I was bored into a stupor during one of the topless dancing routines. Whatever. All I know is, the story could have, and *should* have been much more interesting.

This is the first movie I've seen of director Abel Farrara, and I don't believe it is a proper introduction to his work. I have been led to believe that he has made some notable films. This is not one of them. The plot is average, the pace is choppy, and I disliked the score immensely. It was intrusive and hackneyed.

This is an average film. If you like any of the main stars and don't mind the seamy smarminess of the story then you might want to view this film. Otherwise, I am guessing that one of the other films by Farrara would be a better choice.

Just seedy enough.
I've had this movie for years, back to when I foolishly wasted my money on a laser disk player. But, anyway. The plot of this movie is simple: a psycho has targeted a group of strippers, for his own warped reasons, for death. And of course, we, the audience, get to see the acts of most of the dancers, before their timed-just-right deaths. Rae Dawn Chong and Melanie Griffith, for two. What is there to say about a movie like this? A must see for fans of Abel Ferarra.

UK DVD worse
In response to the review written on 31/03/01- the film was cut by the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) of a total of 1 minute and 10 seconds! This is probably the most edited anywhere. The version on ... UK website is 91 minutes in length; the version on the German website is 93 minutes; the version on this / the US website is 95 minutes in length. One can only assume that an edited version was submitted to the British censor prior to their 1 minute and 10 seconds of cuts.

disappointing dvd, but the movie is great...
Having seen the movie multiple times, I was very disappointed with the production of this DVD. Scenes have been cut, for example, a mesmerizing nunchaku demonstration from the killer, and some bizarre editing happened: Tom Berenger is beat up by cops in the movie, and that was edited in the dvd, a stripper's dog howls when killed by the psychopath, and that also doesn't appear in the DVD. I am going to sell this ASAP, and buy the much better produced UK edition, which, strangely enough, features all the missing scenes.

Surprisingly good
I have seen this movie in VHS at least a dozen times, although I never remember seeing it in the theaters. It has a terrific cast, a good story, great strip scenes and awesome fight scenes. Something for everyone. I was so glad to see it in DVD, since my VHS copy had self-destructed. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Though Hill Street Blues got all the awards and Miami Vice got all the attention, for some viewers it's the short-lived Crime Story (the second series produced by Vice's Michael Mann) that stands as tall as the great cop show of the 1980s. Set to a gritty rock & roll beat--with Del Shannon's "Runaway" providing the perfect theme song--the series chronicled the early '60s rise of gangster Ray Luca (Anthony John Dennison) and his hounding by hard-boiled policeman Michael Torrello (Denis Farina, who will never have another part this good). Save for the show's eventual relocation to Las Vegas, the Chicago-based pilot, expertly helmed by cult director Abel Ferrara, lines up all the elements that made Crime Story a classic: vivid performances, slick photography, brutal violence, and a genuine sense of the moral murk cops can be sucked into when they feel that any method is justified. Indeed, it's often Torrello, given to back-alley beatings and possessive stares at his wife (Darlanne Fleugel), who seems the scarier of the two leads; Luca kills without compunction, but with an assassin's dispassionate celerity. Such complexity, combined with the exciting action scenes, makes for wonderful viewing, however much it hurt with the Nielsen ratings. --Bruce Reid ... Read more

Reviews (14)

As Good As TV Gets
It only took a couple of seconds to know that this was going to be great. By the opening credits, I was hooked by the characters, the action, and the style. (Speaking of the credits, it's too bad that the wonderful montage of stock footage from Chicago intercut with shots from the series was replaced with Torello and company "in formation.") It leaves Miami Vice in the dust. Allow me to add my voice to those above in urging whoever owns the rights to this gem to get both seasons on DVD as soon as possible. It's a keeper.

Television At It's Best
As with the other folks above, I remember watching Crime Story each week during it's two years on the air. It made TV bearable for a little while; remember, this show came in the days of such "classics" as Who's the Boss and The A-Team. The last couple of episodes of season one blew me away; a story arc that lasted a season with all the loose ends being tied up in an finale that was definitely unconventional.

I own the boxed VHS set from Starmaker. Although it is nice to have the entire run in one collection, the picture quality leaves something to be desired. Also, it is nearing the end of it's shelf life (the average for VHS is about 15 years) so a DVD set would be very welcome.

Thanks to Anchor Bay for taking the time to put this gem back on the market and here's hoping they release the rest of the series.

Awsome TV series
I love Crime Story. I grew up watching it as a kid and I'am glad I finally found it at Amazon. This pilot movie rock and rolls. Really gets you in the mood to watch the series coming out November 4, 2003.

Before the Soprano's there was...CRIME STORY!!!
Crime Story. It was Miami Vice but for Italians. If you don't know what I'm saying then forgedboudit!!! The only reason the Soprano's is good is because Crime Story paved the way. Every Italian household should have a poster of Crime Story next to their framed pictures of the Pope and Elvis Presley.

gritty Ellroy-esque crime show
Crime Story is a a lean, mean cop show drama that features politically incorrect police officers battling it out with nasty criminals.

It's a testimony to Michael Mann's reputation at the time that Crime Story was even greenlighted. NBC would have never gone for the casting of Dennis Farina, with his pockmarked face and lack of acting experience, had Mann been a neophyte producer with no proven track record. The choice of cult film director Abel Ferrara (pre-Bad Lieutenant) must have also freaked out network execs. His previous films included a deranged psycho gruesomely killing people with a power tool and a rape survivor viciously killing the men who attacked her with a .45 pistol.

And yet, the final product proves that Mann's instincts were right on the money. Farina delivers the hard-boiled dialogue with the perfect amount of intensity (at one point Farina says menacingly to one goon, "you hurt anybody else, when this is all over I'm gonna find what you love the most and I'm gonna kill it. Your mother, your father, your dog. Don't matter what it is -- it's dead."). You can see it in his eyes and the way he barks out orders that this a no-nonsense guy who isn't going to let anything get in the way of his job.

Ferrara directs with the same proficient skill of crime auteur, Don Siegel. Crime Story depicts a harsh world where life is cheap and characters will do anything -- even if it means bending or breaking the law -- to achieve their goals.

One of the most striking aspects about Crime Story is that it feels like it was ripped right from the pages of a James Ellroy novel. It is even more surprising that this show was done before Ellroy had written his famous L.A. Quartet of books that features L.A. Confidential, which Crime Story most closely resembles. The author claims that he hadn't seen the show until after he wrote these novels but he does admit to being a fan since then. This, of course, begs the question, when is someone going to reunite Farina and Ferrara to do a proper Ellroy adaptation?

The DVD disappoints in the extras department. No audio commentaries from Ferrara or Mann (both of whom have done them before), or even the show's creator, Chuck Adamson. A retrospective featurette would have been nice but instead we are left with nothing.

If you are willing to overlook the appalling lack of extras and are a fan of Michael Mann or James Ellroy's fiction then this is definitely worth checking out. Hopefully, the folks at Anchor Bay will redeem themselves with the first season of Crime Story that their website says is due out in July of this year with the second season coming out in December. ... Read more

Reviews (53)

The best gangster film you've probably never seen
Ranking up there with Scarface and even Goodfellas, King of New York is one of the best gangster films ever made, thanks largely in part to the magnetic and explosive performance by Christopher Walken. Walken is Frank White, a ruthless kingpin freshly released from prison who vows to use his connections and money for charitable means. On his trail however, are three cops (David Caruso, Wesley Snipes, and Victor Argo) who, by any means necessary, vow to bring Frank down. Profane, action packed, and filled with unforgettable performances (Walken, Caruso, and Laurence Fishburne are incredible), Abel Ferrara's King of New York is hypnotic from it's first frame to final shot, and the action scenes are pulled off better than most major budget pictures. This new Special Edition from Lion's Gate/Artisan includes a nice amount of extras to tide fans of the film over, and the commentary by director Ferrara must be heard to be believed.

THE KING IS DEAD...LONG LIVE THE KING
Frank White (Christopher Walken) is a crime boss just released from prison. He rejoins his henchmen, headed up by Jimmy Jump (Laurence Fishburne). No sooner does White step out of prison, that the killing games begin. White is out to finance a local inner city hospital that is on the verge of being closed for lack of funding. He is determined to do this by using the ill gotten gains of drug trafficking, his and that of other drug lords. Since the others apparently will not relinguish the money voluntarily, force is used, quite a bit of it as a matter of fact, to get their money and/or drugs.

Officers Dennis Gilley (David Caruso) and Thomas Flanigan (Wesley Snipes) are part of a team of cops that are looking to stop White. They are outraged that he is on the street and that they are seemingly unable to stop him by fair means. They decide to resort to foul means and end up all the worse for their efforts. Throughout the film, the line is sometimes blurred between the good guys and the bad guys. There is no happy ending here, and justice may or may not be deemed to have been served, depending upon the viewer's own subjective viewpoint.

The performances are good overall, and in particular, Fishburne's manic character, Jimmy Jump, is a good foil for Walker's coolly detached character, Frank White. This is not really a character driven movie, however, but rather a plot driven one. There is a lot of action, a lot of shootings and carnage, and some car chase scenes that will keep the viewer on edge. The violence, when it occurs, is bloody and protracted. Moreover, in addition to being bimbos and sex toys, the women also pack high powered heat and shoot with the best of them. Despite some plot holes, the film entertains, though just how entertaining the viewer will find this film will depend on the viewer's tolerance for violence.

The DVD itself is pretty much no frills, offering pretty standard features, such as widescreen, a theatrical trailer, scene access, and a music video. There is no commentary. The picture, though dark, is clear, as is the sound.

"King Of New York" DVD Review
Just like "Scarface" and "New Jack City" before it, "King Of New York" is a gritty gangster flick that takes real-life issues and mixes them with charismatic characters and stylized action that is so over-the-top that it could only work in a cinematic world. Walken's Frank White is the ultimate anti-hero, a murderous drug kingpin who uses his money for good purposes. No matter how good intentioned his motives are, the police are sick of his whole operation and are ready to go to war. The first half of the film has a rough but realistic edge to it while the second half spins into a bullet-riddled, blood-soaked, Hollywood action movie. The movie does have its faults. Fishburne's violent sidekick, while providing some entertaining moments, does occassionally come off looking like a dated and ignorant sterotype of Black youth in the late 80's. Not that it ever kept this movie from acheiving a type of urban cult following that is rivaled only by "Scarface". This movie was one of the first to showcase such young unknowns as David Caruso, Wesley Snipes, and Steve Buscemi and while it can't exactly be credited for launching their careers, it can at least boast their talented performances. But everyone in this film pales in comparison to Walken. He steals the show here. Speaking of steal-showing, this special edition DVD features an audio commentary with director Abel Ferrara that has to be heard to believed. I can safely say that I've never heard a director's commentary like it. A documentary on Ferrara should have been as entertaining but due to the fact that it has no interviews with the director himself, it doesn't quite live up to my expectations. There are a few colorful stories here and there but nothing like what you get on the commentary.

Nice new DVD package
I own the new special edition 2-disc set that includes 2 versions of the film- standard frame and widescreen, and contains the director's audio commentary track voice-over the video portion the film.
The director is a very very sick dude, folks, who hates the police and makes films which accuse the police of being responsible for everything thats bad in this world- both Bad Lieutenant and this film contain the cop haters theme to the max.

What makes this director a nihlistic sick mother is his attitude and language in his commentary (which quite frankly I enjoy!)- during the film his voice-over commentary reveals a sick mind- every woman who appears on the screen is singled out by the director and called a "piece of ..." while other such ditties do not pass unnoticed. This director has a serious mental abberation, a problem which he uses film to work out- hes basically working out his emotional problems by directing very sick films. While I enjoy his choice of language in the commentary and his absolute honesty, I cant help thinking what a sick mother this director is in real life.

The most darkest charecter, Frank White
This is one of Chris Walkens best movie, rated and nomminated for 4 oscars, King of New York is a classic gangstar movie based on 1930s crime caper lifestyle and the hunger of ruling the crime world, Frank who recently is released from the pen, he too has eyes set on dominating the crime world and goes into deep trouble and gang bangs to get to where he is, a grand kingpin.
This movie may be cliche but the storyline is like no other and the acting is what makes this movie great, sure it may be low budget but its a one of a kind and frankly, this is the movie the started all dark crime gangstar movies like Goodfellas and The Untouchables, it deserves props. 10/10. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

DVD buyer beware
Viewers hoping to see the controversial "pistol" scene, in which McGillis's character is forced by her jealous husband to open her legs for his gun will be disappointed to find that it has been cut from the R-rated DVD version. For that, you'll apparently have to stick with the unrated VHS tape. Other than that, the movie is a decent if unspectacular B thriller, and the digital transfer is pretty good.

Nothing, done well
A thin story of intrigue and desire in Miami is made very watchable by a good director and a superb collection of actors. Weller and McGillis are thoughtful and convincing as reluctant lovers trying simply to be left in peace. Frederick Forrest provides strong support. Charles Durning, in a small role, walks away with the movie. The character he plays is smart, cunning and, by turns, endearing and brutal. Durning is the reason I've watched this film three or four times since it first appeared in 1990, and I recommend you give it a try.

Great Movie
Anyone who has been to Santo Domingo and Florida should read this book and watch the movie. ... Read more

Description

GRITTY MASTERPIECE FROM THE DIRECTOR OF BAD LIEUTENANT AND KING OF NEW YORK!

Long available in incomplete or full screen editions, Abel Ferrara's 1979 cult classic THE DRILLER KILLLER here receives its definitive presentation, accompanied by three of the director's never-previously-released short films from the 1970s. THE DRILLER KILLER stars Ferrara himself (under the pseudonym 'Jimmy Laine') as Reno Miller, an artist being driven mad by the pressures of New York life who takes to the streets and begins murdering derelicts with a power drill. Although Ferrara intended to make a film in the tradition of THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE, the end result bore an even greater resemblance to Martin Scorsese's TAXI DRIVER. THE DRILLER KILLER is an indispensable addition to the collection of anyone interested in 1970s horror, the work of Abel Ferrara, or off-the-wall cinema.

DISC ONE: DRILLER KILLER Letter-boxed version. Audio Commentary by Able Ferrara. French & Spanish Subtitles. Trailer. Porto-pack Commercial.

DISC TWO: THE EARLY SHORT FILMS OF ABEL FERRARA: COULD THIS BE LOVE (1973). THE HOLD UP (1972). NICKY'S FILM (1971). Trailer - NINE LIVES OF A WET PUSSY. Audio Commentary by Abel Ferrara. ... Read more

Description

Freed from prison, Frank White (Christopher Walken) challenges his fellow druglords in bloody battles for a piece of the action.In New York, crime gets done Frank's way - or it doesn't get done at all.Unable to keep him behind bars, the cops declare war on him - and Frank responds by putting out a contract on the cops. ... Read more

Reviews (53)

The best gangster film you've probably never seen
Ranking up there with Scarface and even Goodfellas, King of New York is one of the best gangster films ever made, thanks largely in part to the magnetic and explosive performance by Christopher Walken. Walken is Frank White, a ruthless kingpin freshly released from prison who vows to use his connections and money for charitable means. On his trail however, are three cops (David Caruso, Wesley Snipes, and Victor Argo) who, by any means necessary, vow to bring Frank down. Profane, action packed, and filled with unforgettable performances (Walken, Caruso, and Laurence Fishburne are incredible), Abel Ferrara's King of New York is hypnotic from it's first frame to final shot, and the action scenes are pulled off better than most major budget pictures. This new Special Edition from Lion's Gate/Artisan includes a nice amount of extras to tide fans of the film over, and the commentary by director Ferrara must be heard to be believed.

THE KING IS DEAD...LONG LIVE THE KING
Frank White (Christopher Walken) is a crime boss just released from prison. He rejoins his henchmen, headed up by Jimmy Jump (Laurence Fishburne). No sooner does White step out of prison, that the killing games begin. White is out to finance a local inner city hospital that is on the verge of being closed for lack of funding. He is determined to do this by using the ill gotten gains of drug trafficking, his and that of other drug lords. Since the others apparently will not relinguish the money voluntarily, force is used, quite a bit of it as a matter of fact, to get their money and/or drugs.

Officers Dennis Gilley (David Caruso) and Thomas Flanigan (Wesley Snipes) are part of a team of cops that are looking to stop White. They are outraged that he is on the street and that they are seemingly unable to stop him by fair means. They decide to resort to foul means and end up all the worse for their efforts. Throughout the film, the line is sometimes blurred between the good guys and the bad guys. There is no happy ending here, and justice may or may not be deemed to have been served, depending upon the viewer's own subjective viewpoint.

The performances are good overall, and in particular, Fishburne's manic character, Jimmy Jump, is a good foil for Walker's coolly detached character, Frank White. This is not really a character driven movie, however, but rather a plot driven one. There is a lot of action, a lot of shootings and carnage, and some car chase scenes that will keep the viewer on edge. The violence, when it occurs, is bloody and protracted. Moreover, in addition to being bimbos and sex toys, the women also pack high powered heat and shoot with the best of them. Despite some plot holes, the film entertains, though just how entertaining the viewer will find this film will depend on the viewer's tolerance for violence.

The DVD itself is pretty much no frills, offering pretty standard features, such as widescreen, a theatrical trailer, scene access, and a music video. There is no commentary. The picture, though dark, is clear, as is the sound.

"King Of New York" DVD Review
Just like "Scarface" and "New Jack City" before it, "King Of New York" is a gritty gangster flick that takes real-life issues and mixes them with charismatic characters and stylized action that is so over-the-top that it could only work in a cinematic world. Walken's Frank White is the ultimate anti-hero, a murderous drug kingpin who uses his money for good purposes. No matter how good intentioned his motives are, the police are sick of his whole operation and are ready to go to war. The first half of the film has a rough but realistic edge to it while the second half spins into a bullet-riddled, blood-soaked, Hollywood action movie. The movie does have its faults. Fishburne's violent sidekick, while providing some entertaining moments, does occassionally come off looking like a dated and ignorant sterotype of Black youth in the late 80's. Not that it ever kept this movie from acheiving a type of urban cult following that is rivaled only by "Scarface". This movie was one of the first to showcase such young unknowns as David Caruso, Wesley Snipes, and Steve Buscemi and while it can't exactly be credited for launching their careers, it can at least boast their talented performances. But everyone in this film pales in comparison to Walken. He steals the show here. Speaking of steal-showing, this special edition DVD features an audio commentary with director Abel Ferrara that has to be heard to believed. I can safely say that I've never heard a director's commentary like it. A documentary on Ferrara should have been as entertaining but due to the fact that it has no interviews with the director himself, it doesn't quite live up to my expectations. There are a few colorful stories here and there but nothing like what you get on the commentary.

Nice new DVD package
I own the new special edition 2-disc set that includes 2 versions of the film- standard frame and widescreen, and contains the director's audio commentary track voice-over the video portion the film.
The director is a very very sick dude, folks, who hates the police and makes films which accuse the police of being responsible for everything thats bad in this world- both Bad Lieutenant and this film contain the cop haters theme to the max.

What makes this director a nihlistic sick mother is his attitude and language in his commentary (which quite frankly I enjoy!)- during the film his voice-over commentary reveals a sick mind- every woman who appears on the screen is singled out by the director and called a "piece of ..." while other such ditties do not pass unnoticed. This director has a serious mental abberation, a problem which he uses film to work out- hes basically working out his emotional problems by directing very sick films. While I enjoy his choice of language in the commentary and his absolute honesty, I cant help thinking what a sick mother this director is in real life.

The most darkest charecter, Frank White
This is one of Chris Walkens best movie, rated and nomminated for 4 oscars, King of New York is a classic gangstar movie based on 1930s crime caper lifestyle and the hunger of ruling the crime world, Frank who recently is released from the pen, he too has eyes set on dominating the crime world and goes into deep trouble and gang bangs to get to where he is, a grand kingpin.
This movie may be cliche but the storyline is like no other and the acting is what makes this movie great, sure it may be low budget but its a one of a kind and frankly, this is the movie the started all dark crime gangstar movies like Goodfellas and The Untouchables, it deserves props. 10/10. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Proving that he may be the most fearless actor of his or any other generation, Harvey Keitel gives an amazing, no-holds-barred performance in director Abel Ferrara's uncompromising 1992 film about a New York cop on the edge of self-annihilation. The film's title is meant to be taken literally: Keitel's character has no redeeming values whatsoever, save for his desperate need for redemption. Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide is correct in calling this an "over-the-top Catholic guilt movie," but it's been made with such conviction that Ferrara and Keitel transcend the sheer unpleasantness of the material to give it a kind of tragic divinity. Here's a character so vile and corrupted that he consumes or re-sells the drugs he confiscates, but when he's assigned to investigate the brutal rape of a nun who refuses to press charges, he feels that this is his opportunity to redeem his rotten soul. Deservedly rated NC-17 due to its rough content and a frontal nude scene that even Keitel's most loyal fans could do without, this film tends to divide viewers into love-it-or-hate-it categories, but few could deny its raw power and the deeply anguished humanity that Keitel brings to his role. Whatever your reaction may be, few would deny this is an unforgettable film. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (61)

How can you forgive that...
I had heard, by word of mouth over the years, that "Bad Lieutenant" was truly extraordinary, but nothing could really prepare me for the sheer visceral impact of the film, or the electrifying, career best performance, given by Harvey Keitel, in fact I watched the film 3 days ago, and have deliberately waited 'til now to write this review.

After much thought I have to say that "Bad Lieutenant" really is a monstrous train-wreck of a movie, but what keeps you watching, utterly mesmerized, unable to look away for an instant, is Keitel's performance as the titular character. He's never given a name in the film, or even in the credits, he's just the "Lieutenant," and "Bad?" "Bad" doesn't even begin to describe this guy, as the front of the DVD case puts it, "Gambler. Thief. Junkie. Killer. Cop."

After surviving on the mean streets of New York for 20 years, he has seen, and pretty well done, it all; the "Lieutenant" is a man who exists in a nihilistic Hell of his own making, and we watch as he roars headlong towards his own destruction, along the way, plumbing the very depths of abject human depravity.

A lapsed Catholic, he is still wracked by guilt for the truly awful deeds he commits, whether it's doing and/or selling drugs, booze, sex, gambling, thieving, killing, the "Lieutenant" is a soul in torment. Unable to find a way out, he is sinking deeper and deeper into a morass of yet MORE drugs, MORE booze, MORE bets he can't cover, and more, meaningless, cold, emotionless, and depraved, sexual acts.

Yet somewhere deep inside this blasted shell of a man, there still exists a spark of humanity, so lost in the wretched, savage squalor of