And
now... the-good-men and WOmen at
Arrow Video bring... King-of-New-York - Abel Ferrara’s urban
re-work-ing of the Robin Hood legend... to Blu-RAY.
Yeah, uh,
I won’t write like Christopher Walken ever again. Ahem.
The Film
Frank
White (Walken), a powerful crime lord, is released from prison intent on helping New York for once in his life. White
sets his sights on renovating a hospital for one of the city’s most run down
areas, but he’ll only have the funds to do so when all his criminal competition
has been violently disposed of. As the body count rises, a squad of corrupt
cops seek to put White back behind bars for good, setting the stage for a
bloody showdown between both sides of the law.
Sitting
right at the film’s centre like a gangly spider is Walken himself. Frank White
could well be his best role to date, such is the level of icy menace Walken
imbues him with. He’s ably supported by Lawrence (Larry) Fishburne as White’s
hyperactive right hand man, Jimmy Jump, who acts as a manic foil to Walken’s
cool mystique.
There
are no “good guys” in King of New York,
which makes Team Police all the more interesting. Victor Argo, David Caruso and
Wesley Snipes are devoted to bringing White down whatever the cost, regardless
of their blue-collar nature. Whether or not they’re morally reprehensible is up
for you to decide, and questions over just who the real “bad guys” are soon
arise.
New
York itself is also something of a character. The film was apparently inspired
by The Terminator, and these roots
can be seen in the moody, night time cinematography that brings out those rawer
qualities you’d expect from an Abel Ferrara (of Driller Killer fame) movie. Combine that with an eerie score, and
you’ve got a totally atmospheric production.
King
is a far more action-packed affair than most of its ilk. While Scarface and friends often run up to
three hours in length, Ferrara’s film clocks in at a much tighter 103 minutes,
so the violence comes thick and fast across several expertly handled action sequences
(Fishburne going nuts while dual-wielding pistols is an absolute highlight, as
is a car chase over the Queensboro Bridge).
I’m
not exactly sure where King of New York
stands in the pantheon of crime films, but given its energetic combination of
terrific performances and gratuitous ultra-violence, all set against the
sleaziest of backdrops, it’s got to be one of the most outright entertaining entries.
The Disc
One
of these days, I should review a genuine DNR disaster (hey, I hear Predator’s going pretty cheap these days).
Sadly, Arrow’s latest release features a visible, well handled grain structure
and plenty of detail, meaning I can’t complain too much. While medium shots
convey a pleasant enough level of fine detail, most close-ups are absolutely
striking. Add in a real sense of depth, and Walken’s remorseless visage has
never looked so unnerving.
Colours
also impress. Skin tones never look glaringly unnatural, while blood splatters
the walls with rich enthusiasm. One scene, set in a dingy nightclub and lit
entirely in blue, would be a prime contender for colour bleeding, but the picture
remains stable throughout.
It’s
funny... the pasty blacks of Demons
came under heavy fire, but Arrow appear to have done a complete 180 here. Deep,
dark, inky etc. with nary a compression artefact to be found, King is mightily impressive in this
department. I wouldn’t completely rule out black crush, but I also wouldn’t bother
looking for any.
Nor
should you go searching for edge enhancement, because there’s virtually none of
that either. This is a clean, natural-looking transfer that easily bests any
previous releases.
Audio
wise, the film’s Stereo track is perfect. Strong, clear and precise – it’s a
faithful rendition of how King was
always meant to be heard. One or two lines of dialogue are barely comprehendible,
but that’s no fault of the disc (and can be easily rectified via the quick
application of subtitles).
The
5.1 DTS-HD track is... another story, however. I read a few horror stories
concerning earlier DVD versions featuring terrible audio, and it seems as
though that infamous mix has made a return. It’s a mess – the exact opposite of
the stereo track, and it’s almost as though there’s one of those
industrial-sized hand dryers you find in public toilets blowing throughout the
whole thing. Worryingly, this is the disc’s default track, so remember to switch
it over before starting the film.
But
barring the 5.1 misfire, I’d go out on a limb and state that King is by far Arrow’s best presentation
to date. A pat on the back to all involved, and for the love of all that is
cute and fluffy, PLEASE don’t mess up Zombie
Flesh Eaters.
Onto
the extra features, and they’re virtually all about Ferrara. There’s a brand
new interview with the man himself that runs for almost thirty minutes. This
one is particularly revealing. He takes a gruff and sincere look back at a
period of filmmaking that clearly doesn’t exist anymore. And amidst all the
factoids and anecdotes, you can even devise a fatal drinking game around how
often Ferrara says “you know”.
A Short Film about the
Long Career of Abel Ferrara is a lengthy documentary in which
his past collaborators discuss their work with the independent director, while Abel Ferrara: Not Guilty is a feature
length doco that presents Abel at his most... Ferrariest.
Ferrara
also pops up on one of the two featured audio commentaries. His chat track is
surly to the extreme (telling us outright that he’s been paid five thousand
dollars to record it), but certainly an entertaining listen (he gets very
excited during Steve Buscemi’s brief appearances). Meanwhile, the second commentary
is a chatty and enjoyable affair with several key crew members.
An
interview with producer Augusto Caminito is the only other totally Abel-free
extra. This is a relaxed account of King’s
development that reveals its Italian connections, and the often memorable experiences
had while working with Ferrara and Walken.
Then
there’re the obligatory trailers, a neat little booklet, and some excellent new
artwork by Tom “The Dude Designs” Hodge that looks especially great on this very
purple SteelBook edition.
Verdict
Again, if we ignore the 5.1 track, this has got to be Arrow’s best work. Hardcore fans will
be ecstatic when they pop King of New
York in, and once done with the film, there’s a meaty selection of extras
to plough through.
It
helps that the film is great, too.
No comments:
Post a Comment