History Film / KingOfNewYork

* KillEmAll: [[spoiler:Every notable character ends up dying, including Frank's entire gang, the police detectives trying to catch him, and even Frank himself.]]

A [[TheNineties 1990]] gangster film, directed by the legendary Creator/AbelFerrara. The film stars Creator/ChristopherWalken, [[Creator/LaurenceFishburne Laurence "Larry" Fishburne]], Creator/VictorArgo, and Creator/GiancarloEsposito and features (in the first major screen roles for each) Creator/DavidCaruso and Creator/WesleySnipes. Though initially panned by critics for its enthusiastic use of violent and sexual images and its "glorification" of criminal activity, the film carved out a niche audience among fans of gangster movies and rap, and is today considered a classic example of 1990s crime cinema.

** Jimmy has these moments. He even goes to a restaurant to provide some money for a family.

* APartyAlsoKnownAsAnOrgy: Frank and company throw one right before it all goes to hell, with plenty of cocaine, naked dancing ladies, and [=80=] hip hop.

* PetTheDog: Frank's hospital project. Jimmy hands out money to an impoverished woman and her grandchildren at a restaurant, right before getting busted for a double homicide.

* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Every woman given more than two cumulative minutes of screen time will get in Frank's pants. Or Jimmy's pants. Or both.
* AmoralAttorney: Played straight with Frank's attorney Abe. Averted with his ''other'' attorney Jennifer, who only represents him because she's in love with him.

* AssholeVictim: Tito and Artie Clay.
* TheAtoner: Frank is a very strange example, bordering on a subversion. He does want to do good after a lifetime of crime but he never really changes his behavior, just directing towards a different cause, and he makes clear he doesn't feel remorse for many of the people he's killed who he claims were much worse than he was.

%%* BloodFromTheMouth

* BolivianArmyEnding: Subverted. [[spoiler:The film ends with drug kingpin Frank White having just gone on a revengeous cop-killing rampage, bleeding to death in the back of a cab as hordes of alerted policemen descend on his location. The last shot of the film is Frank dying of his wounds and dropping his gun right before the inevitable shoot-out.]]

%%* CarFu

* DisappearingBullets: The main character ambushes [[spoiler: David Caruso's DirtyCop]] as he's starting his car outside a funeral. A shotgun blast graphically blows the victim's entire head off, splattering the windshield and the passenger side window with gore. Neither windshield nor window shatters, although the windshield is somewhat justified (Walken shot from his car window and through Caruso's lowered window, so one can assume that the pellets didn't spread enough or whatever).

* GigglingVillain: Jimmy really loves to laugh everytime.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Gilley and Flanigan can be nice guys when not on the job as the wedding scene shows.

* LeanAndMean: Frank. Look [[Creator/ChristopherWalken who he's played by]].

* ManOfWealthAndTaste: Frank, since he is a high-ranking gangster.

* MurderIsTheBestSolution: Frank and Jimmy think so. So do Gilley and Flanigan.
* MutualKill: [[spoiler:Frank and Bishop at the end.]]
%%* OddCouple: Frank and Jimmy.

* OnlySaneMan: Bishop is the only New York cop in the film that isn't corrupt.
* APartyAlsoKnownAsAnOrgy: Frank and company throw one right before it all goes to hell.

* SawedOffShotgun: Frank uses one to [[spoiler:reduce Gilley's head to [[ChunkySalsaRule the consistency of chunky salsa]]]].

* CrapsackWorld: The police are powerless to stop drug dealers who in turn have to spend their days dodging bullets, evil men cannot be reasoned with, only destroyed, anyone who believes in a cause or moral crusade will die for their idealism and in a world of evil, crooked but well-meaning cops and cold-blooded philanthropists are the best anyone can hope for. And for Ferrara, this is upbeat.

* CrapsackWorld: The police are powerless to stop drug dealers who in turn have to spend their days dodging bullets, evil men cannot be reasoned with, only destroyed, anyone who believes in a cause or moral crusade will die for their idealism, redemption is impossible for anyone who strives for it and in a world of evil, crooked but well-meaning cops and cold-blooded philanthropists are the best anyone can hope for. And for Ferrara, this is upbeat.

* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans

** Frank too. He wants to build a multi-ethnic crime syndicate to build hospitals for the poor and needy.

** Jimmy has these moments. He even goes

%%* AffablyEvil:
%%** Frank.
%%** Jimmy has his moments too.

%%* DaChief: Bishop.

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:Practically everyone is killed, and Frank's hope's of redemption go unfulfilled]].
%%* TheDragon: Jimmy for Frank.

%%* GigglingVillain: Jimmy

%%* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Gilley and Flanigan.
%%* HeterosexualLifePartners:
%%** Frank and Jimmy.
%%** Gilley and Flanigan too.

%%* OnlySaneMan: Bishop.

%%* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Bishop.

%%* TheStoolPigeon: [[spoiler:Joey Dalesio]].

%%* TheTriadsAndTheTongs: Larry Wong.
%%* TrueCompanions: Frank and his crew.
%%* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans
%%* VillainProtagonist: Frank and Jimmy, all the way.

%%* WellIntentionedExtremist:
%%** Gilley and Flanigan.
%%** Frank too.

A [[TheNineties 1990]] gangster film, directed by the legendary Creator/AbelFerrara. The film stars Creator/ChristopherWalken, [[Creator/LaurenceFishburne Laurence "Larry" Fishburne]], Creator/VictorArgo, and Creator/GiancarlorEsposito and features (in the first major screen roles for each) Creator/DavidCaruso and Creator/WesleySnipes. Though initially panned by critics for its enthusiastic use of violent and sexual images and its "glorification" of criminal activity, the film carved out a niche audience among fans of gangster movies and rap, and is today considered a classic example of 1990s crime cinema.

A [[TheNineties 1990]] gangster film, directed by the legendary Creator/AbelFerrara. The film stars Creator/ChristopherWalken, [[Creator/LaurenceFishburne Laurence "Larry" Fishburne]] and Creator/VictorArgo, and features (in the first major screen roles for each) Creator/DavidCaruso and Creator/WesleySnipes. Though initially panned by critics for its enthusiastic use of violent and sexual images and its "glorification" of criminal activity, the film carved out a niche audience among fans of gangster movies and rap, and is today considered a classic example of 1990s crime cinema.

%%* TheMafia: Arty Clay.

%%* ManOfWealthAndTaste: Frank again.

%%* MoralMyopia: Both Frank and Gilley are guilty of this.

%%* MutualKill: [[spoiler:Frank and Bishop at the end.]]

* PayEvilUntoEvil: some of the villains of this movie are really evil. And thus their downfall is going to be what they reap. Tito, who prostituted girls. Artie Clay, who exploited his workers.

* BigRottenApple: New York in the movie is shown to be a crime-ridden hellhole which isn't too far from RealLife considering that the crime rates in the city were still relatively high until Rudy Giuliani was elected mayor in 1994 and helped curb crime across the city.

* BlackAndGrayMorality: Frank is a ruthless drug dealer and cold-blooded murderer who is working towards a noble end and genuinely trying to change. The police are correct when they say its obscene how Frank can get away with murder but are willing to break those same laws to catch him. The victims of Frank's reign are despicable individuals though, who engaged in vile activities such as child prostitution and scamming illegal immigrants.

A [[TheNineties 1990]] gangster film, directed by the legendary Creator/AbelFerrara. The film stars Creator/ChristopherWalken, [[Creator/LaurenceFishburne "Larry" Fishburne]] and Creator/VictorArgo, and features (in the first major screen roles for each) Creator/DavidCaruso and Creator/WesleySnipes. Though initially panned by critics for its enthusiastic use of violent and sexual images and its "glorification" of criminal activity, the film carved out a niche audience among fans of gangster movies and rap, and is today considered a classic example of 1990s crime cinema.

* BulletsDoNotWorkThatWay: The main character ambushes [[spoiler: David Caruso's DirtyCop]] as he's starting his car outside a funeral. A shotgun blast graphically blows the victim's entire head off, splattering the windshield and the passenger side window with gore. Neither windshield nor window shatters, although the windshield is somewhat justified (Walken shot from his car window and through Caruso's lowered window, so one can assume that the pellets didn't spread enough or whatever).

A [[TheNineties 1990]] gangster film, directed by the legendary Creator/AbelFerrara. The film stars Creator/ChristopherWalken, [[Creator/LaurenceFishburne "Larry" Fishburne]] and Victor Argo, and features (in the first major screen roles for each) Creator/DavidCaruso and Creator/WesleySnipes. Though initially panned by critics for its enthusiastic use of violent and sexual images and its "glorification" of criminal activity, the film carved out a niche audience among fans of gangster movies and rap, and is today considered a classic example of 1990s crime cinema.

* KillEmAll: [[spoiler:Every named character ends up dying, including Frank's entire criminal empire, the police detectives trying to catch him, and even Frank himself.]]

* BolivianArmyEnding: Subverted. [[spoiler:The film ends with drug kingpin Frank White having gone on a revengeous cop-killing rampage, bleeding to death in the back of cab as hordes of alerted policemen descend on his location. The last shot of the film is Frank dying of his wounds and dropping his gun right before the inevitable shoot-out.]]

** Frank becomes increasingly unhinged as his criminal empire starts collapsing around him, proceeding to murder cops in broad daylight, ranting at the police captain pursuing him about how everyone he killed had it coming, holding an innocent woman hostage, and finally [[spoiler:dying in the backseat of a taxi from a previously sustained gunshot wound while surrounded by cops gathered to arrest him.]]

* RabidCop: Gilley and Flanigan decide to go after Frank White and his gang guns blazing after the legal system fails them.

%%* RabidCop: Gilley and Flanigan.

** Frank becomes increasingly unhinged when his criminal empire starts collapsing around him, proceeding to murder cops in broad daylight, ranting at the police captain pursuing him about how everyone he killed had it coming, holding an innocent woman hostage, and finally [[spoiler:dying in the backseat of a taxi from a previously sustained gunshot wound while surrounded by cops gathered to arrest him.]]

** Frank becomes increasingly unhinged when his criminal empire starts collapsing around him, proceeding to murder cops in broad daylight, ranting at the police captain pursuing him about how everyone he killed had it coming, and finally [[spoiler:dying in the backseat of a taxi from a previously sustained gunshot wound while surrounded by cops gathered to arrest him.]]