One Eyed King (2001) User Reviews (12)

Not That Bad

[tarbosh22000 · 6/10 · 24 September 2004]

This movie came out on 2001 but it just has been released on video in 2004.

William Baldwin plays a guy who wants to bring his low level gangster buddies back to reality like having a wife or children, but instead his friends deal drugs and commit other crimes under the watch of Holly (Armand Assante)This is a pretty good movie, but it does have weaknesses like: The editing of some scenes (most of the flashbacks) come at the wrong time and it's confusing. Other that that all the performances are pretty decent. The stand out is Armand Assante as Holly. Holly seems like a nice guy but if you double cross him he'll kill you in a heartbeat. Assante does an excellent job, bringing out the psycho aspects of the character. Overall, the movie is worth seeing.

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Predictable...Too Long....and Too Much Narration

[caspian1978 · 6 November 2004]

For a movie shot on High-Def Video, it's not bad. For a movie shot on HD-DV and with a cast including Chazz Palminteri, Armand Assante and William Baldwin, it ain't that bad. Still, this is far from a great movie. Some scenes are well shot while others look like they shot on Mini-DV tape. The acting is at best, amateur. Then again, the movie flows every time Armand Assante is talking. The best part of the movie was a surprise role played by comedian Jim Breuer. He is total comic relief, still, he is treated like a supporting actor and is only in 1/4 of the movie. Still, his addition to the cast is great. Too long for a movie that is predictable. The narration was not needed and the movie should have ran a little over 90 minutes instead of the 1 hour and 5 minutes. By 90 minutes, half the audience has already given up on wanting to know how the movie ends because the narration gives it away in the start of the movie. Plus, the roof top scene takes away any notion that these two friends are going to remain friends. In ways, the narration tried to be more of a Goodfellas voice over, and failed. An OK film, a step in the good direction for those film makers who want to shoot on HD-DV.

Watch The Godfather for the 456th time and you have your time spent meaningfully.

[Joepoejon · 2/10 · 14 April 2011]

Another mob movie based in new york..very few have succeeded at it. This one bites more than it can chew, and gets choked in the middle and dies. The narration starts like it is the history of the gangs of NY-with the civil war,and ends in the 90s..and thats where the story begins. Seriously??!What are we supposed to expect...?! Never has a movie aspired to be so much and delivered so little. The movie is lost from the start - its got too many characters, too many settings,everybody has an angle on everything...it all adds up to nothing in the end. Five guys were hustlers from when they were 10, but now do not have access to a handgun?! Therefore Dennis got to steal a canoe to pay for one? As I said, it doesn't add up. The side stories make no sense - Frankie's sister(the elongated wedding was unncessary),then Helen who does a about face in a cab,the union scenes(where was that going?!),the hundreds of thousands of bars that they hang out in(I know they all gotta be cool like that)...feels like this movie wants to tell the entire new york irish mob story in less two hours - and it fails. Nothing happens until a predictable end(howz that for a story line?). Save your time, and watch one of the Godfather movies for the 456th time and you have your time spent meaningfully

OK story, Great Cast

[ShutUpLars · 7/10 · 13 February 2009]

OK, so it's no "State of Grace", so it's no "Departed". Let's suspend the need to compare it to other movies about the Irish mob, or what it's like in urban Irish-American neighborhoods. The story is a little scattered, and it's a little hard to believe that Helen spends so much time resenting Frankie and then just does a complete 360 and wants to be with him. What stands out here is the cast. Armand Assante and Chazz Palminteri, while maybe a little mis-cast, turn in some impressive performances. These actors make you forget they're not really Irish (even though their characters are supposed to be)because they're so good at what they do. William Baldwin certainly shows some versatility, Connie Britton (who you may remember from Brothers McMullen) really makes you believe her heartbreak, and maybe a surprise to some of you is the scene stealing performance from Jim Breuer, as the least tainted member of the "brotherhood" who's girlfriend gets pregnant. He ends up as a hysterical deer-in-the-headlights when confronted by her father and the parish priest.

This movie is at least worth a rental.

good film

[JOROB32849 · 8/10 · 11 July 2005]

good story, great cast, good acting---a low budget sleeper---Baldwin good, Assante great as ever and Leo Rossi in a good supporting role---some of the best parts played by relative unknowns---and Jason Gedrick as a junkie???

---who would have thought---but it works---made in 2001,sat on the shelf too long---just as good as Sean Penn's movie about the Westies---a poor man's "mean streets"--Chaz Palmentierri is great as the neighborhood cop, --- i think that they could have beefed up his part a little more, but his performance is solid as ever--a new york guy for a new york role---i think that the exteriors were shot right in hell's kitchen---good ending ties up the story--well done

The Twin Towers were still up

[Dr_Coulardeau · 8/10 · 8 June 2008]

The Irish in Hell's Kitchen, New York, maybe but rather in Satan's brine of a brain. Five kids swear to be friends forever but they want to get the moon without working their backside too hard. So they do small mediocre little deals under the complacent and tolerant eyes of the local Irish gang-leader and the local Irish police inspector. What happens is the natural consequence of that mediocrity. One of the five will one day dream big and go to the gang-leader who will see him as a competitor, so the gang-leader will trick him into a complete funky flunk and one will be killed by another, and a third one will commit suicide and a fourth one will have to have a bloody fight with the gang-leader under the protective eye of the cop for the cop finally to clean up the place in the most ineffective way possible: by terminating the gangster with a good old police bullet. And the other tricked one will finally pass justice over himself and jump from the roof. One will survive happily married and the other one will escape with the sister of the first one who got killed. More melodramatic you die. Sickening by excess. This vision of Irish crime or Irish police work or even Irish love does not compare with the nearly mundane bel canto of the mafia, or the rustic gory pitiless vociferations of the Russian or the Georgian mafias, or even the sly treacherous vicious praying mills of those who lock themselves in some kind of exclusive religion, no matter which, Christians Born Again or Islamic Fundamentalism or yoga transcendentalism. The film in other words sounds pretty critical of the Irish, if not plainly racist towards them: they are not even able to be good gangsters exploiting their brothers and sisters.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines

This is an excellent movie about the trials of real life friendships.

[jacksonbailey · 10/10 · 28 January 2003]

One Eyed King is an excellent portrayal of real life in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen. It is filled with truth about love and loyalty. Not only is the film full of action and suspense, but it is also fill with warmth and laughter.

New York , coming of age without a cause in the mob.

[rlh974 · 30 July 2011]

This movie might have been enjoyable if the dialog was intelligible but between the marble mouthed delivery of most of the male cast and the intrusive background noise it was nearly impossible to follow what the characters were saying.

I appreciate the chiaroscuro aspects of the photography but this film takes noir into the heart of darkness. A good part of the action and some critical scenes are shot under the light of the new moon.

When there is no light at all I suppose there's no need for players, sets or crew except for the sound people and we've already dealt with them.

just saw it - loved it!

[bsquared212 · 10/10 · 28 January 2005]

one eyed king was wonderful. story, casting, genre, acting - all of it. Baldwin, palminteri, assante, Kirby, mihok, gedrick - all terrific. it's a definite recommend. hell's kitchen, the Irish in new york - couldn't be more real and appealing. i would love to see these guys working together more often. great energy, great chemistry. Baldwin has worked with gedrick before but those two with Kirby, chazz and assante -look out! very cool. director moresco has it going on too. you can tell this guy has a great film or two in him. congratulations on his recent success - million dollar baby. should kick some butt at the Oscars this year. Jim breuer does some fun work in this too. he's got a hell of a lot more going on here then just goat boy - that's for sure.

watch this movie and create you're own opinion, 'cause its the only one that counts

[xxseeingredxx · 9/10 · 15 November 2005]

I am very disappointed that a lot of people are bashing this film. I thought it was great. I mean, sure the picture quality wasn't in its prime but it gives it character. I very much enjoyed the directors choice of narration and overall order of the story. For those who think its too long, i have to say, calm down. Appreciate the movie for what it is, its not going to change. The reason this movie seems slow and drawn out is because most movies have so much crammed into 90 minutes which creates a loss of patience for other movies. I generally enjoy any movie that Chazz Palminteri is involved with, and this is no exception. I thought Jim Breuer was a nice touch, and i was impressed with William Baldwin. I gladly recommend this movie to all. Don't just take my word for it, watch it. Who knows maybe you'll like it.

Bad Dialog, Bad Acting, and a BORING story.

[no_spm_brazil · 7 April 2006]

Not even worth the price of a rental. This movie stunk, from the acting to the cinematography. I rented this hoping that if was a fraction as good as Goodfellows, it might be worth watching; especially since there aren't many good movies about the Irish mafia.

The narrator started off by stating how notoriously mean these "Westies" were, but they certainly were not anything special in this movie. Yeah, a couple of action scenes with cliché tough talk, but mostly just bad dialog and dancing, riddled with a few fist fights with too much fake blood. Watching William Baldwin try to "act" the tough guy is like watching Lisa Lampanelli act sexy (no offense to Lisa!). Baldwin was just horrible, as was Jim Breuer(Half Baked), was that supposed to be a joke? I could go on, but it would just be waste of time.

I give it a 2/10, just because there are some movies that are worse.

damn good sleeper, check it out !

[wmjahn · 8/10 · 19 May 2008]

Yes, the cast and the movie are damn good. I just watched it a few days ago, not expecting much, but I was pretty surprised. Interesting engrossing story, great acting, this is a little cheaply made but well directed and superbly played sleeper, it will get its followers.

NOT as good as STATE OF GRACE, but also not that much worse.

Recently I saw for example the re-make of ASSAULT ON PRECINT 13, which is utterly awful, as worse as it can get.

Compared to junk like this ONE EYED KING is a real treat, something to look out for and certainly enjoy.

I even found it better - because of being more realistic - than the high-speed Marin Scorsese junk "THE DEPARTED", which won Oscars for delivering hardly anything.

Nice little gem, this ONE EYED KING !