Time Writer | Minamino
Cult movie gluttony.
Stallone, who is nearly eighty years old, is once again in battle, playing a ruthless and humorous mafia boss, while "starting a new business" in a small western town, while teaching the underworld juniors to learn to be a man.
This is the second season of the American drama "King of Tulsa", which was launched not long ago.
The second season of "King of Tulsa".
When the show premiered in 2022, it was quite popular, not only getting good ratings on the Paramount Network, attracting 3.7 million viewers, surpassing the "Game of Thrones" spin-off "Dragon Family", but also attracting a large number of new user registrations when the Paramount+ platform was launched.
Fans of the show are interested not only in whether Sylvester Stallone is old and can still fight, but also wants to see what opponents the underworld ruthless will encounter in the new season and what methods he will use.
Elderly thugs in suits
The background of the story of "King of Tulsa" reveals a little sadness.
Dwight, the legendary leader of the mafia played by Stallone, in order to hide the truth about the crime for the gang, resisted the crime alone and ate 25 years in prison.
By the time he was released from prison, Dwight was in his late teens, abandoned by his family and his time. He thought that the gang would give a generous compensation and arrange a fat difference, but he didn't expect that he would be sent to the wild western city of Tulsa, and he had to fight his way out of the bloody road.
But Stallone did not play this gangster veteran as lonely, but was in good spirits and full of joy.
In the first season, Dwight relied on years of gangster methods and accurate judgment of human nature to quickly expand his territory, not only accepting a group of loyal subordinates, but also gaining a firm foothold and a rich foundation.
Among them, there are not only cute shopkeepers who run a marijuana business and are proficient in network code, but also bar owners who are free and easy and have extraordinary skills, and black guys who have first-class car skills and are not afraid of tigers as newborn calves. To put it simply, when Dwight formed a gang in Tulsa, he was eclectic and talent-based.
On this basis, Dwight has repeatedly shown his powers.
He first foiled the assassination plot of his old club, the Invernizi family in New York, and then took down the Black Gravel Gang, the land snake in Tulsa, and took marijuana, casinos, bars, etc., into his own hands.
However, blessings and misfortunes lurk. Dwight thought everything was all right and became the king of Tulsa from then on, but his former trusted detective lover Stacy betrayed him and sent Dwight to prison.
However, for Dwight, a repeat offender, he was released on bail shortly after the start of the second season, further strengthening the original criminal empire.
In the new season, Dwight will not only face more ferocious revenge from the Invernizi family, but more importantly, because of his expansion plan, he will move the cake of the other bigwigs, putting him in a situation of being attacked on the back.
Neil · MacDonald's ruthless Shreiser, as well as another new underworld character, will be Dwight's fierce rival this season.
Not only that, some of Dwight's subordinates were also gradually dissatisfied, and Oman, an old subordinate who had been dead to him, saw that his wife and children were leaving, and he had to "pay tribute" to Dwight every month, and shake his face directly in front of the latter.
It is not difficult to see that compared to the first season, where it was easy to deal with all parties and quickly establish a gangster kingdom, Dwight's road in the new season will be more tortuous and bumpy.
Elderly hot-blooded + western gangsters
Compared with traditional gangster film and television dramas, the most conspicuous thing about "King of Tulsa" is the contrast in the actor Dwight.
He can skillfully quote famous sentences from "The Art of War" and passages from Wilde's poetry, like a wise man with a strategic strategy and deep affection, and has an overt or implicit influence on the people around him; will be on a tense occasion, relying on his fists to do things directly, without dragging his feet.
The parallel style of civil and military is more reflected in his physique and dress. His broad and upright shoulders, coupled with a pair of hard chest muscles, even if he is old, can't stop Dwight's gangsterism and domineering - this is of course due to Stallone's own charm.
On the other hand, the short-fitting suit and crocodile leather shoes make this old-school mafia have the decent elegance of high society, and the affinity is comparable to that of an English gentleman.
Physique and temperament are just Dwight's face, and he can kill decisively and conquer cities in his twilight years, which is his low-key and clever lining.
When we see how Dwight made a marijuana shop pay tribute in the simplest and most intimidating way in front of the black guy, and in a few words, won the hearts of the people, and made the bar owners and Indians work for themselves, we will feel the unique charm of this old blood.
The charm also comes from the mix and match of genres, Westerns, gangster films, and even "Fast and Furious"-style crime action movies, all of which are more or less reflected in this show.
It can be said that Dwight is the cowboy who has come from afar to save a herd of lost lambs in the western city of Tulsa.
The black guy is living a messy life, and he is tired of the boring life day after day; Oman, a retired member of the mafia, although his wife and children are on his side and his job is stable, he has to be patient with his bastard neighbors who offend him; The owner of the bar was guilty of a criminal record, and he thought that he could not find a close friend, so he could only perfunctory his life.
It was the arrival of Dwight that allowed the black brother to find a rush in life, freed Oman from his pocket, and made the bar owner meet good friends. To put it bluntly, this is a modified version of the Western, and Dwight is not saving the lives of this group of people, but their souls that have been tarnished by the modern city.
So, these people without Italy blood became brothers and started a career like the "family members" in the "Fast and Furious" series.
This hybrid look and feel makes "King of Tulsa" quite fresh, more interesting than a single gangster movie, a western and a crime action movie.
But in the handling of the relationship between the characters and the excavation of the theme level, this drama seems perfunctory and lacks emotion. The conflict between Dwight and his old club, the Invernizi family, did not create any decent tension from beginning to end. Whether it is Qi Qi's coveting and framing of Dwight by the new leader, or Dwight's revenge on them, it is like a straight-up middle school second teenager fighting.
And the blood relatives within the mafia have had a more touching expression in the classic drama "The Sopranos" with the same theme.
Further, the problem with "King of Tulsa" is that it puts the battle in an amazing position, and exaggerates Dwight's ability beyond measure, but when it really comes to intrigue, the tension immediately weakens, and the emotions dissipate immediately.
The second resurgence of the old-school tough guy?
In recent years, a series of movies starring Stallone cannot be said to have failed all, but it can only be said that they have become more and more boring.
"Golden Cicada 2: Hades", "Samaria" and "The Expendables 4: The Final Chapter", the reputation of these films has all collapsed. Stallone also wants to attract audiences with the signs of the past, but this is no longer the golden age of action movies.
What people want to see more is how the former top tough guys adapt to the ever-changing times? Is it the concept of the conservative old school, how to deal with the ancient rivers and lakes of people's hearts?
"King of Tulsa" is undoubtedly Stallone's life-saving pill. Although this is his first episode, he has done quite well.
Twenty-five years in prison corresponds to Stallone's Hollywood action superstars, 25 years of obscurity; Being exiled by the mafia to a small western town is also the transformation dilemma that Stallone is currently in. So when watching this drama, Dwight's various discomforts just correspond to Stallone's realistic state of mind. This point makes people look very emotional.
However, the clever adaptation of Sylvester Stallone and "King of Tulsa" is not an accident, but the handiwork of Paramount+'s master trader - Taylor · Sheridan.
You know, the reason why the "Yellowstone" series exploded is closely related to the old superstar Kevin · Costner. It was the vicissitudes of Costner's temperament and old-school style in his twilight years that made the old cowboy in the small screen stand.
This operation is also reflected in "1923" starring Harrison · Ford, Sheridan still repeats the "Yellowstone Universe" model, so that the "old superstar + retro West" model once again surprises the audience.
It can be said that the combination of "King of Tulsa" and Stallone is more like another attempt by Sheridan, shifting the genre of dramas from pure western style to gangster fun. For this reason, he hired Terrence · Winter, the ace screenwriter of "The Sopranos" and "Atlantic Empire", to personally write the script for "The King of Tulsa".
Therefore, although the level of the first season is not satisfactory, the charm of Stallone, as well as the overall plot setting of "King of Tulsa", are still quite exciting.
If the second season can strengthen the plot tension and make the relationship between the characters more dramatic, I believe that the potential of "The King of Tulsa" will not be worse than "Yellowstone".
-END-
8.7 points! The final season of the drama, I haven't waited for divorce and lost my independence for two years...... Is this film just a "collection of tragedies"?