Last November, Paramount+ released a new crime series starring Sylvester Stallone. It’s hard to believe, but this is the 76-year-old action legend’s first role in a TV series. In the review below, we tell you how the big star feels on the small screen. Spoiler alert – great.
“Tulsa King” / Tulsa King
Genre crime drama
Directors Allen Coulter, Guy Ferland, Ben Semanoff, Ben Richardson, Lodge Kerrigan
In roles Sylvester Stallone, Andrea Savage, Martin Starr, Garrett Hedlund, Barry Corbin
Premiere Paramount+
Graduation year 2022
Site IMDb
The respected New York mafia capor Dwight Manfredi, nicknamed The General, is released after 25 years in prison. Since he once failed to betray the boss and his stupid son, Dwight expects a generous reward. However, he cannot find a place for family affairs in New York and is offered to head a business in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The indignant General understands that he is being unfairly fired. All those cowboy hats, hay trucks, and pastoral landscapes are not at all what he was expecting. But an experienced mafioso understands that there is no other choice but to agree to such humiliating conditions.
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It is good to see that the legendary Sylvester Stallone is not going to retire. After the stories of Rocky Balboa and John Rambo have been successfully completed (although who knows), the actor can focus on roles where his main weapon is experience and amazing charisma, not the volume of biceps or a machine gun.
This is exactly what happens in “King of Tulsa” – a new project by Taylor Sheridan and Terence Winter, which can hardly be called an action movie. Winter worked on the scripts of such outstanding works in the crime genre as “The Sopranos” and “Underground Empire”. And Sheridan is known for writing and directing strong contemporary westerns, including sunny Yellowstone and wintry Windy River.
Thus, the advantages and skills of the showrunners are felt very well in the series. From Winter he inherited the criminal tension and gloom. From Sheridan – an “escape” from the noisy streets of a dusty metropolis into a spacious sunny wasteland with shabby saloons and the smell of horse manure wafting from a nearby ranch. Even in the opening credits, the authors demonstrate the contrast of conventional “cities-villages” thanks to a stylized splash screen.
True, here the screenwriters allow themselves a lighter tone of the story and sometimes include comedy, which you can’t say is inappropriate. The humor is often based on contrasting the dinosaur Manfredi, who has been in the real world for a quarter of a century, with modern reality.
This guy is used to relying on hook power, not a newfangled gadget. Already in the first 10 minutes of the pilot series, the character of Sly knocks out a guy who is clearly upset. “What’s wrong with this world?” – asks the General rhetorically, when he is informed by mail about the lack of a cash settlement.
The King of Tulsa starts out as a typical, dark crime story, but deliberately undercuts its own seriousness. Thanks to the competent comedy component, it is very easy to watch the series, and the moderate timing of the series of 30-35 minutes of pure time does not allow you to get tired of watching.
At the same time, the plot does not turn into some postmodern fun and keeps the tension at a level, and also does not spare the doomed actors. “If a bullet in the forehead is a bullet in the forehead”, as one of the famous characters said.
You shouldn’t expect pensioner fiery action in the style of “The Unstoppable”. The series offers exactly one serious fight and what appear to be two shootouts (one of which takes place to Phil Collins’ immortal In the Air Tonight). Yes, they also pass under the cover of darkness.
After all, the value of the script does not lie in the manifestations of the action. First of all, it is an exciting crime story based on dialogues and the natural charisma of the main star. Grandfather still looks solid and allows himself to flirt with pretty ladies. The small espresso cup looks like a toy in his strong hands.
From the perspective of today’s state of affairs, The King of Tulsa may seem as anachronistic in genre as its protagonist. The plot here is simple, like the stony expression on the face of one of the antagonists, and therefore predictable and does not present any surprises. But this is not necessary, because such projects are not created for the sake of big intrigues or other trends in TikTok.
On the contrary, the series successfully flaunts its old-fashionedness, looks down on dubious youth trends and clearly understands which audience it appeals to.
Once at a work meeting, a young New Yorker, Chandler Bing, allowed himself a few extra minutes of sleep, which forced him to travel to Tulsa against his will. Dwight “General” Manfredi “slept” for 25 years and was also sent to this hole. But, as practice shows, you can find decent entertainment in the state where the wind blows over the plain and the wheat smells sweet.
Pros:
an interesting crime story, a good role of Sylvester Stallone, a good comedy component and, as a result, an easy perception of the series, the perfect timing of the series, which can be “clicked” one after another
Cons:
simplicity and predictability of the plot, a slight sag in the middle of the season, the lack of a decent thief, although the leader of the bikers looks good
Conclusion:
It is customary to say about such projects as “King of Tulsa” that this is a strict male cinema. But this will not be a completely true description, because it is not that strict. The series is ideal for relaxing after a hard day’s work, when you want to relax and distract yourself from everyday affairs
