Review: "Tulsa King" (2022)

A few years back I reviewed a batch of movies about New Yorkers who travel far from the city and get into all kinds of crazy adventures. 

But perhaps the ultimate example of that is the show Tulsa King which I finally caught up on even though it's been streaming on Paramount Plus for a couple of years now.

It has a fun premise: a member of the NYC mafia, just out of 25 years in prison for not ratting out his bosses, is sent to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to establish an organized crime franchise. His job is to shake people down -- or "earn" -- and send his cut back to the bosses in NYC. But, as you might imagine, things get complicated when law enforcement, women, as well as other crime gangs that the mafia hadn't encountered on dealing with emerge -- as well as some unfinished from back home.

The mob guy is named Dwight Manfredi and he's played by a 75-year old Sylvester Stallone. I've never been a huge fan, his movies weren't exactly my thing, he's REALLY good in this -- you forget that behind the muscles and brawn is a hell of a good actor, and he owns the screen as a complex man trying to takeover this town's crime business while also becoming a better man. His pathos is deeply felt. 

A great supporting cast, including the lovely Dana Delaney and other excellent actors, make this show a lot of fun. And you can tell that the writers are having a blast with the culture clash of tough NYC mobsters and Western crime gangs coming into conflict -- while the FBI is hot on their tails. 

It's an entertaining, good time and I reccomend it.