Synopsis
A drug kingpin is released from prison and seeks to take total control of the criminal underworld in order to give back to the community.
Scores
Overall Score
60.2
Popularity Percentile (Year)
75.2%
Box Office Percentile (Year)
33.1%
Review Aggregate
73.8
Critic Consensus
Critic reception is mixed, with 72% of 25 logged reviews marked Fresh. Across reviews, critics repeatedly emphasize character-driven, dark, stylized. Common reservations focus on execution consistency, even when reviewers praise standout elements.
character-drivendarkstylizedgrittyfamily-friendlysuspenseful
Cast
| Cast | Year | Reported Salary | Inflation Adjusted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher Walken | 1990 | $212,000 | $509,000 | (est) |
| Laurence Fishburne | 1990 | $131,000 | $313,000 | (est) |
| David Caruso | 1990 | $98,000 | $236,000 | (est) |
| Victor Argo | 1990 | $80,000 | $193,000 | (est) |
| Wesley Snipes | 1990 | $69,000 | $165,000 | (est) |
| Janet Julian | 1990 | $61,000 | $145,000 | (est) |
| Joey Chin | 1990 | $54,000 | $130,000 | (est) |
| Giancarlo Esposito | 1990 | $49,000 | $119,000 | (est) |
| Paul Calderon | 1990 | $46,000 | $109,000 | (est) |
Aggregated Reviews
Rotten Tomatoes critic score74.0
RT critic review count31
Rotten Tomatoes audience score77.0
RT audience rating count10,000
IMDb rating6.9
IMDb votes46,394
Box Office ?
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | 1990 | $2,554,476 | $6,131,134 |
| International | 1990 | N/A | N/A |
| Worldwide | 1990 | $2,554,476 | $6,131,134 |
Earnings / Profitability
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | |||
| Theatrical Net Revenue | 1990 | $1,277,238 | $3,065,567 |
| Digital Rentals ? | 1990 | N/A | N/A |
| Digital Purchases ? | 1990 | N/A | N/A |
| Physical Rentals ? | 1990 | $14,112,000 | $33,870,961 |
| Physical Purchases ? | 1990 | $7,650,000 | $18,361,171 |
| TV & Streaming Revenue | 1990 | $1,021,790 | $2,452,453 |
| Total Revenues | 1990 | $24,061,028 | $57,750,152 |
| Expenses | |||
| Budget ? | 1990 | $5,000,000 | $12,000,766 |
| Print & Advertising (P&A) ? | 1990 | $1,693,000 (est) | $4,063,459 (est) |
| Participations | 1990 | $962,000 | $2,308,947 |
| Residuals ? | 1990 | $1,650,000 | $3,960,253 |
| Interest & Overhead | 1990 | $1,000,000 | $2,400,153 |
| Total Expenses | 1990 | $10,305,000 | $24,733,578 |
| Movie Net Profit or Loss | 1990 | $13,756,028 | $33,016,574 |
Similar Movies
| Poster | Movie | Year | Match | Overall | Est. Profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Dark Knight | 2008 | Shared genres: 2 | 98.6 | $250,967,539 |
 | The Silence of the Lambs | 1991 | Shared genres: 2 | 97.9 | $117,523,648 |
 | The Dark Knight Rises | 2012 | Shared genres: 2 | 97.3 | $152,583,235 |
 | The Departed | 2006 | Shared genres: 2 | 97.2 | $59,505,050 |
 | Batman Begins | 2005 | Shared genres: 2 | 96.9 | $63,362,148 |