Kingpin (2003)

Fresh and Exciting

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

All I have to say is, that this is the best movie I have seen, a movie that actually reflects on what happens when politics are involved. This has nothing to do with Mexican or American, it's all politics people. The same thing takes place here in the United States, but we just don't know it, if it happens in Mexico, it happens in the US too. If the government really wanted to stop drugs from hitting our streets, they have the resources to do so, but why won't they do anything. Why destroy what puts food on there table, if the government stopped everything we wouldn't have the need for so many jobs to supposedly contain the issue. The governments point of view is to create jobs and there you have it, they have to turn a blind eye to keep the unemployed line down. This is my thought!

Score 5/10 As seen on NBC and inexplicably spread over three DVDs, The six hour mini-epic Kingpin is now available to all those who blinked and missed it. Visually stunning with great sets and production values Kingpin certainly looks great. The story is another matter. Scarface minus the Godfather plus American Family then mix thoroughly with network standards and practices and you really have a mess. The story cries for more sex and violence. The acting is a mixed bag with Yancey Arias giving a great performance as the head guy. Sheryl Lee chewing scenery as his shrewish Anglo wife and most embarrassingly Brian Benben hopelessly miscast as an indebted mule/plastic surgeon. Yep it is Nip/Tuck meets The Shield without the grittiness of either series as well as a lot of unsubtitled Spanish to wade through. After you watch the first twenty minutes you will say to yourself hey this is really cool. Do yourself a favor and turn off the TV. It is the only way to preserve the feeling.

I gotta to say I'm very impressed with this mini-series. I never knew there was a mini-series but I borrowed a DVD series from a friend of mine. When my girlfriend and I watched it, it was very packed with tension moments and action! My girlfriend happens to be a Mexican and it's another insight for me to see what kind of a life in Mexico could be like. She and I always talked about each series before beginning another one, about what it would happen next. Half the time we'd get it right but each time we were right, two things would go into a completely different direction. This is a very good series! I've got to say, THIS IS A MINI-SERIES TO SEE!!! A must have DVD mini-series!!!! I want to see this on a network program! The last DVD at the end left me hanging and wanting more!!

I watched nearly all of Kingpin and found it OK. Not great, not terrible, just OK. Comparing anything on TV to The Sopranos is like comparing my daughter's 7th grade themes to John Steinbeck or E.B. White. Migi and Marelene could be interesting character ala Tony and Carmela. There is built in tension with their Mexican and American ethnicity, their lust for power but desire to be "respectable," etc. But these character lack the depth and humanity that the bad guys (and girls) have on The Sopranos. Paulie Walnuts on The Sopranos is a thug but an interesting and funny sort of thug who has mother issues. Chato Cadena is just a thug. That, in my opinion, is the biggest difference in the shows.