Stallone’s gangster starting over after prison stint in ‘Tulsa King’
As the creator of the “Yellowstone” franchise, Taylor Sheridan’s notions of masculinity are not what you’d call expansive, but instead sit comfortably within the same mold that produced John Wayne and Clint Eastwood. A similar but distinctive brand of masculinity exists in stories about the mob.
With “Tulsa King” on Paramount+, Sheridan teams up with “Sopranos” and “Boardwalk Empire” alum Terence Winter to combine these two archetypes into a single show starring Sylvester Stallone as an aging but still buff New Yorker, fresh out of the joint, who is sent to Tulsa — banished, really, by his Italian American business associates — to establish a money making scheme in Oklahoma. That’s the premise: A Mafioso fish out of water.
So he falls back on what he knows — the drug game — but it comes with a twist, since pot is legalized: He barges into a dispensary and informs the owner (a wet noodle of a guy played by Martin Starr) that he will now be paying protection money whether he likes it or not, to the tune of 20% of his profits.
Sheridan and Winter have given Stallone’s character an unnecessarily fussy moniker: Dwight “The General” Manfredi — his first name a nod to Eisenhower, given to him by his immigrant parents embracing Americana.
There’s something reassuring about Stallone as a screen presence. His is a stardom that has become increasingly rare, but there’s more to it than that. He knows how to carry a story that would be less interesting in other hands, and he understands how to wield his charisma and that low, rumbly voice
in ways that never seem pushy or forced. He can do this sort of thing with style and economy.
So who is Dwight? He’s lonely but motivated to work. Or rather “work,” as defined by organized crime. He’s partial to chivalry and a tailored suit. A gentleman gangster whose fist will make contact if he thinks you’re disrespecting him or the cabbie he hires as his personal driver (Jay Will). At 75, he has been forced to start over. The world may have changed during his time in prison, but certain truths remain the same. He knows that brute force will always get things done.
If “Tulsa King” were a movie from the ’80s or ’90s — and it almost has that sensibility, at least in the pilot — it would make a nice double feature with “Road House” or “My Cousin Vinny.” The edges are harder here. It looks to be shaping up into a never-ending crime saga revolving around the drug trade and the complications therein. Plenty of people liked Netflix’s “Ozark” for the same reason, I’m just not one of them; I think there are other, more interesting stories to tell.
Movies have a clear end goal that emerges — a story with pacing and a solid arc — and I’m not convinced “Tulsa King” can avoid the diminishing returns that tend to plague a TV series where the audience is asked to tag along, waiting and waiting for the endgame to unfurl.
But there’s plenty to like here as well, including the show’s commentary on the barriers that exist for anyone reentering society after a long stint in prison. “This is why people break the law,” Dwight says barely tamping down his frustration, “because they make everything legitimate so friggin’ complicated.”
There’s little that’s visually unexpected here, but the first episode does include a terrific moment when Dwight is cooling his heels in a Long Island kitchen somewhere, waiting for an audience with his crime boss, and we get a glimpse of Stallone’s face reflected in a row of chef ’s knives stuck to a magnetic board. It’s a clever shot, and the intimation of violence comes through loud and clear.
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Repertory Dance Theatre’s Nutcracker:
Dec. 3-4, Miller Symphony Hall, Allentown. 610-432-6715, millersymphonyhall.org
Straight No Chaser:
Dec. 3, The State Theatre, Easton. statetheatre.org
Cirque Musica:
Dec. 4, The State Theatre, Easton. statetheatre.org
A Christmas Carol: Dec. 9, The State Theatre, Easton. statetheatre.org
Every Christmas Story Ever Told: Dec. 9-18, Civic Theatre, Allentown. civictheatre.com
Eric Mintel Quartet:
Dec. 9, Miller Symphony Hall, Allentown. 610-432-6715, millersymphonyhall.org
Top of the World: A Carpenter’s Tribute:
Dec. 11, The State Theatre, Easton. statetheatre.org
Nutcracker! Magic of Christmas Ballet:
Dec. 13, The State Theatre, Easton. statetheatre.org
Westminster concert Bell Choir:
Dec. 16, Zoellner Arts Center, Bethlehem. 610-7582787, zoellnerartscenter.org.
Allentown Symphony Orchestra: Holiday Pops:
Dec. 17, Miller Symphony Hall, Allentown. 610-432-6715, millersymphonyhall.org
Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox: Dec. 17, Zoellner Arts Center, Bethlehem. 610758-2787, zoellnerartscenter. org.
Christmas with the Celts:
Dec. 18, Zoellner Arts Center, Bethlehem. 610-758-2787, zoellnerartscenter.org.
The Wizards of Winter:
Dec. 18, The State Theatre, Easton. statetheatre.org
Peepsfest: Dec. 30-31,
SteelStacks, Bethlehem. steelstacks.org
PA Farm Show:
Jan. 7-14, Farm Show Complex, Harrisburg. Friendsoffarmshow. com
Jim McGee’s New Kind of Talk:
Jan. 13, Miller Symphony Hall, Allentown. 610-4326715, millersymphonyhall.org
Disney On Ice presents Let’s Celebrate:
Jan. 19-22, PPL Center, Allentown. pplcenter.com
Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood: Sacred Scriptless:
Jan. 20, The State Theatre, Easton. statetheatre.org
The Brubeck Brothers:
Jan. 21, Miller Symphony Hall, Allentown. 610-432-6715, millersymphonyhall.org
The Flying Karamazov Brothers:
Jan. 27, The State
Theatre, Easton. statetheatre.org
Menopause the Musical:
Feb. 3, The State Theatre, Easton. statetheatre.org
KU Presents: Popovich Comedy Pet Theater:
Feb. 5, Kutztown University. Kupresents.org
KU Presents: Pat Hazell’s The Wonder Years Bread Years:
Feb. 8, Kutztown University. Kupresents.org
Allentown Symphony Orchestra: Dvorak’s “New World”:
Feb. 11-12, Miller Symphony Hall, Allentown. 610-432-6715, millersymphonyhall.org
The Harlem Globetrotters 2023 World Tour:
Feb.
17, PPL Center, Allentown. pplcenter.com.
Hairspray:
Feb. 18, The State Theatre, Easton. statetheatre.org
Company: The Musical:
Feb. 23-26, Cedar Crest College, Allentown cedarcrest. edu/stage.
Monster Jam:
Feb. 24-26, PPL Center, Allentown. pplcenter.com
Sister Act:
Feb. 24-March 12, Civic Theatre, Allentown. civictheatre.com
Red Hot Chilli Pipers:
March 2, The State Theatre, Easton. statetheatre.org
A Night with Vic Dibitteto and Eric D’Allesandro:
March 4, The State Theatre, Easton. statetheatre.org
The Book of Mormon:
March 7-9, The State Theatre, Easton. statetheatre. org
KU Presents: The Kingdom Choir:
March 9, Kutztown
University. Kupresents.org
Rhythm of the Dance:
March 10, The State Theatre, Easton. statetheatre.org
Allentown Symphony Orchestra: Daphnis Et Chloe:
March 11-12, Miller Symphony Hall, Allentown. 610-4326715, millersymphonyhall.org
R.E.S.P.E.C.T.: March 16, The State Theatre, Easton. statetheatre.org
Trouble in Mind:
March 1726, Civic Theatre, Allentown. civictheatre.com
KU Presents: The Jason Bishop Show:
March 19, Kutztown University. Kupresents.org
Keely and Du:
March 23-26, Cedar Crest College, Allentown cedarcrest.edu/ stage.
Satori: From Baroque to Contemporary:
March 25, Christ Lutheran Church, Allentown. 610-435-6036, satori-chambermusic.org
KU Presents: John Pizzarelli & Catherine Russell:
March 29, Kutztown University. Kupresents.org
Jay Leno:
April 7, The State Theatre, Easton. statetheatre.org
Allentown Symphony Orchestra: Tchaikovsky’s Fourth:
April 15-16, Miller Symphony Hall, Allentown. 610-432-6715, millersymphonyhall.org
KU Presents: Laura Benanti:
April 19, Kutztown University. Kupresents.org
One Night of Queen:
April 23, The State Theatre, Easton. statetheatre.org
Fiddler on the Roof:
April 24-25, State Theatre, Easton. 610-778-7766, statetheatre.org.
Mutts Gone Nuts:
April 30, The State Theatre, Easton. statetheatre.org
Satori: Springtime Celebration:
April 30, College Hill Presbyterian Church, Easton. 610-435-6036, satori-chambermusic.org
A Little Night Music:
May 521, Civic Theatre, Allentown. civictheatre.com
Allentown Symphony Orchestra: The Music of John Williams:
May 6, Miller Symphony Hall, Allentown. 610-432-6715, millersymphonyhall.org
Mayfair Festival of the Arts:
May 26-28, Cedar Crest College, Allentown. cedarcrest.edu/mayfair
The Great Pocono Raceway Airshow:
May 27-28, Pocono Raceway, Long Pond. www. poconoairshow.com.
Allentown Symphony Orchestra: A Magical Celebration:
July 23, Miller Symphony Hall, Allentown. 610-432-6715, millersymphonyhall.org