A Bigger Empire Brings Bigger Headaches

Read Time:7 Minute, 27 Second

MOVIE REVIEWS
Tulsa King: Season Three
–

Genre: Crime, Drama, Comedy
Year Released: 2025, 2026 Blu-ray
Runtime: 6h 53m
Directors: Jim McKay, Kevin Dowling, Joe Chappelle, Guy Ferland
Writers: Dave Erickson, Sylvester Stallone, Sheri Elwood, Jameel Saleem, Taylor Streitz, Ildy Modrovich, Joseph Riccobene, Daniel C. Connolly, Nick Jones Jr.
Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Martin Starr, Jay Will, Garrett Hedlund, Dana Delany, Robert Patrick, Beau Knapp, Bella Heathcote, Kevin Pollak, Frank Grillo, Samuel L. Jackson
Where to Watch: available now; order your copy here: www.moviesunlimited.com or www.amazon.com

RAVING REVIEW: Three seasons into TULSA KING, Dwight Manfredi doesn’t just feel like a New York gangster stranded in Oklahoma. Tulsa belongs to him now, or at least he certainly acts as if it does, and that change gives Season Three a different feeling from the fish-out-of-water comedy that originally made the series so easy to enjoy. Dwight has a business, employees, allies, rivals, family, and enough people expecting a cut of something that his exile has effectively become another criminal kingdom.

Sylvester Stallone remains the obvious reason the whole thing holds together. Season Three finally gets closer to proving TULSA KING could survive scenes where Dwight isn't the only interesting person in the room. Stallone settled completely into the role, mixing that daunting authority with irritation and humor without making every confrontation a performance designed to remind us that we're watching Sly. Dwight is funny because he's Dwight, not because an old-school gangster can't understand modern Oklahoma.

The season gives him a new adversary in Jeremiah Dunmire, played by Robert Patrick with exactly the sort of controlled menace the show needs. Jeremiah isn't another gangster trying to muscle into Dwight's territory. He's old money, politically connected, deeply rooted in the area, and accustomed to getting what he wants because the institutions around him have already learned how much easier life becomes when they cooperate.

That difference matters because Dwight understands gangsters far better than he understands men who can make trouble without pulling a gun. The conflict stems from a distillery and an extremely valuable supply of aged bourbon, which seems almost comically small compared with some of the show's previous criminal wars. TULSA KING makes it work because the bourbon represents exactly what Dwight has been trying to build. He wants that legitimate-looking businesses resting on foundations that aren't remotely legitimate.

Beau Knapp makes Jeremiah's son Cole a much less restrained problem. Where Patrick can make a conversation threatening without raising his voice, Knapp plays Cole as someone whose privilege has removed whatever instinct normally tells a person to stop. Putting father and son beside one another gives the Dunmires more personality than a single season-long villain usually gets here, even if Cole occasionally comes close to being the kind of reckless antagonist who exists because the story needs someone to make everything worse.

The distillery storyline gives Garrett Hedlund more to do as Mitch, something I've wanted from the series for a while. Hedlund has always fit into this world, but Mitch can sometimes become the guy standing near Dwight while more important things happen. His connection to Cleo Montague, played by Bella Heathcote, gives him his own stake in the season rather than another assignment from the boss.

The rest of Dwight's increasingly strange organization benefits from that same expansion. Martin Starr's Bodhi remains one of the funniest parts of the show because he seems permanently aware that the criminal operation around him has grown far beyond whatever he thought he was signing up for years ago. Jay Will gets some heavier depth as Tyson continues to learn that wanting Dwight's respect and actually living Dwight's life aren't the same thing. At the same time, Goodie, Bigfoot, Grace, Joanne, Margaret, and the others make Tulsa feel like it’s filled with real relationships instead of just being supporting characters waiting for Stallone to enter.

Season Three remains at its best when Dwight is surrounded by the weird little criminal family he accidentally created. Those scenes preserve the humor that separates TULSA KING from the heavier dramas associated with Taylor Sheridan. Dwight can discuss murder in one scene and become annoyed by some ordinary inconvenience in another without the shift feeling forced. The comedy has also changed since the first season. Dwight's misunderstandings and twenty-five years of cultural changes could only last for so long before becoming repetitive. The laughs now come more naturally from personality clashes within the crew.

Robert Patrick deserves a lot of credit for keeping the opposition from becoming cartoonish. Jeremiah believes power belongs to people like him because it always has, which makes Dwight's arrival feel less like competition and more like an insult. Patrick doesn't need to show how dangerous Jeremiah is constantly, and some of the season's better confrontations come from watching two older men who are absolutely convinced the other one is occupying space that rightfully belongs to them.

Samuel L. Jackson's late-season role brings an entirely different kind of experience than I was expecting. His Russell Lee Washington Jr. has history with Dwight, and Stallone and Jackson immediately feel like two men who don't have to explain everything between them. The appearance also unmistakably sets up a larger future for the character, which makes parts of it feel like TULSA KING briefly stopping to introduce another show. However, Jackson is entertaining enough that I didn't mind the interruption.

Dwight's is allowed mistakes and setbacks, but the writing rarely lets him look outmatched for long. Season Three surrounds him with some formidable opponents, yet there are situations where the pleasure of watching Dwight regain control arrives so reliably that the danger loses some bite. That predictability is part of the comfort of TULSA KING at this point. Nobody is coming to Season Three expecting a brutally realistic examination of organized crime. The series understands that Stallone walking into a room, explaining why somebody made a terrible mistake, and finding an unexpectedly old-fashioned solution to a modern problem is part of what people signed up for.

The release comes at a good point for anyone who has been following the series outside of streaming. Season Three's ten episodes work especially well when binged together because the crowded collection of competing stories becomes easier to track without a week between them. Paramount bringing the season to Blu-ray and DVD also keeps the first three chapters of Dwight's Tulsa empire available beyond the service where they originally premiered.

TULSA KING has moved a long way from the ridiculous idea of sending an aging New York criminal to Oklahoma and watching him improvise. Season Three isn't as fresh, and its desire to keep expanding Dwight's world occasionally leaves too many stories vying for space. The tradeoff is that Tulsa finally feels like a place Dwight has built something in, populated by characters who have increasingly become reasons to watch rather than accessories to Stallone.

This remains exactly the kind of show I enjoy, even when I can see its parts. Stallone is comfortable in the role, Patrick gives him a worthy adversary, the ensemble has grown stronger, and the mix of crime, comedy, business, and nonsense continues to set TULSA KING apart from gloomier gangster television. Dwight may have more problems than the season really needs, but watching him convince himself that every one of them can be handled remains half the fun.

Please visit https://linktr.ee/overlyhonestr for more reviews.

You can follow me on Letterboxd, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. My social media accounts can also be found on most platforms by searching for 'Overly Honest Reviews'.

I’m always happy to hear from my readers; please don't hesitate to say hello or send me any questions about movies.

[photo courtesy of MOVIES UNLIMITED, ALLIANCE ENTERTAINMENT, PARAMOUNT]

DISCLAIMER:
At Overly Honest Movie Reviews, we value honesty and transparency. Occasionally, we receive complimentary items for review, including DVDs, Blu-rays, CDs, Vinyl Records, Books, and more. We assure you that these arrangements do not influence our reviews, as we are committed to providing unbiased and sincere evaluations. We aim to help you make informed entertainment choices regardless of our relationship with distributors or producers.

Amazon Affiliate Links:
Additionally, this site contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may receive a commission. This affiliate arrangement does not affect our commitment to honest reviews and helps support our site. We appreciate your trust and support as you navigate these links.