Empire

Empire stars John Leguizamo in a fairly decent role this time, as Victor Rosa. He is a drug dealer who is living life at a good pace. But as sucessful as his buisness is, he finds that he should get out while he still can and settle down. He sees his chance as he meets a wall street stock broker named Jack. He has a propasition for Victor that involves millions of dollars in which Victor needs to borrow from his drug dealing allies. It soon turns out that Victor is screwed out of the deal and Jack has made off with the money! Victor soon discovers he has no choice but to seek out Jack and have his revenge. What starts out with all the characteristics of a flop movie soon turns into something interesting. Leguizamo portrays Victor well, with smarts, feelings and charisma. It's not the greatest gangster flick out there (say Goodfellas blows it out of the whole movie making buisness) but this is surely worth a look. Empire provides insites into the crime world and keeps interest for a lot of the time (except the flat beginning). There are sometimes surprises that you wouldn't expect, good gun fights, and the ending is really something else. Overall not bad, do not judge the cover by all the bad things everyone says about it. Give it a shot! you may be surprised. 7.0/10

"Empire" is all about a streetwise drug dealer (Leguizamo) in South Bronx, NY who self-narrates his take on how to work your way out of the ghetto and go legit. A slick shoot with a bunch of trite recycled street crime and gangland snippets pieced together for a screenplay, this predictable and contrived flick never really gets where it's trying to go. Chock full of plot holes and nonsequiturs, the auteur asks us to care enough about a thug, murderer, and drug pusher to sit through 1.5 hours of all-sizzle-but-no-steak nonsense about his life. A so-so no brainer action/drama for Leguizamo fans and crime buffs only. (C+)

The picture talks upon a drug dealer called Victor Rosa (John Leguizamo) who loved by his girlfriend (Dalilah Cotto) and with a lot of success on south Bronx turns his back on his roots , developing an economic relation with a Wall Street yuppie financier (Peter Saasgard) and his fiancée (Denise Richards). As he gives money to the Wall Street broker to invest for him .

In the motion picture , shot in 22 days , there is tension , a love story , thriller , emotion , intrigue and a little bit of violence . The movie is fast-moving and enough entertaining but happens many events ; dealing with a big time dope dealer who soon learns that he has been betrayed and his last option is to get vengeance . The pic obtained moderated success and didn't attain the box office that the producers wanted . The suspense movie is well-paced but there're some storyline gaps and the twisted plot makes it a few ridiculous . The film is rated ¨R¨ for violence and some sex and isn't apt for little boys , being for + 18 years' viewers . John Leguizano's fine interpretation as a successful drug dealer who becomes involved dark issues , he is looking to get out of the game and sees his chance with a big deal and a new friend who happens to be a Wall Street stockbroker . Leguizano is pretty good but plays as Latin stereotypes . Producers originally wanted John Leguizamo to perform Jimmy , he loved the part of Victor so much that he got the director to give him that role . Thanks to Leguizano , the cast was completed with other enjoyable stars , as he used his star power to help bring bigger names to the project . Dalilah Cotto and Denise Richards are attractive as well as charming and Peter Saasgard as a hotshot business manager is magnificent . Isabella Rossellini as a Colombian drug lord is miscast and the veteran Sonia Braga hands a role very secondary as the starring's mother . The musical score by also actor Ruben Blades is nice and the movie is rightly directed by Fran Reyes .

Just caught up with this film on cable. I never saw it when it was released, and frankly, it was my loss. Franc. Reyes has directed a surprising first feature that has a glossy noirish look. It speaks volumes for a new director to have a style that's easy on the eye as well as for the mind.

John Leguizamo is a huge talent. I have seen him on stage in almost all of his solo presentations and can tell anyone that this man is a dynamo. He never stops surprising; he has a range that few others have and he uses it to his advantage. Mr. Leguizamo's Victor makes a deep impression. We never let our eyes leave Victor for a moment; this man is the product of the streets, but he proves to have a mind of his own and a sophistication that are not easy to match.

The idea of casting Peter Sargaard as Jack was pure genius. This actor is about one of the best working in films at the moment. In the movie he is the suave Jack who has a hidden agenda. Mr. Sargaard perfectly balances the action. His character is the product of the best schools. Victor is impressed because Jack accepts him from the beginning without apparent reservations or prejudice.

The problem with the film is that we know how it's going to end, and we weren't wrong. It was predictable, but the director and the two principals made the film a joy to watch.

The rest of the cast was fine, especially Denise Richards, a beautiful Delilah Cotto, who can give JayLo a lot of competition in the looks department, and Isabella Rosellini, who is perfect as La Colombiana with her big hair and furs.

Empire (2002)

Not knowing much about the drug world, or about the Latino drug world in Brooklyn in particular, I was fascinating on the basic level of curiosity. And some amazement, I suppose.

This isn't a badly made movie. The leading actor, John Leguizamo, is subtle enough as Victor Rosa and has an inner core of decency to keep you identified enough to watch. The plot needs that because there's a lot of the well worn drug violence to wear you out. There is also, however, a second plot element that you don't quite expect—Rosa finds an opportunity to invest his drug earnings into high yield stock deals through a very non- Latino Wall Street man.

So there is a big twist or two to come, and this really makes the movie more of a fictional bit of creativity. Written and directed by Franc Reyes, "Empire" is about all kinds of rivalries. It's also wants to be about love and is thin there. You wish he had taken the slightly different tack the script offered him and tilted away from the shooting and strutting (lots of cocks hanging out here) and more into the minds and hearts of these people, who start to become real for us.

No such luck. Somehow they managed to get Isabella Rossellini in for a small but good part—if you're a fan you'll enjoy that. And Leguizamo adds some tenderness (real or not) to larger scene. And location shooting, frankly, is really nice, showing not the usual sides of New York (or LA) and not the romanticized ethnic neighborhoods (like the Italian or Jewish sections of old), but the regular, rough-edged reality of Brooklyn now. Or at least in 2002. Things keep changing down there really fast.

I don't recommend or not this movie—it's purely about whether you like this kind of world and want to get immersed in it. Nothing really special happens, but it's got a steady interest that might keep you going.