Empire Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Two worlds collide.
Victor (Leguizamo), is trying to escape his life as a drug dealer in the South Bronx. Enter Jack (Sarsgaard), a Wall Street investment banker with a business proposal that has Victor's name (and money) written all over it.
| Denise Richards | Trish |
| John Leguizamo | Victor Rosa |
| Peter Sarsgaard | Jack |
| Vincent Laresca | Jimmy |
| Isabella Rossellini | La Colombiana |
| Sonia Braga | Iris |
| Delilah Cotto | Carmen |
| Nestor Serrano | Rafael Menendez |
| Anthony 'Treach' Criss | Chedda |
| Rafael Báez | Jay |
| Fat Joe | Tito Severe |
| Carlos Leon | Hector |
| Félix Solis | Jose |
| Omar Pastran | Jason |
| Rob B. Campbell | Det. O'Brien |
| Franc. Reyes |
5.90 out of 10 (2710 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Great movie
posted on 17 Jul 2009Great movie i say to those who like the crime genre. Only thing that sucked was the shooting scene with Fat Joe. Especially when he shoots with the machine gun. Plain stupid. Makes you wonder what he is shooting at. And how do you expect to last like that? He doesn't even take cover. He just sits on his couch. Maybe he's thinking; I'm so fat, the bullets will bounce right off me... Enjoy it. It is worth watching. Again only for those who into the crime genre.
Too predictable, dont waste your time!
posted on 09 Jun 2009I found this movie too predictable, and watching the Trailer spoils the whole movie. The characters didnt go in depth enough for you to get a good feel for them. Jack, I didnt buy his character for 30 seconds. Acting was terrible, directing was terrible and Vic was suppose to be a drug lord, but I did not see him make one drug deal.My favorite 'yea right' part was when Vic's "crew" walked down the street, and his "crew" held a gun to a guy for about 30-45 seconds, in the middle of a New York street during the day, Vic beats the s*** out of the guy and they all walk away like nothing happened. Wouldnt someone see them, or call the police or something. HELL NO! Its only the middle of New York!!!Very poor movie and not worth paying for.
A Very decent dealer movie
posted on 08 May 2009Watching 'Empire' was a pleasant surprise. Not knowing what to expect it put on this movie and I never thought about the stop button again.As a lover of narrator movies (yeah I know, some also really suck) I can add a new good movie to that list. The short action scenes are good and the situations are believable. Peter Sarsgaard plays really well and so does John Leguizamo. The women (Denise Richards and Delilah Cotto) will never be my favorite actresses but they are not bad either.The only real bad thing about this film is that they try to put too much character development in too little time. To make that aspect really work the movie was to paceful and too short.But overall: a good movie!
Mother o' Mercy, is this the rebirth of Rico? (possible spoilers)
posted on 25 Mar 2009Others have pointed out how "Empire" resembles other recent gangster movies such as "Carlito's Way" but I see it's roots extending back to the Thirties, especially "Little Caesar" with Edward G. Robinson whose Rico Bandello also dared to extend his reach only to have his fingers smashed. Unfortunately for "Empire"'s premise, times have changed somewhat since then. It's a little difficult to accept the absolute ghetto-ization of the Spanish people that we see depicted. At one point we hear John Leguizamo as Vic Rosa narrate "Only 20 minutes across the bridge and it's a different world," but that's just it: it's very bridge-able these days. Rosa's girlfriend goes to a nice college and has WASP friends. He's got millions of dollars lying around, and he seems a pretty intelligent guy (as other characters keep reminding us). So he needs a blatantly sleazy weasel like Jack to "guide him out of the wilderness"? He needs somebody else's lawyer to bail him out of jail? Wouldn't he have his own lawyers on 24-hour standby?That's the chief problem with "Empire," it hinges on a plot point that on it's face makes little sense. Vic Rosa grew up on the streets, he has all the cunning and instincts needed for survival and dominance, yet he goes to one posh party, meets one smooth-talking Anglo and zap! he's smitten. It's not specified exactly when this movie takes place but we're led to believe it's current times, well after all the corporate scandals such as Enron (referred to by "The Sopranos" this past season). So I can't believe someone like Vic would take someone like Jack at face value. (Can anyone spell "Ponzi scheme"?) He'd do a little homework before handing him wads of cash with no more guarantee than "You'll do your part, right?" Also the whole rift between Vic and his girlfriend and other "homies" seemed forced. When it reached the point of making the extravagant deal with "La Columbiana" it was almost funny, like the scenes with the Bolivian cocaine monarch in "Scarface": "Whatever you do, don't ever f--- me, Tony...." The movie's whole second half seemed contrived to set Vic up for a fall, with what ultimate message--"Crime doesn't pay"? Gee, thanks.Yet there's a lot to like in this flick, chiefly Leguizamo's performance; like all great actors, he doesn't care if the script is original gold or Xerox dross, he invests it with complete emotional honesty, there's never a trace of Been-there-done-that. It's not clear what's the best way to channel his immense talent, whether it's his electrifying one-man cable shows like "Sexaholic" or his unfortunately short-lived sketch show on Fox, "House of Buggin'"--and let me just take a moment here, because I'm still irked at Fox for yanking his show: Hey Fox, remember when you guys had some programming cojones? Remember when new daring stuff had a chance with y'all, how you'd fight for it? If "The Simpsons" were a new Fox show, it'd get cancelled in 3 weeks. Shame on you nowadays, just another corporate clone. (George Carlin's show deserved more of a chance too.) Then there are Leguizamo's film roles, he's still waiting for that Killer Part to put him over the top. Nice to see Sonia Braga again, talk about "aging well." Loved the scene with her and her daughter watching the "telenovela," I watch some of those myself, they're like Anglo soap operas on steroids. Some great milieu in this flick, some decent music, a stunning scene in which a gangster on a couch throws a switch that flings a shotgun into the air to land on his lap, almost poetic. Just too bad the script bailed on us. I wouldn't even mind a sequel about Vic's girlfriend Carmen and the baby. The delightful Delilah Cotto provided the single best moment, swiping Denise Richards across the face, something I've been wanting to do since "Starship Troopers." You go, girl....Boy, did that chicken look good in the party scene....
Keeping in REAL. Born in the Bronx and Grew up w Carlos Leon
posted on 15 Mar 2009Although I am a fan of the leading cast, I may not have seen it if not for the fact that I grew up with Carlos Leon-the now famous, or rather, infamous "donor" of Madonna's (and his) first child, who plays Hector, and as a rival drug dealer gets it between the eyes.It's hard to suspend your disbelief when you know the guy, but even so, it worked for me-and for that reason. As a former city slicker, graffiti artist, general street punk, and now screenplay writer wannabe, I understand why critics and members here alike, took a stab it the flick. It was obviously low budget-but that isn't a bad thing, and it was well executed for the budget. Reyes gets my full respect for writing it-and for a new kid on the block, hit the street running. Sure, it's been done in one way or another, but most things have. The key to a film like this is that it's always new to some degree because every thug that strives to get out of the ghetto is still a different person, even if he goes about it in a way that isn't entirely unique. I went to Music and Art High School in Harlem, and being half Cuban and half white put me at odds with some ballbusters there. I know what a subway smells like in the heat of the summer as the stench of urine makes it's way up my nose, and what a loaded gun feels like to my face. I've puffed blunts before the terms was commercially known. This is why I give The Writer/Director 2 thumbs up. Because I also Grew up on the upper west side with my father in a doorman building, lurking in the streets uptown was my choice for thrill seeking. I can see why some mainstream white audience took potshots at this film, but they don't REALLY know the score. As someone who has some REAL stories to get out there myself, I hope to follow along the REAL VIBE. Sure, I know that I've got to be original and throw a few twists, but films like this will always have stereotypes because they do exist. It's cliché' cause it's true. My films will have a couple of strong stereotypes ... of course, and that's OK, it's about the struggle of the character, and the process of bringing it out in a way that does NOT require suspended disbelief. Keep it real.
Synthetic Salsa
posted on 27 Feb 2009Even if you can get by the fake blood and `seasick green' cinematography (which makes most of the Latinos look orange), it's pretty hard to like this formula gangster flick. The movie starts decently enough, but after that it gets stupid, moving Leguizamo away from the `mean streets' into an upscale loft in Soho. The story could have been really interesting had it dealt more with Leguizamo's drug dealer competitors instead of the `movin' on up' plot device. John Leguizamo is very good, as Victor, the drug dealer; but, besides Leguizamo, there are no other particularly good performances. Even the usually reliable Sonia Braga comes across as a nasty caricature. Leguizamo plays Victor a Puerto Rican drug dealer who tries to get out by investing large sums of drug money with Jack, an investment banker (Played by an incredibly wimpy Peter Sarsgaard).WARNING: SPOILERS o Early in the film, Victor says he checked out Jack's background. Yet, when he discovers he's been played, none of the things anyone would normally check out turn out to be legit. o Victor has lost 1.5 mil of Columbian drug money, but when he runs back to Puerto Rico, he doesn't bother to change his name. o Why didn't the Columbians check out Jack before giving Victor the million five? o Why didn't the Columbian assassin kill Victor mo when he failed to follow orders to kill Jimmy? o THE MOVIE'S BEST SCENE: The shrill, obnoxious Denise Richards, falling back onto the bed, a large hole between her eyes. Too bad Victor couldn't have capped her earlier.This `neutered dog' isn't even a Chihuahua! Arf!
A complete waste of time and money. Stay far away from this trash!
posted on 09 Feb 2009When I rented this film, I was expecting a decent movie, as I like some of John Leguizamo's other movies (The Pest, Spawn, Ice Age) and he is very funny. I heard about this film being about a heroin dealer who ditches the street to become an investor, so I finally watched it. It is horrible: terrible acting, a ridiculous plot with no drama and it has maybe one good action scene. Basically, all that happens is J. Leguizamo takes several million dollars in his drug money, ditches the drug trade and invests his cash in a supposedly "trustworthy" investor that he meets at a party. He was backstabbed by his co-dealers many times when he was still a dealer, and he is expecting for his new investment to come up clean. But at the end of the film (after his girlfriend ditches him for cheating on her with his investor guy's girl), he goes to find the investor guy, and found that the guy cheated John and left with all his money. So John finds the guy in an apartment and kills him and collects his investment cash. That is it. John Leguizamo should definitely stick to comedy. The only thing worth seeing in the whole film is where rapper Fat Joe (one of John's rival dealers) is killed in a gunfight and his face is blown all over the wall. Otherwise, STAY AWAY FROM THIS AND YOULL THANK ME!!!
Wonderful Latino Movie
posted on 29 Dec 2008Like its predecessor "Gabriela", albeit in a completely different genre, "Empire" shows the quality that can be expected from today's Latino movies.As in "Gabriela", the cast, lead by John Leguizamo, shines, with kudos going to Fat Joe for his multi-layered portrayal.Well worth the time.
Look promising, but falls short
posted on 29 Dec 2008Hispanic gangsters crash with Wall Street yuppies, a plot that is given away in Empire's trailers. A story that starts out interesting, eventually falls short. Victor Rosas (Leguizamo)is a gangster with only 3 guys in his crew? Wouldn't "La Colombiana" have her own Wall Street broker for laundering purposes? If "La Colombiana" is so powerful how come she only has one hit-man, her brother? Rosas keeps his cash in safe vaults? I'm used to the Italian gangster film where the characters have a restaurant usually, in order to cover their money's tracks from the feds and the IRS. The problem between Rosas' and Tito's (Fat Joe) gang could have been solved with a phone call. Sarsgaard's and Richard's characters are one-dimensional caricatures of yuppies. For all of Rosas' street smarts, he severely lacks common sense. After a trivial argument with his then pregnant girlfriend he kicks her out of the car and leaves her on the street. Franc Reyes should stick to music videos, as the mix of music in many scenes is one of the few bright spots this movie has. Overall, a weak plot and script. Only Leguizamo shines in his role, all the other actors lack charisma.
Leguizamo delivers
posted on 11 Nov 2008This movie is good mostly cuz of Leguizamo. I like all the movies that Leguizamo is in. EMPIRE is no exception. I like the Hispanic Gang thing. I have always been a fan of gang movies. This movie is very typical of a gang movie. There are no scenes that really stand out. The revenge that Leguizamo takes on Denise Richards and her boyfriend Jack was good. I love a good revenge theme. The plot was so so and the acting was mediocre. Leguizamo saves this one. If you're a fan of Leguizamo, then I suggest seeing EMPIRE!
THIS MOVIE IS IDEAL FOR LATIN PEOPLE WHO KNOW HOW GANGBANGING WORKS!
posted on 30 Sep 2008This movie is TIGHT . I really like the twist this movie has it really kept me entertained. It shows the lower middle class Lifestyle. But for people that don't understand that Lifestyle it's just a waste of time. I REALLY ENJOYED this movie. The acters were GREAT and they really knew how to act out their characters . Leguizamo and Cotto made a really cute Latin couple. John Leguizamo is extremely fine (good looking) . He really looked good as LATIN CHOLITO (Latin Gangster).I highly recommend it to all Latin people.
Too funny to be taken seriously.
posted on 10 Sep 2008(POSSIBLE PLOT SPOLIERS) John Leguizamo is a talented actor. Don't believe me? Look at his two roles in the Baz Lurhman directed films MOULIN ROUGE as Toulouse Lautroc the French dwarf and as Tybalt in ROMEO & JULLIET. He was also good in Brian De Palma's CARLITO'S WAY, and even doing a voice over of Sid in ICE AGE. So why not give Mr. Leguizamo his break and give him a leading role in a film? I'm all for that, I'll sign the petition that will cast Leguizamo as the leading man. He's more human than most action stars. Granted, he got top billing in Spike Lee's SUMMER OF SAM, but he was part of the four person cast of Mira Sorvino, Adrien Brody and Jennifer Espiseido. But why put him in as the lead in such a silly movie like EMPIRE? The trailer for EMPIRE has the movie being about Vic Rosa (Leguizamo) a man who trusts and invests his millions of drug earned money into a stock deal set up by Jack (Peter Sarsgaard). It turns out that Jack conned Vic, and Jack ran off with Vic's millions. Now Vic wants revenge. Is that the plot, sort of. But after timing the film, that doesn't happen until the end of the third reel of the 5 1/2 reel film. So what is this film about? Sadly, if you've seen one film where the main character deals with: "everytime I try to leave, they just pull me back in" crisis, then you've seen EMPIRE. Granted, De Palma's CARLITO'S WAY was the same way, but that film due to De Palma's pacing and directing made it more unique and enjoyable, not to forget the acting by both Al Pacino and Sean Penn.Vic is a drug dealer in the Bronx who sells LSD, PCP, one of those drugs where you lick a piece of paper and get high (sorry, I'm not into the drug culture, and I don't want to be). Vic is a nice drug dealer, he gives some neighborhood boys a Playstation 2 if they wash his car for the next month, then goes after the boys' mother who took their money for her personal reasons. Vic has a pretty girlfriend, Carmen (Delilah Cotto) who is going to school and trying to live a good life. Carmen's classmate, Trish (Denise Richards) invites Carmen to attend one of her parties at her boyfriend's place. Vic and Carmen go, meet Trish's boyfriend, Jack, and Vic and Jack have a buddy relationship that turns sour after realizing the greed for the root of all evil, money. Universal originally had this film schedule for release in February of 2003, but I'm guessing since the box office intake of 8 MILE for it's opening weekend wasn't good enough, they pushed this film up so they can have another Holiday release for more box office gold. Well, it's not going to work. This is a movie where at times it tries really hard to be good, and it succeeds, like Leguizamo's acting and the cinematography by Kramer Morgenthau are very good and impressive. But it's the other things that ruin EMPIRE, most notably the acting. Peter Sarsgaard is a good actor, look at SALTON SEA, but here he reminded me too much of Topher Grace and his character in TRAFFIC. Sadly, I wasn't the only person in the audience who thought of that. Delilah Cotto is attractive and pretty, but her acting was too much similar to Marisa Tomei. It was depressing to see former screen beauties Sonia Braga and Isabella Rossellini playing old lady characters. Are these the same sexy females from KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN and BLUE VELVET? But the campiest and hysterical bad award goes to Mrs. Sheen (Denise Richards). You haven't lived a full life until you see Richards wearing a black afro wig, and trying to be serious about it. And this is the same person that complained about her image on the UNDERCOVER BROTHER poster that brought out the assets on her?(sorry for the pun)I can't blame Franc Reyes, it's is first time and that is understandable. He does have some good ideas and there are some scenes that can work. But with the standard protagonist trying to break out of the crime world plot that has been seen too many times, it doesn't make EMPIRE anything unique. Allthough, I'm still laughing from remembering that image of Denise Richards with the afro, it stll cracks me up.There are so many other good movies out this season, HARRY POTTER, 007, SANTA CLUASE 2, FAR FROM HEAVEN, FRIDA, etc. Even if you're looking for a good action flick, DIE ANOTHER DAY is a good film, or wait for TWO TOWERS or GANGS OF NEW YORK. But for EMPIRE, if you are a devoted fan of Leguizamo (and I mean even watching his sort-lived but good t.v. sitcom of Fox several years ago), then this is at least worth seeing for his performance as a lead. But if you're looking for a action filled, rap music soundtrack, no nonsense, in yo face film.... look somewhere else. You won't find it here. And I'm still laughing at the image of Denise Richards with the afro. **1/2 (out of five)
Whatever...
posted on 31 Aug 2008I've seen this movie twice. And it didn't get any better second time. It's a mix of separate story elements, which, if used correctly, could make a plot alone. Here, neither of them works. Not the street wars, grand hoax or "getting out from crime life" element.The movies with big con-man have interesting twists and element of surprise. None here. The ultimate thief turns out to be just a greedy nerd. Usually, the street wars movies or action thrillers overall, are THRILLING. The pace should be up! Here, the slow motion effect is used to make it look more stupid, as girly headache generator music plays and there's enough of blood to make everything look like horror movie parody. It's simply girly. Stupid, unrealistic and not intense at all. I prefer real ballet with real dancers instead of fat gangsters with guns. And getting out of crime life theme, even if it fits here, is played out so lousily and unbelievably as anything could.So basically, the movie stinks. Unless you like the awful soundtrack and women with proportions of a duck.
Excellent movie
posted on 09 Aug 2008I didn't think much of this movie when I saw the previews and I didn't intend to see it. But a couple years after it was made, I decided to give it a chance so I decided to go to Best Buy and buy The DVD. So one Monday night I popped it in my DVD player and I was hooked from beginning to end. John Leguizamo gives a tour de force performance as Victor Rosa, a very successful South Bronx drug dealer. Victor hooks up with Wall Street Banker Jack Whimmer (Peters Saarsgard) for an investment opportunity to get money beyond his wildest dreams. Little does Victor know that Jack and his girlfriend Trish (Denise Richards) don't seem to be who they really are. As the movie goes on, you'll see Victor running into even more trouble. Denise Richards might not be my favorite actress but she's watchable in this film and Peter Saarsgard is excellent as Jack. The two performances that easily get over looked are Vincent Laresca as Victor's hot headed trigger happy best friend Jimmy and Treach as Victor's less volatile friend Cheddah. And of course the real standout performance in this movie is Carmen (Delilah Cotto) Victor's college student girlfriend. Cotto plays the role to perfection. Her and Leguizamo have excellent on screen chemistry together. Contrary to what some people say, this is an excellent movie from start to finish and fires on all cylinders. This film is a true masterpiece!
Awful
posted on 20 Jul 2008Latin Boyz In The Hood meets Dawson's Creek. Been there done that story about kidz from the ghetto hustling cash and trying to be down with the white man who screws them over again and again!Legz is solid as an actor as usual but stale in his portrayal in this type of role...limited talent behind the camera especially given that they had over 5 million to make this film, it looks like a 1 million dollar film...other than that no actor stands out all in the film.
Low expectations can be a good thing
posted on 08 Jun 2008So I've basically seen every movie that has come out to this point and yet my girlfriend and I decide to go to the movies. I really want to see "Adaptation", but it's not out in K.C. yet for some reason. So we settle with "Empire". I've seen the previews and I actually like John Leguizamo, his stand up is pretty funny; however, this movie appeared to have no merit whatsoever. To be perfectly honest I was very surprised. The movie actually entertained me. Leguizamo was very good and fit the part perfectly. I couldn't see any other Latino actor playing that part. Overall the acting was decent. Some unknown actors who had small roles played nicely. Denise Richards was very good at playing the "bad girl" part, her boyfriend (don't remember his name) was decent but didn't handle the climax very well. The worst scene was by far the one with Fat Joe with his son. I don't know why movies continue to recruit rap stars who can't act. The scene did lead up to a predictable event, but Fat Joe was just plain terrible. The story was very good. Definitely one I didn't expect to keep my attention. The twists of the movie were for the most part unpredictable, except the one mentioned above, and entertaining. Most people will go into this movie with a low expectation. It actually works for the movie, as it is not stellar but because of the low expectation it is good.
Saarsgard awesome, movie ok
posted on 22 Mar 2008This movie was watchable just for saarsgards performance, he was awesome, the movie while watchable was not leguizamos best, watch ZigZag for a better performance by john. Cotto had a good performance as well, john is just not believable as a thug drug dealer. Saarsgard, if you read this, Keep up the good work.
Great Gangster Flick
posted on 23 Feb 2008An enjoyable multi dimensional gangster film with an unusual angle. What happens in a battle of wills between a street smart dealer and a big time Wall Street Investment banker? The story has strong action elements and romance as well. Leguazamo proves himself an excellent actor and a strong leading man.
The rise and fall of Victor Rosa
posted on 21 Jul 2009Just 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.