”
Empire
”
is one of those by-the-book, rags-to-riches, American Dream
crime stories that we’ve seen a million times before.
It has moments of power and strong drama, but the picture feels
tired.
“Empire” is one of those by-the-book, rags-to-riches, American Dream crime stories that we’ve seen a million times before.
It has moments of power and strong drama, but the picture feels tired. Although I can’t recommend it, it should please some fans of action-oriented crime stories. Others will be quite aware that the story and action feel like they come from better movies that have come before.
The casting of John Leguizamo is a major mistake, as he proves he is incapable of keeping a film afloat. Leguizamo is a fine performer, capable of creating terrific supporting characters, but he is essentially a character actor, not a leading man. His Victor Rosa, the hero of “Empire,” simply doesn’t allow Leguizamo to use his gifts; the character is simply an annoying louse looking to use his crime connections to create an empire of power and control.
The film takes place in a rugged and tough neighborhood in the Bronx, N.Y., where Victor Rosa (Leguizamo) is a drug runner looking to move up the ladder, seeking fame, fortune and respect. Victor comes from simple Puerto Rican roots, and he considers his rise in the underworld drug culture to be the ultimate successful lift out of poverty. He’s tough and business-like, but is not on his own: His boss, La Columbiana (Isabella Rossellini) is a sick, seditious killer who runs the business with an iron fist and uses her goons to do her extremely dirty work for her. Victor narrates the story as we move through the terribly contrived and convoluted plot.
One night, Victor and his girlfriend Carmen (Delia Cotto) go to a party given by her college friend Trish (Denise Richards) and her beau Jack (Peter Sarsgaard), and their life changes when Victor is offered a deal. The scheme involves an investment that will, according to Jack, double Victor’s money. Victor wants to leave the drug world and go legit and jumps at the chance to affiliate himself with the Wall Street tycoon.
The parallels and similarities between the corporate finance world and the drug world are interesting and make complete sense. Both cultures use extraordinary means to maintain power and control in their industries. But even though these considerations are communicated in “Empire,” they are not examined thoroughly enough, as the film slides into typical machismo fare.
Perhaps the investors who greenlighted the film didn’t want those questions answered, or even considered, by savvy moviegoers. So the movie peters out in the one area of concern that could have made it a hard-boiled classic.
By refusing to delve into these issues more directly, “Empire” becomes just another in a series of rising-up-the-ladder crime stories, as it descends into the realities of the turf wars that become a way of life when distributing drugs on New York City streets. No matter how much power or control you have in this world, there’s always someone else who comes along and thinks they can take it from you.
The film contains some astonishingly violent scenes and the gunplay and bloodletting can be a little difficult to take.
“Empire” fails because it doesn’t go in the right direction. Instead of answering some of the tough, serious questions it poses, the film treads along a familiar path that renders it completely forgettable.
EMPIRE. Written and directed by Franc Reyes. With John Leguizamo, Peter Sarsgaard, Delilah Cotto, Denise Richards, Vincent Laresca and Isabella Rossellini. Rated R (extreme violence, language, drug content, sexuality), 100 minutes. Now playing at Bay Area theaters.
