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Empire (2002)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:99
Fresh:21
Rotten:78
Average Rating:4.4/10
Consensus: In terms of the gangster genre, Empire's story is yet another tired retread.
Runtime: 90 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: EMPIRE, the debut film from director-writer Frank Reyes is a Latin GOODFELLAS, chronicling the rise and fall of Victor Rosa (John Leguizamo), a Puerto Rican drug-dealer working the violent streets... EMPIRE, the debut film from director-writer Frank Reyes is a Latin GOODFELLAS, chronicling the rise and fall of Victor Rosa (John Leguizamo), a Puerto Rican drug-dealer working the violent streets of the South Bronx. With an eye for money and a head for business, Victor dreams of one day achieving the wealth and success of a legitimate businessman. When Victor discovers that his girlfriend Carmen (Delilah Cruz) is pregnant, he jumps at the chance to give up the dangerous drug trade and joins forces with two new friends, Jack (Peter Sarsgaard)--a flashy Wall Street Investment banker, and his girlfriend Trish (Denise Richards). Jack offers Victor a new way of life and promises him access to "sure thing" investments. Eager to go legit, Victor quickly embraces Jack's standards of living. He gives up the streets of the Bronx for Jack's slick Soho loft and moves into the fast-talking, money-driven world of Wall Street. However, Carmen misses the warmth and familiarity of her roots in the South Bronx and Victor is torn between his own ambition and his desire to please her. Ultimately, he realizes too late that Jack and Trish are not all who they seem to be, and his best-laid plans begin to falter as he is forced to accept the magnitude of their betrayal. [More]
Starring: John Leguizamo, Denise Richards, Peter Sarsgaard, Ruben Blades
Starring: John Leguizamo, Denise Richards, Peter Sarsgaard, Ruben Blades, Isabella Rossellini, Sonia Braga, Treach, Fat Joe, Nestor Serrano, Delilah Cotto
Director: Frank Reyes
Director: Frank Reyes
Screenwriter: Frank Reyes
Producer: Daniel Bigel, Michael Mailer
Composer: Ruben Blades
Studio: Arenas Entertainment
Reviews for Empire
Even if you haven't seen any of the tell-all television spots, every beat of this crime drama will look and sound familiar.
You can take the homey out of the hood, but you can’t take the hood out of the homey.
The leads make it watchable (plus it's always a hoot to see Denise Richards onscreen in any form)...
None of this finds an emotional connection, and instead we watch it predictably unfold.
The film’s hodgepodge plot stumbles down the prototypical path of a gangster’s fall from grace with a bit of Boiler Room thrown in for good measure.
. . .this movie has a glossy coat of action movie excess while remaining heartless at its core.
Depois de capturar a imaginação do espectador com um início envolvente e promissor, a história se perde de forma irremediável, desperdiçando o imenso potencial de seus dois primeiros atos.
Moody, stylish tale of heroin dealer John Leguizamo facing the white-collar world is a well-shot debut from Franc Reyes.
Yes, we're walking those mean streets again. Good thing we're taking a few unanticipated turns.
Unfortunately, Empire is nothing more than an exhausting retread of the same cliched urban cautionary tale that waxes about rebellion and redemption.
Latest News for Empire
June 22, 2005:
"Empire" Director to Remake Fritz Lang Film
Reuters beings some remake news: Director Franc Reyes (2002's "Empire") has been tapped by Fox & Regency to helm a remake of Fritz Lang's 1956 thriller... More...
December 13, 2002:
What “Empire” lacks in depth it makes up for with its heart. ![]()
More...
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