The Movie

The premise for Empire, is nothing new. It's the familiar story of a ghetto drug lord who spirals down a collapsing path, which leads to his ultimate demise. The plot is tired, the surprises are anything but, and it seems like we've seen all these characters before. So the question is, why did I enjoy this movie? Two words: John Leguizamo.

If you've ever wondered if Leguizamo could carry the lead in a movie, then Empire is the proof you've been looking for. Leguizamo gives a captivating performance as a street-tough Latino drug lord who puts his family and his life in danger for the pursuit of more money. Leguizamo looks and sounds so comfortable in this role that you can't help but be sucked into the movie from the very first scene. Before I saw this movie, I could never have pictured him playing a gangster-type character, but after seeing it, I now realize how great of an actor he really is. Leguizamo is the foundation holding this movie together, if not for him, I doubt I would have enjoyed the movie as much as I did.

Empire is the story of the Latino drug scene in the South Bronx. Life can be good for a successful drug dealer, but the stakes are high. Overstep your boundaries, and you'll find yourself dead within the hour. Victor Rosa (Leguizamo) is the drug lord of his sector. He's feared and respected, and he plays by the unspoken rules of the ghetto. But when his live-in girlfriend becomes pregnant, and he's hospitalized by an assassination attempt, he decides that the ghetto drug dealer life isn't for him any more. So he teams up with a high rolling Wall Street wiz to make some fast cash and get out of the family business. But Victor soon learns there's no such thing as "easy money."

Empire is a gripping tale about loyalty and family strength in the Latino drug community. Writer-director Franc. Reyes goes to great lengths to show the ghetto he once lived in was made up of more than violence and greed. He wanted to show the importance of family and friendship, for it was your family and friends who were there to save your life when the bullets started to fly.

While this movie offers nothing we haven't seen before, it was still enjoyable. The acting by all cast members is fairly decent with Peter Sarsgaard, Isabella Rossellini, rap stars Fat Joe and Treach all doing a fine job (although I could have done without Denise Richards altogether). The pacing is fast and never leaves you bored or looking at your watch. It may not be Oscar material, but it is entertaining nonetheless. If you're in the mood for a thrill-ride, somewhat downer drug movie, than Empire is most definitely worth a look.


The DVD

Video: Empire is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. I wasn't expecting much in the way of video quality from a movie that I had never heard of before, but this one surprised me. The picture quality was very good for the most part, with blacks being nicely dark, and pixelation held at a minimum. In fact, the only significant fault of this DVD is the presence of edge enhancement. On my 119" diagonal screen, halo effects were obvious in most scenes throughout the movie. Although if you watch it on a much smaller TV you probably won't be bothered by it. But seeing edge enhancement fairly easily is a real downer for me, and the movie experience would have been heightened if it had not been visible.

Audio: Empire is equipped with a nice Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. The track is nice, but not great. It sounded great when the music kicks in from time to time, but for the majority of the audio it was merely average. In fact, the rear surrounds are hardly used, which is a shame for fast-paced film such as this. Also, I noticed some of the narrated dialogue in the beginning of the movie was hard to hear at first, which warranted a turn of the volume dial on my receiver. Overall this was a find sounding DVD, but only really shined when the music came into play.

Extras: Empire comes with a nice set of special features, highlighted by the wonderfully informative audio commentary given director Franc Reyes, and director of photography Kramer Morgenthau. The two go through the entire movie scene-by-scene and give a lot of back-story and information for nearly every scene shot. I've noticed that first-time directors always give wonderful audio commentaries, and this one is no exception.

Also included is a featurette titled "The Making of Empire." This is a typical HBO styled featurette that is only really worth seeing if you haven't seen the movie before. However, it is nice to hear what the actors had to say about their involvement in the movie, so the feaurette is worth a look for that aspect. Also included are deleted scenes, The Los Angeles Premiere, Empire Soundtrack Samples, and a movie trailer. I actually really liked the soundtrack samples and feel this is a valuable tool that should be utilized more frequently in DVD releases.


Final Thoughts:

Empire is fast-paced and full of action and suspense. Although it won't take a genius to figure out what's going to happen, it's still an entertaining film. John Leguizamo gives a standout performance - probably one of his best - and the rest of the cast does a decent job supporting him. Empire is not an uplifting movie; so don't go into it expecting a happy ending, but the action and pacing make it an easy movie to get through. Recommended