Empire (2002)

21% of critics liked it
(99 reviews)
60% of users liked it
(9,205 ratings)

A man who has made good in an illegal business discovers going straight is a more complicated matter than he imagined in this urban drama. Victor Rosa (John Leguizamo) is a drug dealer who has made a small fortune selling a heroin-based drug cocktail he's concocted called "Empire." Victor doesn't… More A man who has made good in an illegal business discovers going straight is a more complicated matter than he imagined in this urban drama. Victor Rosa (John Leguizamo) is a drug dealer who has made a small fortune selling a heroin-based drug cocktail he's concocted called "Empire." Victor doesn't see himself as a dope pusher; instead, he considers himself an entrepreneur and a businessman who is simply making the most of the economic opportunities presented to him in the ghetto. Through his girlfriend Carmen (Delilah Cotto), Victor makes the acquaintance of Jack Wimmer (Peter Sarsgaard), an upscale investment banker who admires Victor's business savvy and street smarts. Victor is interested in getting out of drug dealing and into a legitimate business, and when Jack offers Victor the chance to buy into a new business, Victor eagerly accepts and makes a good profit in the deal. After this, Victor is all the more enthusiastic when Jack gives him the opportunity to invest in a much bigger project; the price, however, is more than Victor can afford, and he has to borrow from another high-stakes drug dealer, La Columbiana (Isabella Rossellini) in order to make the nut. It isn't long before Victor learns La Columbiana is not a good person to be in debt to -- and that Jack may not be all he imagined him to be. Empire marked the directorial debut of dancer and choreographer Franc Reyes; the supporting cast includes Denise Richards, Sonia Braga, Ruben Blades, and rapper Fat Joe. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 25 min.
Directed By: Franc Reyes, Franc. Reyes
Written By: Franc Reyes, Frank Reyes
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure

In Theaters: Dec 6, 2002 Wide
On DVD: Mar 18, 2003
Studio: Universal Pictures

Critic Reviews

Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star
Yes, we're walking those mean streets again. Good thing we're taking a few unanticipated turns.
Joe Leydon, Variety
A yawningly familiar melodrama about an enterprising hustler who's undone by his own ambitions.
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
This is the most predictable plot twist since The Greatest Story Ever Told. You really know this one is coming and it just ruins the whole movie.
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
This movie ... doesn't deserve the energy it takes to describe how bad it is.
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
A retread of material already thoroughly plumbed by Martin Scorsese.
Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter
Tries to pass off a scattered, cliched approximation of the real deal.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
Even if you haven't seen any of the tell-all television spots, every beat of this crime drama will look and sound familiar.
Thomas Delapa, Boulder Weekly
You can take the homey out of the hood, but you can't take the hood out of the homey.
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
The leads make it watchable (plus it's always a hoot to see Denise Richards onscreen in any form)...
Mark Dujsik, Mark Reviews Movies
None of this finds an emotional connection, and instead we watch it predictably unfold.
Nick Rogers, State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL)
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.
Charlie Brown, FilmStew.com
. . .this movie has a glossy coat of action movie excess while remaining heartless at its core.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
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.
James Rocchi, Netflix
Moody, stylish tale of heroin dealer John Leguizamo facing the white-collar world is a well-shot debut from Franc Reyes.
Scott Von Doviak, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Reyes has obviously seen Goodfellas 50 or 60 times.

Read all 15 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Bobby H

One of the best gangster movies I seen. I think it's John Leguizamo's best acting roles in any movie, personally - he said before he filmed this movie he actually hung out with drug dealers, to get his part down. It shows! This movie is great.
Jeffrey M

Familiar, yes. Cliched, yes. But the leads make it watchable, even mostly entertaining, with the bulk of that credit going to John Leguizamo.
Chosen 7

Good film, great performance by John Leguizamo.

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Empire (2002)

Critic Reviews

Featured Audience Ratings

Bobby H

Jeffrey M

Chosen 7

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