This is a movie about a small time drug
dealer who has aspirations to make it out of his neighborhood and into
making the big bling-bling in the big city. Sound familiar? Well, the
formula is. But, there is one thing that sets "Empire" apart
from other movies with a similar plot: John Leguizamo. This actor, in
just about every movie I've seen him in, has such a screen presence
that it is difficult to not watch what is going to happen to him.
In "Empire", there are Leguizamo's neighborhood friends, a
young woman in love with him, a sultry honey trying to take him away
from his girlfriend and a man that offers him an opportunity to make
more money. And of course Leguizamo's character goes through the phase
where he alienates all of his true friends. It may all sound
predictable, but as mentioned, "Empire" is worthwhile to
watch purely for Leguizamo's performance. He carries the film
single-handedly to a respectable piece of entertainment.
The movie is made with slick style, which has a sharp return on DVD,
and the action sequences generate crackling sound effects,
particularly in the gun fighting scenes.
The DVD bonus features are typical, but if you like the movie, you
might find "The Making of" featurette interesting. One or
two of the deleted/extended scenes are neat, such as the one showing
another side to the 'villain' of the story. I use the term 'villain'
loosely because it is difficult to separate the good from the bad in
this film. The Los Angeles Premiere segment is senseless to watch.
Couldn't they have come up with a commentary with the actors also? I
can understand film buffs wanting to hear the commentary from the
director and the DP, but some audiences might prefer to listen to the
actors and their experiences.
