EMPIRE
Reviewed by Sam Hatch
John Leguizamo shines in this character driven piece about the rise and fall of New York drug dealer Victor Rosa. Peter Sarsgaard is great as usual as the sleazy white collar criminal Jack, who seduces Victor into stepping into a larger and more dangerous territory. Of course the payoff is huge, and as Rosa becomes a hugely successful kingpin, he loses touch with the streets that made him. With his newfound upper city Rico Suave persona, he becomes entangled with Jack's girl Trish (Denise Richards), much to the chagrin of the girlfriend he already has. Though maybe it's her fault for introducing him to all of these characters in the first place.
If this sounds overly familiar do not despair, for Empire manages to take a cliché and spin an enjoyable gangster yarn out of it. Instead of trying to make Scarface 2, this film revels in its New York locale (and even breaks down for the viewer how the drug gang territories are laid out). Of course there is a bit of gunplay, and rapper Fat Joe gets a piece of the limelight during an energetic club shootout scene. His character Tito Severe can seemingly summon pump shotguns out of thin air and blast away punks without getting up from his couch! And unlike Scarface, this film enables you to feel for Leguizamo's character in his quest for the good life, regardless of the morality behind it. For a small gangster flick, it's a good one.