Empire
3/4
Starring: John Leguizamo, Delilah Cotto, Peter Sarsgaard, Denise Richards, Vincent Laresca, Treach, Rafael Baez, Isabella Rossellini
Rated R for Strong Violence, Pervasive Language, Drug Content and Some Sexuality
The American Dream is that with hard work you can do anything you want. Ideally, that's true, but it's a vast simplification of what real life is. The ties that bind us to our lives can sometimes hamper our ability to move from one world to the next.
Victor Rosa (Leguizamo) is a drug dealer living in the South Bronx. For him, life is all about money. He sees it as what makes everything in the world work, and getting more of it (and keep it) is the guiding principle of his life. He has a girlfriend, Carmen (Cotto), and loves his life. Through one of Carmen's friends, a sexpot named Trish (Richards), he meets Jack Wimmer (Sarsgaard). Jack is an investment banker, and he has a glorious opportunity for Victor to make a lot of money. Victor isn't interested at first, but when circumstances cause him to rethink his life, he jumps at the chance to do business with Jack. Of course, that presents a whole new set of problems for him.
Oddly enough, I kept thinking of the "Grand Theft Auto" video games while watching this movie. The theme of a criminal rising to the top is similar. Movie-wise, it's closer to "Belly," although let's for a second pretend that Hype Williams monstrosity of a crime movie doesn't exist except to point out that every single thing that was wrong with that movie is right in this one.
What's interesting about this movie is that writer/director Franc. Reyes (whose next move was the utterly forgettable "Illegal Tender") pays attention to the difficulties of moving up in the world. Movies like "Working Girl" and "Boiler Room" make it seem that a change like this is relatively easy. "Empire" is more perceptive. As much as Victor wants to get out, he's constantly pulled back in. He's still more or less owned by drug queen La Columbiana (Rossellini), especially when his best friend/replacement Jimmy (Laresca) gets into trouble.
Also interesting is the interaction between Victor and Jack (with Carmen's story serving to enrich it). They're both interacting with people they don't understand. Victor's life has always been in cash, usually lots of it, with quick and immediate transactions. This is obviously not the usual case when dealing with multi-million dollar investments. As savvy as he is about the world of drug dealing in the South Bronx, he knows nothing about the white collar world. This leaves him vulnerable to having things explode in his face. For Jack, his business is typically done with bank accounts and computers; handling this amount of cash is incredibly threatening to him.
I like how Reyes takes his time to explore this (a little too much time, if you ask me) rather than going for cheap thrills. He pays attention to the characters that he has created and lets them react to their environment in their own ways. Of course, some of the camera movements are too ostentatious, and the frequent musical montages are annoying (the one at a funeral is especially so). He sometimes forgets that he's making a narrative film, not a music video. There are also some editing gaffes as well. The ending, while inevitable, is also problematic because it happens too quickly.
The acting is exceptional. John Leguizamo, who is listed as an executive producer, has never been better. Typically cast as a hothead ("William Shakespeare's Romeo+Juliet," "Executive Decision") or for comic purposes (the "Ice Age" franchise, "Moulin Rouge!") and almost always always in a supporting role, Leguizamo takes full advantage of the dramatic possibilities that exist for this character. It's not Oscar-worthy material, but it is eye-opening. Leguizamo plays Victor as an intelligent man who is in a world he doesn't know, but is too excited to realize it. When he moves up, he sheds his past as quickly as he can, much to the irritation of Carmen and his best friends. Peter Sarsgaard, is perfect for the role. He's a white collar guy who is not used to dealing with people like Victor, but uses his skills anyway because he sees a mutually beneficial opportunity. They're both dealing with new challenges, and react only in ways they know how. The supporting performances by Cotto, Richards (believe it or not), Treach, and Rossellini, are strong as well.
Flawed, yes, but always interesting and perceptive.
Starring: John Leguizamo, Delilah Cotto, Peter Sarsgaard, Denise Richards, Vincent Laresca, Treach, Rafael Baez, Isabella Rossellini
Rated R for Strong Violence, Pervasive Language, Drug Content and Some Sexuality
The American Dream is that with hard work you can do anything you want. Ideally, that's true, but it's a vast simplification of what real life is. The ties that bind us to our lives can sometimes hamper our ability to move from one world to the next.
Victor Rosa (Leguizamo) is a drug dealer living in the South Bronx. For him, life is all about money. He sees it as what makes everything in the world work, and getting more of it (and keep it) is the guiding principle of his life. He has a girlfriend, Carmen (Cotto), and loves his life. Through one of Carmen's friends, a sexpot named Trish (Richards), he meets Jack Wimmer (Sarsgaard). Jack is an investment banker, and he has a glorious opportunity for Victor to make a lot of money. Victor isn't interested at first, but when circumstances cause him to rethink his life, he jumps at the chance to do business with Jack. Of course, that presents a whole new set of problems for him.
Oddly enough, I kept thinking of the "Grand Theft Auto" video games while watching this movie. The theme of a criminal rising to the top is similar. Movie-wise, it's closer to "Belly," although let's for a second pretend that Hype Williams monstrosity of a crime movie doesn't exist except to point out that every single thing that was wrong with that movie is right in this one.
What's interesting about this movie is that writer/director Franc. Reyes (whose next move was the utterly forgettable "Illegal Tender") pays attention to the difficulties of moving up in the world. Movies like "Working Girl" and "Boiler Room" make it seem that a change like this is relatively easy. "Empire" is more perceptive. As much as Victor wants to get out, he's constantly pulled back in. He's still more or less owned by drug queen La Columbiana (Rossellini), especially when his best friend/replacement Jimmy (Laresca) gets into trouble.
Also interesting is the interaction between Victor and Jack (with Carmen's story serving to enrich it). They're both interacting with people they don't understand. Victor's life has always been in cash, usually lots of it, with quick and immediate transactions. This is obviously not the usual case when dealing with multi-million dollar investments. As savvy as he is about the world of drug dealing in the South Bronx, he knows nothing about the white collar world. This leaves him vulnerable to having things explode in his face. For Jack, his business is typically done with bank accounts and computers; handling this amount of cash is incredibly threatening to him.
I like how Reyes takes his time to explore this (a little too much time, if you ask me) rather than going for cheap thrills. He pays attention to the characters that he has created and lets them react to their environment in their own ways. Of course, some of the camera movements are too ostentatious, and the frequent musical montages are annoying (the one at a funeral is especially so). He sometimes forgets that he's making a narrative film, not a music video. There are also some editing gaffes as well. The ending, while inevitable, is also problematic because it happens too quickly.
The acting is exceptional. John Leguizamo, who is listed as an executive producer, has never been better. Typically cast as a hothead ("William Shakespeare's Romeo+Juliet," "Executive Decision") or for comic purposes (the "Ice Age" franchise, "Moulin Rouge!") and almost always always in a supporting role, Leguizamo takes full advantage of the dramatic possibilities that exist for this character. It's not Oscar-worthy material, but it is eye-opening. Leguizamo plays Victor as an intelligent man who is in a world he doesn't know, but is too excited to realize it. When he moves up, he sheds his past as quickly as he can, much to the irritation of Carmen and his best friends. Peter Sarsgaard, is perfect for the role. He's a white collar guy who is not used to dealing with people like Victor, but uses his skills anyway because he sees a mutually beneficial opportunity. They're both dealing with new challenges, and react only in ways they know how. The supporting performances by Cotto, Richards (believe it or not), Treach, and Rossellini, are strong as well.
Flawed, yes, but always interesting and perceptive.
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