Video Capsule Review

EMPIRE (2003)

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Credits

Rated: R; Video Release Date: Mar 18, 2003; Genres: Crime, Drama; With: John Leguizamo, Isabella Rossellini and Peter Sarsgaard; Distributor: Universal

By Evan Serpick

Evan Serpick

There's heavy-handed, there's lead-handed, and then there's ''Empire.'' The urban gangster flick earns kudos for an innovative conceit: Street hustler Leguizamo teams with Wall Street slickster Sarsgaard to achieve a common goal -- massive wealth. The parallels between their lives and mentalities would be intriguing if Leguizamo's clunky voice-overs didn't spell out an anticapitalist message with such a thick marker. The film quickly dissolves into a collection of rote stereotypes and cliches. Oh, and why is a movie starring Fat Joe and Naughty by Nature's Treach filled with so much cheesy Latin R&B?

Posted Mar 21, 2003

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