Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.5

Empire Blu-ray Movie Review

"Why... so... serious?" Yep. As dated a line as this film. Still works, though. The line I mean.

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown December 13, 2023

Johnny Legs! It's been a hot minute. John Leguizamo was last a blip on my radar when he popped up in an amusing supporting role in 2022's The Menu (a terrific little horror genre subversion that comes highly recommended), although I've heard on more than one occasion that his Leguizamo Does America is a wonderful and wonderfully sincere docuseries in which the actor from state to state to meaningfully connect viewers to Latino communities across the country. I wish I was reviewing his series. Instead, I'm left with a not-so-blast from Johnny Legs's past; a film that's neither wonderful nor wonderfully sincere: Empire, a Goodfellas wannabe that's armed to the teeth with gangster melodrama, drug-addled heartache and an overwrought, over-narrated, entirely unconvincing cautionary tale wrapped inside several more implausible cautionary tales.

It took Victor "Vic" Rosa (John Leguizamo) a lifetime to build his criminal empire and one moment to risk it all. Vic is a brilliant drug lord from the Bronx who dreams of turning his ill-gotten fortune into a better life for himself and his girlfriend Carmen (Delilah Cotto). When a charming investment banker (Peter Sarsgaard) promises to turn Vic's drug money into legitimate wealth, the once and future crime lord soon learns that the world's most vicious gangsters are the ones wearing suits and ties. Written and directed by Franc Reyes ('Beauty', 'Illegal Tender', 'The Ministers'), this action- packed crime drama about greed, vengeance and the true meaning of power also stars Vincent Laresca, Isabella Rossellini, Sônia Braga, Nestor Serrano, Rafael Baez, rapper Fat Joe, Granville Adams and Sam Coppola.

Sigh. Where, oh where to start? Leguizamo? I honestly dig him and I dig his performance here, even if he's Henry Hill'ing it with all his might. Leguizamo is no Liotta, though, at least not here, and Empire is no Goodfellas, despite sharing far too much in common as to raise some suspicion. You can accuse the actor of a lot of misses in a hit or miss career but, God love 'im, he gives it his all; blood, sweat and tears, and he always, always believes in his part, even when (ahem, 1993's Super Mario Bros.) he knows he's acting inside of a trash bag. Always counted on for sincerity and passion, Leguizamo doesn't disappoint in Empire. His narration is flat. Ok, he's not the best in a recording booth. But his on-screen performance is full of everything the script so very much wants to boast as well: intensity, zeal, sorrow, tragedy and criminal dignity. Unfortunately, Reyes isn't the director or writer that lives up to Leguizamo's passion. The actor's performance may soar but, ooph, the dialogue in this flick is rough, grating at times, and a real mouthful for some of the lesser thesps surrounding our leading antihero. Reyes tries, tries and tries harder to evoke "the streets", "the hood", whatever it is he wants to adapt for the big screen. It doesn't matter because it's as flat as far too many of the supporting cast's performances.

Speaking of, the cast is comprised of a parade of tropey, cliche-ridden parts backed by tropier, more cliche-ridden line deliveries. Rossellini and Richards are okay, I suppose. Cotto follows suit, though doesn't seem to have her cine-sea legs when the most dramatic bits demand her attention. Beyond the actresses? Sarsgaard chews scenery and entertains but the next best bit-part is filled by Fat Joe, and the acting slides downhill from there. No one's awful... well, most of them aren't. But with the roles as written, goodness. I don't think the likes of DiCaprio, Clooney, Pitt or Fassbender could save Empire from the bargain bin. And that's before the film veers off into twist-and-turn territory, trying suddenly to distance itself from Goodfellas and steer towards Scarface. Neither mode works -- Empire isn't slick enough to in the league of one of Scorsese's finest nor vicious enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with De Palma's chainsawin', machine-gunnin' classic -- and so little is left to the imagination that surprise deaths aren't surprises at all, shocking developments can be seen coming from a mile out, and the tragedies creeping up on Vic are apparent almost from minute one.

If there's a saving grace beyond Leguizamo it's that Empire thankfully doesn't dip into unintentional cheesiness or careen into racial sensitivities that have become more prevalent in the last twenty years. It doesn't exactly hold up to modern genre pics but it also isn't so dated as to take it down a notch further than it already has rested since 2002. (Critics have never been kind to Empire. It sits at a rough 21% on Rotten Tomatoes and I can't say I disagree.) Still, it remains distinctly a film of the early 2000s, in style, soundtrack, slang and more. It doesn't feel like a period throwback either, but a movie craving relevance and clout from those in the know (circa 2002 at least). If there are people out there who have lived the Empire life and can attest to it being more like Empire than, say, dramas like The Wire or other more comparable films or TV series, stand up and be heard. Until then, this remains a poorly conceived, poorly executed crime drama that poor John Leguizamo hoped would be truer to life than the end result proved to be.

Empire Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Obviously minted from a dated, DVD-era master, Empire's 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer struggles to live up to expectations and match the quality of other early 2000s films that have been granted more tender loving care. Color and contrast are thankfully consistent, lending the image a punch and verve that helps primaries pop, skintones impress and black levels dip into a welcome inkiness. There's also a stylized sizzle and heat to some of the more stylized scenes, and the original color grading and intentions of the filmmakers has been preserved beautifully. But that's where things start to come apart. Detail is decent at first glance, but then you begin to notice the edge halos, the less-than-natural fine textures, and it becomes clear that a healthy -- or more accurately, unhealthy -- dose of artificial sharpening has been applied to the image to crisp it up, which it does and... doesn't (sort of like tossing cold pizza in the microwave). The halos are actually pretty nasty and garish at times, and the grain and textures muddle together too often. Casual viewers will look right past it, no doubt. Videophiles, though, will wince. Then there's the instances of crush, as well as slight blocking that creeps into the image, especially when lights flare and shadows dive into the darkest depths the contrast can afford. It's not a bad presentation per se; just a dated one that could use an overhaul. The chances of that happening, though, are slim to none. Maybe AI will learn how to fake it and make an undesirable master produce a miracle transfer. Until then, Universal's Blu-ray release of Empire is as good as it's gonna get.

Empire Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Universal's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is better, but there are aspects that suggest it's as in need of a modern-era bump as Empire's video transfer. Dialogue is clean, intelligible and perfectly prioritized, even when violence and shouting matches fire off. Dynamics are quite good, with strong LFE output and solid rear speaker representation and involvement. Directional effects are precise too, even though several scenes are surprisingly front-heavy. Narration and chattier banter will do that, and Empire has plenty of both, but some fine-tuning would help. The soundscape is convincing on the whole as well. Wait for it... although, there are occasional scenes (listen closely to Vic's intimate rendezvous with Trish) in which the rear portion of the soundfield is detached from its front counterpart. It's not terribly distracting, but moments like this curse the film with inconsistent immersion and a wonky mix that soars one minute and toddles along the next.

Empire Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary - Writer/director Franc Reyes and director of photography Kramer Morgenthau record a solid audio commentary loaded with the usual blend of anecdotes, production stories, technical tidbits and more.

• The Making of Empire (SD, 22 minutes) - A rather detailed and reasonably comprehensive overview of the production, this behind-the-scenes featurette offers plenty of interviews, discussion on Reyes's direction, and bits about working to achieve authenticity in the script and in the crew's filming in the Bronx.

• Deleted Scenes (SD, 30 minutes) - This surprisingly lengthy collection of deleted scenes doesn't offer much that would have helped the film but if you're a fan, there's quite a few character beats in here worth watching.

• The Los Angeles Premier of Empire (SD, 4 minutes) - A quick look at the film's Red Carpet premiere.

Empire Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Empire. Sigh. Empire. I love John Leguizamo as much as the next guy (I'm a level of fan who didn't even have to check the spelling of his name) but his 2002 crime drama falls flat. It's derivative, packed with genre tropes and fails to involve you in its tragic tale. Universal's Blu-ray release doesn't help matters, no thanks to a dated, problematic video presentation and a merely decent DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. It features a nice selection of extras, so that's a plus, but with so many issues involving everything from the film itself to the image, the Blu-ray edition of Empire is a tough one to recommend.