neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Empire
	Franc Reyes John Leguizamo, Peter Sarsgaard, Denise Richards, Sonia Braga, Isabella Rossellini, Fat Joe, Treach, Vincent Laresca, Nestor Serrano, Delilah Cotto, Rafael Baez 2002		John Leguizamo, usually rockin' in colorful supporting roles, gets a chance to strut his stuff as a star, but can't rescue the feels-like-a-retread crime melodrama "Empire." He plays Victor, a street-smart South Bronx hustler who wants out of the drug trade and into legit business because his good woman Carmen deserves better, and he doesn't want to end up capped by his homies like his brother was. So Victor tries to leave the criminal family run with iron-fist-in-velvet-glove by La Colombiana, a cruel, bottom-line-obsessed diva played to the trashy hilt by glamorous Isabella Rossellini. But he's in over his head. Fans of "The Godfather" and numerous similar films know the problem Victor faces: Every time he tries to get out, they pull him back in again. Meanwhile, can a barrio kid really trust his millions in ill-gotten loot to a smug, white broker (Peter Sarsgaard)? Not likely, especially when said yuppie's girlfriend is played by maximum bimbette Denise Richards in vacuous, voracious sex-bunny mode. We get it: Crime does not pay — unless you're ripping off unsuspecting movie-goers. With Sonia Braga, Fat Joe and Treach.