Empire Falls

Empire, the new film starring John Leguizamo as a drug dealer in the South Bronx, plays like a combination of The Godfather trilogy and Bonfire of the Vanities.

Leguizamo plays Vic Rosa, an ambitious man who is “young, Latino and good-looking,” and has money on his mind. A two-faced character, he ruthlessly defends his territory and kills anyone who gets in his way, while also tenderly looking after his girlfriend Carmen. Vic’s identity as a Latino quickly comes into play as the film draws a very defined line between the Hispanic Bronx and White Manhattan. Although the film portrays the Bronx as indelibly linked to the illegal drug trade that takes place there, Manhattan, as represented by investment banker Jack Whimmer (Peter Sarsgaard), comes off as being more corrupt and far more superficial than its ethnically diverse neighbor.

In his attempts to legitimize his business dealings, Vic loses touch with his roots. He moves to SoHo, adopts a different style of speaking, and avoids his old friends; he essentially becomes white. The most damning evidence of this is Carmen’s complaint that he now refuses to eat Spanish food. Of course, by turning his back on his culture, he incurs numerous repercussions and he ultimately has to fight to earn his Latino-ness back.

As the first effort of Arenas Entertainment, a new Latino film label partnered with Universal Pictures, Empire proves to be fairly strong. The story is attention-grabbing and the film employs some interesting cinematographical techniques. Overall, however, it is unoriginal and unsurprising.