Empire (2002)

Very well executed

Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

When I started this movie I had no idea this movie would be that good. And I got that impression because it was rated 5.9 at IMDb where as stupid movies like Long Kiss Goodnight and Time Machine are rated better. The storyline is well built and depiction of how illegit people make and save money,how they fear the system of banks , police etc is wonderful. The narration is good and steady with the movie. This movie also shows how a person can get blinded with thirst of money and the character "Carmen" is a very good example of a simple and perfect woman. A woman who is plain at heart, looks at the quality of people than superficial things. I think people should gather a lot from this character than some woman who dates million guys and still is worried about her shoes or a woman who tries to travel around the world to find herself and criticizes other cultures and places. Carmen also gives an example of how much woman would love when she sincerely loves someone and how she can forgive and forget. The lead role, Victor is a perfect example of people involved in things that are really messed up. His state of confusion, narcissism and insensibility is amazingly screen played. The most touching scene is when he actually realizes the truth about life and especially about the kind of life he lives. An amazing movie, director puts you glued up to our seat for the entire movie although as the story unfolds, it might get too easy to comprehend. A beautiful story and wonderful direction but to me it is too straight forward for movies like this and this is the only reason why I had to rate it 9 or else it would have been an 10. Overall, worth watching it and kudos to everyone.

Watching 'Empire' was a pleasant surprise. Not knowing what to expect it put on this movie and I never thought about the stop button again.As a lover of narrator movies (yeah I know, some also really suck) I can add a new good movie to that list. The short action scenes are good and the situations are believable. Peter Sarsgaard plays really well and so does John Leguizamo. The women (Denise Richards and Delilah Cotto) will never be my favorite actresses but they are not bad either.The only real bad thing about this film is that they try to put too much character development in too little time. To make that aspect really work the movie was to paceful and too short.But overall: a good movie!

If the answer is yes, don't listen to this one. Every aspect of the story is the same, and as you can imagine it's not as good as the original.If the answer is no, don't listen to this movie. Go and rent Carlito's way. The story is the same but, in this one, the director and the actors are great. In fact, it's a classic. Don't loose your time and/or money on a fade copy.It's a 5 out of 10 for the movie itself, but because it's a copy, and I don't think it's mention anywhere, and it brings nothing new, except refreshing the pictures, it worth 2 out of 10.

The reviews for this movie were not great, but I saw this movie and liked it. That is the problem with some professional movie critics. For them a movie is not a rewarding experience unless it is a truly original idea that is artsy and different. For me, and many of my friends, I want to eat popcorn and be entertained. I tend to ask myself key questions; was the plot interesting?, did I fall asleep during the movie?, what did I think of the acting and the actors?. how did the movie look(locations, how was it shot/filmed)?. If the answer to these questions is atleast marginally favorable, chances are I liked the movie. It's only when I begin to compare the movie to its' brethren or other movies of the same ilk that my opinion deviates from average to above average. No film that I reluctantly admit I marginally enjoyed would receive a below average rating. This is not the greatest film of all time, and its' filled with cliches and predictable plot twists, however it I did enjoy it; and the beautiful Ms. Delilah Cotto.