Empire pits a Bronx drug dealer (John Leguizamo) against a yuppie broker (Peter Sarsgaard) after the broker coaxes the dealer to try his hand at high finance, only to disappear with the earnest money. What could have been a gritty exploration of cultural
conflict instead spends too much time on the generic thug life of Leguizamo’s kingpin. Most movies with a high concept beat that concept to death; Empire has a catchy premise but decides to ignore it.
