By Stephen Pytak 

     I don't usually talk to the screen.
     But I did when I went to see this downer the other 
night. And it's because I couldn't stand Denise 
Richards.
     She was playing this seductive bimbo. She actually 
plays bimbos pretty well. If you don't believe me watch 
"Valentine (2001)" or "The World is Not Enough 
(1999)," where she actually plays a nuclear physicist 
bimbo. 
     Anyway, in "Empire" she's one of the dark forces 
turning the screws on the protagonist, a drug dealer 
from the South Bronx named Victor Rosa 
(Leguizamo). And she pays the price for it.
     In the end, Leguizamo pulls out a revolver and 
puts a round right between her eyes. When he did I 
clapped and yelled "GOOD! I'M GLAD SHE'S 
DEAD!!!" I just couldn't help myself.
     I tried to find a picture of her on the Internet with 
that bleeding hole in her head.  But all I found on her 
fan websites were a bunch of bikini shots. I didn't 
even find a good nude fake of her. But that's beside 
the point.
     The bottom line is I just can't stand the tramp. 
She's got a great body. But she's a tease who gets 
under my skin. It was great watching her bite the 
bullet. I kind of wish Renard (Robert Carlyle) got a 
lucky shot and ended "The World is Not Enough" with 
a bang like that. But pretty Bond girls aren't 
supposed to die in the end, even if they are dumb as 
hell.
     But Richards' death doesn't make "Empire" a 
better film by any means.  The film starts off excellent 
then turns into a frustrating, unenjoyable experience.
     It's great watching Victor in his element, the South 
Bronx, where he sells his heroin called "Empire." He's 
a gangster and a local hero. There's a great scene 
where he promises to buy a neighborhood kid a 
Playstation. There's another where he and his pals 
turn a rival's bar into the Alamo.
     I hate everything else about the film, which 
involves the plot where a Wall Street investment 
banker encourages Victor to invest millions, then 
screws him over. This plotline was really predictable. 
This isn't anything we haven't seen before. Honestly, 
I liked Victor too much for all this to happen to him.  
I'd rather watch a two-hour film about Victor selling 
dope out of his SUV.
     Leguizamo is a great actor. He does his best here 
and if you buy a ticket to "Empire," he's really the 
only one worth paying attention to. I think his best 
work is ahead of him.
     This is director Franc Reyes first major film. I 
think the guy's got talent. If you don't believe me, 
watch the first half of "Empire." I hope Hollywood 
gives him a second chance to prove himself.