Set in the Greek Quarter of New York City back in the early 1980s, "Empire State" is about Chris (Liam Hemsworth), a lowly-paid security guard of an armored truck company. He made the unfortunate decision to abet in a robbery on his employer planned by his lowlife friend, Eddie (Michael Angarano).
When they actually pull off what turned out to be the biggest heist in the US history at that time, all the local gangsters, as well as tough NYPD cop Detective Ransome (Dwayne Johnson), breathe down their necks.
For me, all the key roles were miscast. Liam Hemsworth looked too confident and self-conscious to be realistic as a down-and-out impoverished security guard. I was thinking that the scrawny Michael Angarano would have been better off as Chris instead of his supporting role of Eddie. This was especially after we see a clip of the real Chris at the end of the film. Dwayne Johnson looked too "modern" and did not look like he belonged in that time period when the events happened. Emma Roberts had a role as Chris' girlfriend, which was largely inconsequential.
The true-to-life story actually had potential to be a good film, however, the execution of this one left a lot to be desired. The story- telling was slow and boring. There was no dramatic tension where there should have been. There was no feeling of excitement even during the actual heist itself. This looked and felt more like a made-for-TV movie from the 1980s than a current big screen feature.
When they actually pull off what turned out to be the biggest heist in the US history at that time, all the local gangsters, as well as tough NYPD cop Detective Ransome (Dwayne Johnson), breathe down their necks.
For me, all the key roles were miscast. Liam Hemsworth looked too confident and self-conscious to be realistic as a down-and-out impoverished security guard. I was thinking that the scrawny Michael Angarano would have been better off as Chris instead of his supporting role of Eddie. This was especially after we see a clip of the real Chris at the end of the film. Dwayne Johnson looked too "modern" and did not look like he belonged in that time period when the events happened. Emma Roberts had a role as Chris' girlfriend, which was largely inconsequential.
The true-to-life story actually had potential to be a good film, however, the execution of this one left a lot to be desired. The story- telling was slow and boring. There was no dramatic tension where there should have been. There was no feeling of excitement even during the actual heist itself. This looked and felt more like a made-for-TV movie from the 1980s than a current big screen feature.