Empire State

Empire State (2013) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more.

Directed by Dito Montiel. With Liam Hemsworth, Michael Angarano, Dwayne Johnson, Paul Ben-Victor. Two childhood friends plan to rob an armored car depository. An NYPD officer stands in their way.

A pair of old friends scheme to rob an armored car company with a cop hot on their tail in this crime drama from director Dito Montiel. Liam Hemsworth and Dwayne Johnson star in the Emmet/Furla Films production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

I absolutely guarantee you that reading a liveblog of this movie would be far more entertaining than watching the film itself. Liam Hemsworth may have gotten notions after The Expendables 2, but any empathy incurred by his speedy dispatch in that film will be firmly revoked by Empire State. This is one of the most thoroughly confused films I’ve seen in a long time, a piece that pitches itself as a drama but seems to undergo an identity crisis twenty minutes from the end and veer wildly in the direction of a non-existent comedic undertone. It’s hampered by terrible dialogue, gross miscasting, annoying characters, a pantheon of laughable goons (mostly Greeks, which is at least original, but also the most inept and terribly-accented Colombian drug lord you’ll ever see), and most criminally of all, gross under-use of Dwayne “100% pure franchise salve” Johnson. Johnson’s few appearances onscreen are the only time this film approaches watchable, his presence serving to highlight the charismatic vacuum that exists elsewhere. Even more baffling than his under-use is his character’s utter ineffectualness. He’s the token good cop who doesn’t take things at face value and actually seems committed to his job, but he kind of skirts round the edges and watches things unfold without ever really getting involved. It’s tempting to say that he too is miscast, but then again, without Samoan Thor (cheers for this, Fast 6) on the billing this movie would have close to zero appeal.

Empire State is a 2013 American crime drama film based on a true story,[3][4] centered on two childhood friends who rob an armored car depository, and the NYPD officer who stands in their way. Directed by Dito Montiel and starring Liam Hemsworth, Dwayne Johnson and Emma Roberts, the film was released straight to DVD and Blu-ray on September 3, 2013.