EMPEROR OF THE BRONX is a gritty and low budget gangster movie with plenty of thrills along the way and a real on-the-street vibe that comes with the setting and supporting characters. The grim tableau of a bustling New York is brought to the fore here and the action is well-staged by Syrian director Joseph Merhi, one of the hardest-working B-movie helmers of the 1990s.
The plot is nothing particularly special but the amount of incident keeps you interested throughout. The main characters are a couple of small-time goons who work their way up the career ladder and fall under the tutelage of screen veteran William Smith, here the best thing about the production. There are plenty of violent encounters with various adversaries throughout the story and a plot that copies the likes of MEAN STREETS albeit updating it to the 1980s with a greater focus on consumerism and excess. I enjoyed it for the locations alone, combined with the tough-guy dialogue you really get a sense of the Bronx backdrop.
The plot is nothing particularly special but the amount of incident keeps you interested throughout. The main characters are a couple of small-time goons who work their way up the career ladder and fall under the tutelage of screen veteran William Smith, here the best thing about the production. There are plenty of violent encounters with various adversaries throughout the story and a plot that copies the likes of MEAN STREETS albeit updating it to the 1980s with a greater focus on consumerism and excess. I enjoyed it for the locations alone, combined with the tough-guy dialogue you really get a sense of the Bronx backdrop.