# Empire State (2013 film)
**Empire State** is a 2013 American crime drama directed by Dito Montiel and written by Adam Mazer, based on the true story of a 1982 New York City armored car company robbery that was, at the time, the largest cash heist in United States history[1](https://www.movieinsider.com/m9786/empire-state) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/empire_state_2013). [Liam Hemsworth](https://www.edgepedia.org/liam-hemsworth) plays Chris Potamitis, a security guard drawn into robbing his own employer, with [Michael Angarano](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-angarano) as his childhood friend Eddie and [Dwayne Johnson](https://www.edgepedia.org/dwayne-johnson) as the veteran NYPD detective pursuing them[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/empire_state_2013).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writer | Dito Montiel; screenplay by Adam Mazer[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/empire_state_2013) |
| Main cast | Liam Hemsworth (Chris Potamitis), Michael Angarano (Eddie), Dwayne Johnson (Det. James Ransome), Emma Roberts (Nancy Michaelides)[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/empire_state_2013) |
| Basis | The true story of a 1982 NYC armored car company robbery[1](https://www.movieinsider.com/m9786/empire-state) |
| Runtime and rating | 94 minutes; rated R for violence and pervasive language[3](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/empire-state) |
| Release | VOD on August 30, 2013; DVD and Blu-ray on September 3, 2013 (Lionsgate)[4](https://www.etonline.com/movies/137712_Empire_State_Exclusive_Clip_The_Rock_Liam_Hemsworth) |
| Budget and box office | $11 million budget; about $3.6 million box office[5](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/empire-state/10079991/main/) |
| Reception | 24% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (3 reviews); 5.2/10 on IMDb from about 24,000 votes[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/empire_state_2013) • [6](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/empire-state) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and basis
The film follows Chris Potamitis, a young man in 1980s Queens who fails to get into the police academy and takes a job as a security guard with the Empire State Armored Truck Company[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2171867/). After he mentions the company's lax security to his best friend Eddie, he is drawn into a scheme to rob the cash stored on the premises, resulting in what the film presents as the largest cash heist in U.S. history[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2171867/). Detective James Ransome (Dwayne Johnson) leads the investigation, while local crime bosses also want to know who pulled a job on their turf[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2171867/).
The story is based on real events. The real Chris Potamitis, a Greek-American who grew up in New York City, took part in the 1982 robbery and later served nine years in jail; after his release he wrote a script about his life and co-produced the film[8](https://greekreporter.com/2022/04/13/empire-state-chris-potamitis-on-famous-heist-and-his-lifes-story-video/). The robbery is described as the largest cash heist in U.S. history since the 1978 [Lufthansa heist](https://www.edgepedia.org/lufthansa-heist) at Kennedy Airport[9](https://thecinemaholic.com/is-empire-state-based-on-a-true-story/).
Accounts of the amount stolen differ. A CinemaFunk review describes nearly eight million dollars taken in 1982 New York[10](https://www.cinemafunk.com/movie-reviews/empire-state/); an interview-based account says the haul added up to $16 million, of which only half was ever recovered[11](https://influxmagazine.com/empire-state/); and director Dito Montiel said the story concerned a man who may have gotten away with stealing $15 million[12](https://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/exclusive-interview-dito-montiel-empire-state/). In the film, the money's hiding place is a statue at the parents' house, an idea Montiel said came from the real Potamitis, who told him only that he "had a nice statue" and never confirmed where the money went[12](https://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/exclusive-interview-dito-montiel-empire-state/).
## Production
Montiel, whose earlier films include *A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints* and *Fighting*, directed the film from Mazer's screenplay; Mazer had previously written *Breach* and the Emmy-winning HBO film *You Don't Know Jack*[13](https://bk.asia-city.com/movie-review/empire-state) • [14](https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/45ca0d1a-dc0f-47c6-86e5-7f17282b3fa7/episodes/69e48773-ac7c-4ade-a2c4-84a870c3d0ef/digging-in-with-matt-rosenthal-hustle-perseverance-and-an-emmy-award-with-adam-mazer). The film was produced by Emmett/Furla Films, with [Randall Emmett](https://www.edgepedia.org/randall-emmett), George Furla, Sandy Kyrkostas, Stepan Martirosyan, and Mark Stewart as producers[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/empire_state_2013).
[Principal photography](https://www.edgepedia.org/principal-photography) took place in late spring and early summer 2012, from May to June, on location in New York City, New Orleans, and Toronto; scenes involving Eddie were shot outside a shop at 52-13 Roosevelt Avenue and 53rd Street in Queens[15](https://thecinemaholic.com/where-was-empire-state-2013-filmed/). The production budget was $11 million[5](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/empire-state/10079991/main/).
*Empire State* made its world premiere as the opening night film at the 2013 Gasparilla International Film Festival in [Tampa, Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/tampa-florida), where Montiel and producer Randall Emmett attended a question-and-answer session[10](https://www.cinemafunk.com/movie-reviews/empire-state/).
## Release
The film hit video on demand on August 30, 2013, and was released on DVD and Blu-ray by Lionsgate Home Entertainment on September 3, 2013[4](https://www.etonline.com/movies/137712_Empire_State_Exclusive_Clip_The_Rock_Liam_Hemsworth) • [16](https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/61545/empire-state/?___rd=1%2F). It went straight to video rather than receiving a wide theatrical release[16](https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/61545/empire-state/?___rd=1%2F). The Blu-ray includes an audio commentary with Montiel, deleted scenes, a making-of featurette, and *Anatomy of a Heist*, which features comments from the real Potamitis about the robbery[16](https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/61545/empire-state/?___rd=1%2F). The film is also known by the title *The Sentry Keep*[1](https://www.movieinsider.com/m9786/empire-state).
## Reception
Critical response was negative to mixed. The Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer stood at 24% based on three reviews, while audiences gave it a 5.2/10 on IMDb from about 24,000 votes[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/empire_state_2013) • [6](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/empire-state). Jeff Beck of We Got This Covered called it "a bland and predictable tale that completely lacks originality" despite being based on a true story[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/empire_state_2013). Alistair Lawrence of Common Sense Media, rating it 3/5, wrote that after an intriguing setup and a rare secondary role for Dwayne Johnson, the action slows and becomes repetitive[3](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/empire-state). Reviewers repeatedly noted that Johnson and [Emma Roberts](https://www.edgepedia.org/emma-roberts), despite top billing, appear only briefly; the DVD Talk review called them "hardly in the film despite getting top billing"[16](https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/61545/empire-state/?___rd=1%2F).
With an $11 million budget against about $3.6 million in box office, the film returned roughly 0.3 times its production cost[5](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/empire-state/10079991/main/).
## References
1. [Empire State Movie, MovieInsider](https://www.movieinsider.com/m9786/empire-state)
2. [Empire State (2013), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/empire_state_2013)
3. [Empire State, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/empire-state)
4. [Exclusive Clip: Liam's 'Empire' Interrogation, Entertainment Tonight](https://www.etonline.com/movies/137712_Empire_State_Exclusive_Clip_The_Rock_Liam_Hemsworth)
5. [Empire State (2013) Movie, Moviefone](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/empire-state/10079991/main/)
6. [Empire State streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/empire-state)
7. [Empire State (2013), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2171867/)
8. [Empire State: Chris Potamitis On His Famous Heist and Life Story, GreekReporter](https://greekreporter.com/2022/04/13/empire-state-chris-potamitis-on-famous-heist-and-his-lifes-story-video/)
9. [Is Empire State a True Story?, The Cinemaholic](https://thecinemaholic.com/is-empire-state-based-on-a-true-story/)
10. [Empire State, CinemaFunk](https://www.cinemafunk.com/movie-reviews/empire-state/)
11. [Empire State (Review), INFLUX Magazine](https://influxmagazine.com/empire-state/)
12. [Exclusive Interview With Dito Montiel On Empire State, We Got This Covered](https://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/exclusive-interview-dito-montiel-empire-state/)
13. [Empire State, BK Magazine](https://bk.asia-city.com/movie-review/empire-state)
14. [Digging In with Matt Rosenthal: Adam Mazer interview](https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/45ca0d1a-dc0f-47c6-86e5-7f17282b3fa7/episodes/69e48773-ac7c-4ade-a2c4-84a870c3d0ef/digging-in-with-matt-rosenthal-hustle-perseverance-and-an-emmy-award-with-adam-mazer)
15. [Where Was Empire State (2013) Filmed?, The Cinemaholic](https://thecinemaholic.com/where-was-empire-state-2013-filmed/)
16. [Empire State, DVD Talk review](https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/61545/empire-state/?___rd=1%2F)
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