*Warning: This review contains slight spoilers*
In this Boardwalk Empire review, I’ll explain what you get when you cross Steve Buscemi with Martin Scorsese and HBO.
You didn’t figure it out yet? Why, small men with their large eyes set on the liquor trade, of course. Beginning its run in 2010, Boardwalk Empire follows the story of Enoch “Nucky” Thompson (played by Steve Buscemi and his eyes, and based off of the real life of Enoch “Nucky” Johnson, who was a renowned bootlegger and racketeer) as he circumvents the newly established Prohibition Laws to become the man about town in Atlantic City.
Buscemi plays the role of Nucky with ease. His position as an anti-hero within the first three seasons of Boardwalk Empire makes you both despise and pity Nucky. His relationship with Margaret Schroeder (actress Kelly MacDonald) ebbs and flows, and as it is now, their future together seems unlikely. Still, when you place a racketeering, murdering, boozing rum runner in a face-off against even more vicious racketeering, murdering, boozing rum runners (one of whom is a familiar name to all, the eponymous Al Capone, trying to get his start in the industry), you can’t help but root for our main character.
One of the strongest points for myself, as a consumer of media in all forms, comes with the soundtrack. HBO never disappoints in its music, and the soundtrack compiled for Boardwalk Empire is one of the strongest I’ve heard in some time. The use of tunes from the 1890′s to the 1920′s, performed by artists such as Regina Spektor, Leon Redbone and Vince Girodano is bound to be loved by anyone who is a fan of the popular music also utilized in the Bioshock game series. Indeed, there are often shots of the boardwalk, with joyful 20′s tunes being scratched out through a gramophone, that take you back to Rapture. Nucky’s struggle to maintain his position of power in Boardwalk Empire could easily be paralleled to the downfall of Andrew Ryan as he loses his grip on Rapture with Fontaine’s rise in popularity.
Like any HBO period-specific drama, getting attached to a character who might seem noble or impressive comes with its risks (we’re looking at you, Game of Thrones.) The rate of individuals falling from grace, getting blown backwards by a shotgun, or betraying their own in favor of an allegedly brighter future is high. So high, in fact, that any episode that passes without someone dying is considered a tad dull. With three seasons having come and gone, we’ve seen the deaths of major players, the corruption of Margaret Schroeder from Women’s League to Nucky’s mistress, the backstabbing of Nucky (by individuals close to him), and an incestuous relationship. If you haven’t seen the show yet, that last point will be obvious enough to pick out when the time comes. That’s HBO for you: no one is innocent and no one escapes life unscathed. In some ways, that is exactly what makes HBO a powerhouse in television programming.
With all the boozing, sexing, and philandering aside, viewers also have to deal with the vast quantity of characters, names, and Atlantic City accents. With such a high turnover in characters, it can be difficult to keep track of plot lines and who is working for whom. To its credit, this isn’t the only HBO show that deals with an intense cast of characters, and they do their best to ensure that those you need to remember are unforgettable. Characters who are generally irrelevant don’t stick around for too long. Suffice to say, Boardwalk Empire doesn’t suffer any fools. If you plan on getting into it, you need to offer it your full attention, lest you get lost in the interweaving story lines and the rich character backgrounds.
If the idea of becoming immersed in the prohibition era entices you, but the idea of a revolving cast is a little intimidating, don’t fret. It’s easy enough to get lost in the world that has been formed by creator Terence Winter. Everything from the cinematography to the lyrical dialogue and soundtrack pulls in viewers, creating a complicated illusion of what life was really like back then. Was it idyllic, with Ferris wheels and morality? Or was the underbelly of Atlantic City more dominant than we’d ever have imagined? You’ll have to take a look and decide for yourself!
HBO’s Boardwalk Empire has been renewed for a fourth season and will speculatively begin in September, 2013. Check out the Official Boardwalk Empire website to follow Steve Buscemi’s struggle to maintain his grip on Atlantic City.
