I am – Hercules!!
A hugely entertaining look at Prohibition-era gangsters and politics, “Boardwalk Empire” turns out to be one of the best original series ever to emerge from the channel that already gave us one great series about New Jersey criminals.
Speaking of which. “Boardwalk” is masterminded by former “Sopranos” writer-producer Terrence Winter. Steve Buscemi, a major component of “The Sopranos’” fifth season who also directed four episodes of the series, plays Nucky Thompson, the enterprise’s central character.
The pilot marks Martin Scorsese’s first non-documentary directorial effort for television since the 1986 “Mirror Mirror” episode of “Amazing Stories” starring Sam Waterston. I like the “Boardwalk” pilot better than most of Scorsese’s movies. It carries a lot of the wit and nuance I associate with “Mad Men” (like “Boardwalk,” a period piece overseen by a “Sopranos” vet).
(And I just noticed that Paul Simms, who wrote for “Larry Sanders” before he created “NewsRadio,” has found his way onto the “Boardwalk” writing staff!)
“Boardwalk” also looks expensive as hell, thanks in part to the seamless CGI effects that add scale to the period exteriors.
The series’ first season is set in 1920, the year Vito Corleone began his gangster career. A lot of the “Boardwalk” scenes feel like they could be wonderful lost subplots from “The Godfather Part II.” Though the series is anchored in Atlantic City, Winter isn’t shy about exploring what Nucky’s partners and rivals are up to in New York and Chicago.
There’s a little of Vito in Nucky, a bright and engaging personality who, as we meet him, has amassed an improbable amount of money and power and serves as a tough but generally benign overlord. Officially employed as the county’s treasurer, Nucky is introduced advocating Prohibition. It isn’t long before we learn he favors the measure because he can charge a lot more for whiskey once it becomes contraband. Watching the magnificent Steve Buscemi’s character work the many angles in his beachside kingdom is a joy.
Scotland’s Kelly Macdonald, of “Trainspotting” and “No Country For Old Men” fame, is very likeable as Margaret Schroeder, an abused Irish immigrant, but it’s unclear why we’re paying such close attention to her until the fifth episode or so.
Dabney Coleman (“Buffalo Bill”) is barely recognizable as Nucky’s aged mentor, Commodore Louis Kaestner.
Michael K. Williams (Omar Little in “The Wire”) arrives in the second episode as Chalky White, a key Nucky ally and Nucky’s conduit to the county’s all-important black vote. He gets to tell a tense tale to a Klansman as the series soldiers on.
Michael Stuhlberg (hilarious as Larry Gopnik in the Coen Bros.’ “A Serious Man”) is here a magnetic menace as sharp, well-spoken New York mob boss Arnold Rothstein, one of the forces that threaten Nucky’s empire.
Michael Shannon (“Revolutionary Road,” “The Runaways,” “Jonah Hex”) plays IRS agent Nelson Van Alden, a family-country-and-God True Believer who grows obsessed with bringing Nucky down.
Michael Pitt (“Bully,” “The Dreamers,” “The Village,” “Funny Games”) plays Jimmy Darmody, a Princeton alum who finds the horrors of combat he endured during World War I help him break into the gangstering trade.
(Lot of talented Michaels on this show!)
Gretchen Mol (“Life on Mars,” “3:10 To Yuma”) is winning as Jimmy’s clever and disturbingly youthful showgirl mother.
Aleska Palladino, who 14 years ago was Scarlett Johansson’s pregnant big sister in “Manny & Lo,” is enormously effective as the artist wife Jimmy barely knew before he abruptly set out for war.
Shea Whigham (“Fast & Furious,” “Machete”) is terrific as Eli Thompson, Nucky’s brother, sheriff and chief enforcer.
New York Metropolitan Opera star Anthony Laciura has somehow been conscripted into playing Eddie Kessler, Nucky’s adept and long-suffering German valet.
The only thing that prevents me from dubbing “Boardwalk” the best new show of autumn is AMC’s zombie series “The Walking Dead,” which arrives Oct. 31. I haven’t seen it, but nothing Frank Darabont has written has let me down yet.
Time says:
… the best new drama of the year … It's also HBO's return to the field of big-budget, big-idea dramas it dominated in the Sopranos era — sprawling and violent, with a dark but clear-eyed view of history. … Like a good whiskey, it's rough and smooth in all the right ways. By a few episodes in, you'll want to order it by the case.
USA Today says:
… Extravagantly produced, shockingly violent and as cold and hard as ice, Boardwalk Empire brings us back to the world's former playground at the start of Prohibition — and brings HBO back to the forefront of the TV-series race. There's a growing host of homes for great series, but it's hard to imagine anyone but HBO lavishing so much money and attention on a potentially tough-sell period piece, or filling it with such an inspired array of top-level talent. …
TV Squad says:
… 'Boardwalk Empire' is a welcome addition to the roster of top-notch television dramas, not just because the every person involved (including Martin Scorsese, who directed the pilot) has done a magnificent job of making the 1920s relevant and compelling. …
HitFix says:
… so impeccably-crafted that the whole feels more original than the sum of its parts. … Despite some unavoidable bumps as Winter introduces us to a strange new world and its enormous population, "Boardwalk Empire" has sweep, style, grand characters and chilling moments. It’s fantastic. …
The New York Times says:
… a well conceived, beautifully made series that has every reason to be great. Who doesn’t want to watch rum runners and gangsters on HBO? Yet, surprisingly, given the extraordinary talent and money behind it, “Boardwalk Empire” falls short. The series gets better and more engrossing with time, but it takes more than a few episodes for it to clear its throat, establish its bona fides and fall into storytelling stride. …
The Los Angeles Times says:
… it is good, though perhaps not great; cable shows make their meaning known slowly, and even the six episodes I've seen seem too few to know. … There's no question that this is one of the most interesting and accomplished shows of the new season, though it's also true that there is not much competition this year. …
The Washington Post says:
… Steve Buscemi is nothing short of remarkable … Buscemi's buggy eyes have never been put to better use. Gleefully flouting Prohibition and taking a sizable cut of everything without a trace of remorse, Nucky is also a writer's dream …
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:
… Buscemi offers the best reason to tune in. His Nucky is an unconventionally charming lawbreaker who shows signs of humanity often enough that he's not just another antihero. When the story is focused on Nucky and his exploits, "Boardwalk Empire" comes fully to life. But in future episodes when the story splits between Nucky in Atlantic City and Jimmy in Chicago, the series suffers due to some less interesting Chicago stretches. But even in these episodes, "Boardwalk Empire" offers a visual feast as it re-creates a period-specific world. …
The Boston Herald says:
… Scorsese’s attention to detail, from clothing hundreds of extras in period finery, to the building exteriors and the astounding assortment of autos is lavish and seems limitless. If only more care had been spent on the characters. Buscemi is the only big-name actor associated with this cast, and though he seems to be having a great time strutting onscreen, most of the others aren’t up to sharing the screen with him. …
The Boston Globe says:
… Buscemi is peculiarly mesmerizing as Nucky Thompson, the corrupt city treasurer in 1920s Atlantic City, just as Prohibition goes into effect. He is riveting in the way a spider is while spinning out a fine, labyrinthine web. And he fits just right into the big-budget, visually splendiferous vision … The show isn’t easy to warm up to, to be honest; it’s draped in — and at times stifled by — meticulous period detail and too-perfect lighting, especially in Scorsese’s premiere. But in episode two, the characters and the script begin to prevail, and the drama becomes more emotionally distinct and fascinating. And by episode three (I’ve seen six in all), the show hits its stride, with the mob action growing into a more primitive and unpredictable game, and the female characters emerging from stereotypes. …
The Hollywood Reporter says:
… a stunning achievement in production design. Having executive producer Martin Scorsese direct the pilot doesn't hurt either, though it's the subsequent episodes that sink their hooks into viewers by putting story ahead of scenery. …
Variety says:
… it's been a while since such a sweeping, epic backdrop has been put to better use. … This is, quite simply, television at its finest, occupying a sweet spot that -- for all the able competition -- still remains unique to HBO: An expensive, explicit, character-driven program, tackling material no broadcast network or movie studio would dare touch. … For those wondering when the channel would deliver another franchise to definitively put it on top of the world, Ma, the wait is over: Go directly to "Boardwalk."
9 p.m. Sunday. HBO.
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