Show: "Boardwalk Empire"
Channel: HBO
Grade: A-
Put Martin Scorsese on a new HBO show and the viewers will tune in.
More than 4.8 million people caught the series premiere of "Boardwalk Empire," HBO's newest hyped-up series with big names and an even bigger production cost. The 4.8 million viewers were the most to watch an HBO premiere since 2004's premiere of "Deadwood," and the high rating resulted in an immediate announcement that HBO ordered a second season of the show.
What those millions of viewers saw was a near-perfect setup for this series about Prohibition in the Roaring Twenties and the unexpected effects it caused.
Executive producers Scorsese (Shutter Island), Mark Wahlberg (Entourage) and Terence Winter (The Sopranos) fused together to create the $20 million pilot. In addition, Scorsese directed the opening episode.
These producers utilized this large money sum extremely well. In Scorsese form, "Boardwalk Empire" truly captures the era. The big band jazz that allured speakeasy crowds to dance, the authentic and dazzling Rolls-Royces and the colorful cigarette ads lining the boardwalk all portray authentic Atlantic City scenes. It's as if Scorsese channeled the visions he had while directing Civil War-era Gangs of New York.
From there, the cast took these detailed sets and added even more enticing characters.
Steven Buscemi (Grown Ups) shines in a role usually fit for a De Niro or Pacino.
Buscemi plays Nucky Thompson, an Atlantic City political boss inspired by real-life Atlantic City chief Enoch "Nucky" Johnson. Those familiar with Buscemi remember him playing quirky roles in Fargo and The Big Lebowski, but "Mr. Pink" displays enough persona and confidence to look fit in the shiny pinstriped suits his character wears.
Though a character who means business, Thompson shows charisma and some familiar Buscemi-esque personality traits. While slamming mob bosses heads into craps tables, Thompson also charms Women's Temperance League members. Buscemi even adds some comedy: in one scene, his character goes on a swear-filled outburst when his fling repeatedly says "Giddy up cowboy" in bed.
Thompson is suave and corrupt, but he has the Boardwalk in his palm. Buscemi may have seemed like an odd choice, but those questions were buried just like some of Nucky Thompson's opposition.
The supporting cast also produces. Michael Pitt (Funny Games) impresses as Jimmy Darmody, Thompson's bitter accomplice who's back home after serving in the war. Fed up with his role within Thompson's inner circle, he becomes more hands on when he meets a young, unknown Chicago gangster named Al Capone (Stephen Graham, Public Enemies). The two team up and cause what becomes the episode's main conflict when they try to rob numerous cases of Canadian whisky. Even those in minor roles impress. Michael Stuhlbarg's (A Serious Man) performance as Jewish mafia kingpin Arnold Rothstein flashes up memories of Sam Rothstein played by Robert De Niro in Scorsese's Casino. It's evident that the executive producers sought after those who were comfortable in bowler hats and chinchilla coats, and their thorough scouting paid off.
Though more background for these characters is needed, the pilot of "Boardwalk Empire" was near perfect. $20 million was a lot to gamble, but with Scorsese and crew at the helm, it was almost a stone-cold lock to succeed.
