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‘Boardwalk Empire’ Review: Obsession with Style Distracts from Otherwise Promising Series

 by Robert Kelly

‘Boardwalk Empire’ is an intriguing new series on HBO, similar to ‘the Sopranos’, which showcases the rise of mobster-politician Enoch “Nucky” Thompson (Steve Buscemi) in 1920’s Atlantic City, New Jersey.  Nucky uses his power as both a corrupt yet popular local politician and feared mob boss to strengthen his hold on the city. With Prohibition looming, Nucky, ever the opportunist, sees money to be made in the buying, selling, and eventually brewing of soon to be illegal alcohol. Through sheer brutality and street smarts, Nucky and his gang of cutthroats must now protect this growing empire from greedy rival gangs and peering federal agents.

‘Boardwalk Empire’ is set in 1920’s America and the shows directors laboriously in scene after scene make that abundantly clear. They don’t just show it to the audience, they beat you over the head with it. This is undoubtedly the show’s biggest weakness. The plot is a strong one but it often takes a back seat to the historical and detailed approach the directors have taken.  The exaggeration and overuse of the 1920’s style prove to be a distraction in an otherwise fine show.  The show fails to keep you on the edge of your seat; although, it does have many memorable scenes. Because of the hyper-style, it seems as if you are watching the characters and the events unfold from a distance. It lacks a certain personal appeal necessary in order to connect with the characters. It’s as if you are watching art rather than engaging in a movie.

Furthermore, the acting in ‘Boardwalk Empire” is strong, but the characters, with a few exceptions, are altogether forgettable. Steve Buscemi is one of Hollywood’s more versatile actors but a strong central lead he is not. He never seems comfortable playing the tough and ruthless mobster the show is dependent on. I often found myself growing more and more interested only to have the spell broken by Buscemi’s half-hearted and almost comical attempt to display anger. Casting Buscemi in this type of role can be likened to casting Adrien Brody as the mercenary hero in Predators.  Hey, I said almost.

Vastly underused actor Michael Pitt plays Jimmy Darmody, a recently returned World War I vet, intent on making a name for himself within Nucky’s organization. It certainly does not hurt that he is Nucky’s nephew. Ambitious and often bull-headed, Jimmy repeatedly makes seemingly irrational and rash actions that could potentially spell trouble in the future. Pitt plays this role to perfection and adds a certain authenticity to a film that badly needs it.

Lastly, ‘No Country for Old Men’ actress Kelly Macdonald adds a strong female presence to the show and hers is really the only female character worth mentioning. She plays Margaret Schroeder, a fragile and abused housewife. Fighting loneliness and desperation she makes a heartfelt plea to Nucky for financial help. The sight of a small and defenseless Margaret withstand the constant beatings from her husband force an appeal for sympathy from the audience and she rightly gets it. When she enters a scene, your interest is immediately peaked as you hold out hope that she will one day escape from it all.

‘Boardwalk Empire’ airs every Sunday night at 9 p.m. on HBO. Episodes usually run at about an hour which is long enough to engage the audience and short enough to keep them from checking the time to see how much longer they have. Similar to the popular show the ‘Sopranos’, ‘Boardwalk Empire’ contains a good amount of violence, nudity, and profanity. Because of the content, children need to be as far away as possible or soundly asleep when Boardwalk starts up.

Overall, ‘Boardwalk Empire’ is an entertaining new show, just don’t expect it to have much of a lasting impact after you change the channel.