Boardwalk Empire

Pilot: The tops. Marty is just the right man for this type of movie. Sorry, series. Buscemi’s Nucky is the perfect guide for a journey that begins very promisingly. I look forward to what comes next. Let’s hope the quality doesn’t disappear along with Scorsese. Season one: A really outstanding series that is all about characters and solving problems. Buscemi dominates the entire series and the scene at the end when he remembers his dead wife is, thanks to his performance, the high point of the whole series. I’m intrigued to see what comes next. (2010-09-22)

The era of prohibition and the golden age of escalating organized crime are thoroughly documented in film and television. However, HBO proves that returning to seemingly exhausted material can be very successful if done right. Boardwalk Empire turned out to be one of the most pleasant television surprises in recent years for me. Steve Buscemi is a charismatic boss of a criminal gang, not one-dimensional, but a highly complex human character. Paz de la Huerta is the perfect mafia seductress, and the likable character played by Kelly Macdonald is interestingly torn between two worlds and faced with numerous difficult decisions. You can create a work in a similar environment either in the style of The Untouchables, as a battle between the heroes and villains, or as a comprehensive portrait of society, showcasing the workings of crime in all its forms and levels. Boardwalk Empire is the latter and brilliantly demonstrates how crime was firmly ingrained in the social structure of the United States at that time. You can witness the corrupt practices of politicians, as well as small-time street thieves, prostitutes in brothels, and foot soldiers doing rough work. Here, the characters are not so much positive or negative, but rather people with different interests in varying shades of grey. Overall impression: 95%. (2013-10-23)

Apart from the weaker first half of the fifth season, I was very pleased with the series. I've always liked gangster films set in the 1920s and 1930s, so it was obvious that unless the creators did something catastrophically wrong, I was going to like this one. What I enjoy about HBO's "historical" series is the combination of real characters and obvious fiction, which worked really well here. Plus, it managed to create a great atmosphere. Things were made even better by casting Steve Buscemi in the lead role. I was also blown away by Michael Shannon in the role of Nelson Van Alden, who gave an excellent performance throughout. (2017-07-15)

Provisional rating after the first episode. Formally, it’s flawless, of course (what else to expect from Scorsese), but the genre is certainly not my thing, so, just what I expected. What was a nice surprise, though, were the occasional comedic moments. I’ll still give it a chance, but I don’t think I’ll be crazy about Boardwalk Empire. (2010-09-24)