It’s 1920 in Atlantic City, New Jersey and prohibition has just gone into effect. For some, the new law represents a wonderful business opportunity. Atlantic City is Enoch “Nucky” Thompson’s (Steve Buscemi) town. The corrupt treasurer of Atlantic County gets a cut of everything, from local business to gambling, and he gets away with it because he has the police in his pocket. For Nucky, the federal government’s decision to institute prohibition simply offers an opportunity for him and his friends a means to become extremely wealthy in the bootlegging industry. But Nucky and his buddies aren’t about to limit their liquor sales to Atlantic City. The real money is in the major cities—New York and Chicago—there’s no way they’re going to miss out on that cash cow.
Charging exorbitant amounts per crate of liquor, the money starts rolling in. Predictably, Nucky’s high flying lifestyle begins to attract the attention of federal authorities and stoke the ire of former friends. Enter Nucky’s former protégé Jimmy Darmody (Michael Pitt), a World War I veteran who forms an unlikely partnership with a young Al Capone (Stephen Graham) after a serious falling out with Nucky; federal agent Nelson Van Alden (Michael Shannon), a resolute lawman with some odd ethics of his own; and gangsters Charles Luciano (Vincent Piazza), Arnold Rothstein (Michael Stuhlbarg), Albert “Chalky” White (Michael Kenneth Williams) and a series of other shifty characters, all looking for the own path to the top of prohibition riches.
Nucky’s personal life is nearly as complicated as his professional one. Though involved in a (very sexual) relationship with the needy and dimwitted Lucy Danziger (Paz de la Huerta), he has developed strong feelings for an Irish mother and political activist named Margaret Schroeder (Kelly Macdonald).
Among the things that makes Boardwalk Empire such a great show is the genuinely conflicted characters. Nucky Thompson is not the second coming of Tony Soprano. He’s a well mannered fellow who prefers hashing things out in a meeting than engaging in a violent showdown. Margaret has to decide if she can forgo long held personal beliefs to enjoy the luxurious lifestyle Nucky can provide. Jimmy must decide whether he’s truly ready to step out from behind Nucky’s sizeable shadow. Van Alden must deal with the urge to allow his stern religious beliefs to destroy his personal and professional life (a slow-burning subplot which leads to one of the season’s most stunning moments).
HBO has delivered another winner with Boardwalk Empire. If you find yourself wanting after the first couple of episodes, stick with it. This is a slow building show, with lots to offer and one heck of a pay off.
Boardwalk Empire: The Complete First Season offers a strong 1.78:1, 1080p transfer which allows viewers to really appreciate the effort put in to creating time and place. The level of detail is exceptional throughout, and the series does a nice job of balancing lots of different shadows. This is undoubtedly helped by nice deep blacks and solid shadow delineation. Colors are vibrant and pop when necessary.
The DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track is also very good, creating a real immersive atmosphere. The period appropriate music comes through evenly, with dialogue sounding crisp and clear throughout.
English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish subtitles are available.
The following special features are available:
- Enhanced Viewing Mode (HD): Each episode features a Picture-in-Picture Enhanced Viewing Experience, with cast and crew interviews, video commentary with historians, Prohibition overviews, production details and more. Every one of these is worth a watch.
- Character Dossier (HD): Each episode also includes a Character Dossier that tells you all you need to know about certain characters. A good way to brush up on things.
- Audio Commentaries: As if twelve PiP tracks weren’t enough, six audio commentaries are available, all of which are well worth listening to: “Boardwalk Empire” with creator/writer/executive producer Terrence Winter; “Anastasia” with Winter and actors Steve Buscemi (Nucky Thompson) and Michael Kenneth Williams (Chalky White); “Family Limitation” with director/writer/executive producer Time Van Patten and writer/supervising producer Howard Korder; “Hold Me In Paradise” with Winter and director Brian Kirk; “Paris Green” with Korder, director Allen Coulter and actor Michael Shannon (Nelson Van Alden); and “Return to Normalcy” with Winter and Van Patten.
- Atlantic City: The Original Sin City (HD, 30 minutes): An excellent documentary that looks at the history, politics, culture, class structure, power players, criminal activities, Prohibition enforcement, and bootlegging practices of Atlantic City in the 1920s.
- Speakeasy Tour (HD, 25 minutes): A lengthy look at the Prohibition-era speakeasies of New York and Chicago, the men who ran them, and the sale and distribution of illegal alcohol.
- Making Boardwalk Empire (HD, 20 minutes): Even with twelve PiP tracks in tow, the series’ first-season release still boasts a twenty-minute behind-the-scenes documentary. It may not be nearly as extensive, but it’s a nice overview for those of you who don’t have the time to tackle the Enhanced Viewing Mode content and audio commentaries.
- Creating the Boardwalk (HD, 5 minutes): This short piece dissects the process behind re-creating the roaring ’20s.