Boardwalk Empire: The Complete First Season (2010) [Blu-ray]
Crime | Drama | History

Season (1)  |  Season (2)  |  Season (3)  |  Season (4)  |  Season (5)


Tagline: Atlantic City, 1920. When alcohol was outlawed, outlaws became kings.

From Emmy-winning writer Terence Winter (The Sopranos) and Executive Producer Martin Scorsese, Boardwalk Empire begins in Atlantic City in 1920. It is the eve of Prohibition, and county treasurer, Enoch "Nucky" Thompson (Steve Buscemi) is looking to cash in. As the undisputed "Boss" of Atlantic City, Nucky leads a double life as a politician and bootlegger; Prohibition may have outlawed alcohol, but in Nucky's world it has opened up highly lucrative opportunities for gangsters and rumrunners looking to provide "liquid gold" for a thirsty nation. In a city defined by notorious backroom politics and vicious power struggles, Nucky must battle with a relentless federal agent, ambitious underlings, and opportunistic rivals - including Arnold Rothstein, Lucky Luciano, and Al Capone.

Storyline: Set in the Prohibition era of the 1920s Boardwalk Empire is the story of Enoch "Nucky" Thompson, the treasurer of Atlantic County, Atlantic City, New Jersey. Due to his relationships with mobsters as well as political contacts, the Federal Government start to take an interest in him. His lavish lifestyle seems at odds with his position, and as well as his connections, there is prolific bootlegging in the area. Written by WellardRockard

1.01 Boardwalk Empire - At the dawn of Prohibition in January 1920, Enoch "Nucky" Thompson, treasurer of Atlantic County, hatches a scheme to make himself and his associates very rich by bootlegging liquor, entering into business with Arnold Rothstein and Charlie "Lucky" Luciano. Nucky is approached by beautiful and pregnant Margaret Schroeder, who wants his help finding her abusive husband a job. Jimmy Darmody, Nucky's former protégé, returns from fighting in World War I with ambitious ideas about his future and he forges an unlikely alliance that could have serious consequences for both him and Nucky.

1.02 The Ivory Tower - Nucky is paid a visit by straight-arrow Agent Nelson Van Alden, who feels that Nucky has pinned a crime on a scapegoat. After using his recent windfall to buy presents for his wife Angela and mother Gillian, Jimmy is forced to pay Nucky a larger sum of money. Margaret is visited by both Van Alden and Nucky's brother, Sheriff Elias Thompson, each seeking a different side of her story as to the death of her husband. After the funeral of James "Big Jim" Colosimo, Chicago gangster Al Capone has a violent encounter with an inquisitive reporter. Nucky contemplates the upcoming election with his aging mentor, Louis "the Commodore" Kaestner.

1.03 Broadway Limited - Nucky makes a deal with African-American gangster Chalky White to handle the repackaging and distribution of bootlegged whiskey, a decision that quickly turns deadly for Chalky's gang. Margaret is given a job at a boutique through Nucky's connections, and crosses paths with his mistress Lucy. Agent Van Alden learns through a brutal interrogation that Jimmy was involved in the shooting in the woods, a discovery that forces Nucky to make a decision on Jimmy's future in Atlantic City.

1.04 Anastasia - Nucky celebrates his birthday and uses the event to try and expand his influence over both the Mayor of Jersey City and a United States Senator. Margaret is tasked with delivering a dress to Lucy, and finds solace from her disillusionment by shoplifting lingerie. Chalky exacts revenge on a local Ku Klux Klan leader for a lynching. Jimmy and Capone expand their business operations by taking over territories from a local Irish gangster, resulting in vicious consequences for a prostitute Jimmy was fond of. Luciano takes an interest in Gillian while tracking down Jimmy at Rothstein's request.

1.05 Nights in Ballygran - Nucky prepares for St. Patrick's Day, but finds himself at odds with an increasingly antagonistic Eli. The attack on Pearl has devastating consequences for both her and Jimmy. Gillian proposes to Angela, the mother of Jimmy's son, that she take over raising the child. Margaret, feeling slighted by Nucky, passes information to Agent Van Alden that disrupts both his business partnerships and the annual Celtic Dinner – a decision which leads to a tense late-night encounter between the two.

1.06 Family Limitation - Nucky investigates a boardwalk theft against one of his ward bosses, which leads him to directly confront Luciano – who has been conducting an affair with Gillian. Margaret embraces her new role as Nucky's mistress, which gives her the nerve to stand up to Lucy. Jimmy scores points with Johnny Torrio and antagonizes Capone in Chicago with his definitive solution to the Sheridan gang dispute. Van Alden struggles with his superior's instructions and his growing obsession with Margaret.

1.07 Home - Nucky purges some painful childhood memories with the upcoming sale of his father's home. Jimmy forms an alliance with Richard Harrow, a former Army sniper heavily scarred in the war, which allows him to find justice against the man who disfigured Pearl. Luciano and Rothstein protege Meyer Lansky enter into an alliance with the D'Alessio brothers to set up a new bootlegging business, bankrolled by robbing Nucky's business ventures. Angela Darmody pursues a new love affair, while Lucy and the Commodore both grow agitated with Nucky's lack of attention.

1.08 Hold Me in Paradise - Nucky visits Chicago for the Republican National Convention, where he finds himself intrigued by the candidacy of Warren G. Harding over more established candidates. The D'Alessio gang moves in on Nucky's territory at the expense of Eli, who has been watching over his brother's affairs. Margaret finds herself entangled in Nucky's business, while Van Alden struggles with his wife's desire for a child. Rothstein prepares for legal trouble over his role in fixing the 1919 World Series. Nucky asks Jimmy to return to Atlantic City to reinforce his position.

1.09 Belle Femme - Nucky is forced to readjust his political alliances because of a Democratic mayoral candidate promising to wipe out corruption. Jimmy returns from Chicago to deal with the D'Alessio gang, which has allied with Rothstein to import Scotch from Europe through Atlantic City, but is arrested by Agent Van Alden for the massacre in the woods. Margaret intercedes with Nucky on Madame Jeunet's behalf, while Angela finds her romantic and artistic ambitions halted by Jimmy's return.

1.10 The Emerald City - Nucky asks for Margaret's assistance in backing his mayoral candidate with the passage of women's right to vote, leaving her conflicted about her expanding role as his mistress. Doyle switches sides back from Rothstein to Nucky, which leads him to conspire with Chalky against Lansky and the D'Alessios. Angela witnesses Jimmy's violent side against her photographer friend, and plans a better future with his wife. Van Alden grapples with his emotions, and has forceful encounters with both Margaret and Lucy.

1.11 Paris Green - Nucky has emotionally charged conversations with both Margaret and Eli over his business and the killing of Margaret's husband, leading to dramatic shake-ups in his personal and political lives. Jimmy meets with his dying father for the first time in years, and in the process reevaluates his relationships with Nucky and both his parents. Van Alden and Agent Sebso's working relationship is pushed to the limit by Van Alden's suspicions, ending after a definitive confrontation at a river baptism. Angela prepares to flee from Jimmy to Paris, but learns her support system is not as strong as she believed.

1.12 A Return to Normalcy - Nucky faces Election Day in Atlantic City and pulls out all the stops to keep power in Republican hands. Torrio brokers a discussion between Nucky and Rothstein to resolve their growing gang war, as well as Rothstein's looming federal indictment over the World Series. Both Jimmy and Eli voice their growing resentment towards Nucky, and find they have an ally in the equally embittered Commodore. Van Alden seeks a sign on whether or not to leave Atlantic City, but receives unexpected news from Lucy. Margaret weighs new information about Nucky's first marriage and her uncertain future to make a final decision on her role in his life.

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Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Kenneth Brown on December 27, 2011 -- January 16, 1919. The 66th United States Congress ratifies the controversial 18th Constitutional Amendment, prohibiting the "manufacture, sale or transportation of intoxicating liquors." October 28, 1919. The House overrides President Woodrow Wilson's veto of the Volstead Act, a bill designed to grant authorities the power necessary to uphold the 18th Amendment. October 29, 1919. The U.S. Senate agrees. The Volstead Act becomes law and the now-infamous Prohibition era is born. January 17, 1920. Six armed men steal a shipment of medicinal whiskey valued at over $100,000. February 22, 1920. Bootlegging and liquor trafficking explodes. Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Jersey are the only states in the Union that still refuse to ratify the 18th Amendment. August 11, 1920. Organized crime and government corruption, both state and local, are at an all time high. The United States learns that Prohibition doesn't curb crime; it fosters it. Thus begins executive producers' Martin Scorsese and Terence Winter's riveting, critically acclaimed HBO Prohibition series, Boardwalk Empire.

Wiry and gaunt as he is, Buscemi lends unexpected weight to Enoch "Nucky" Thompson, an Atlantic County politico, prominent racketeer and 1920s bootlegger whose seemingly endless connections grant him access to a variety of politicians, socialites and mobsters; a self-made man whose power and influence is unmatched in Atlantic City and the surrounding areas; and a risk-taker whose high-rolling lifestyle begins to attract the attention of authorities beyond New Jersey's borders. Having made a series of shrewd back room deals and under-the-table exchanges, Nucky soon finds himself at the center of the very lucrative but dangerous storm that is Prohibition. Enter former protégé Jimmy Darmody (Michael Pitt), a World War I veteran who strikes an unlikely alliance with upstart Al Capone (Stephen Graham); federal agent Nelson Van Alden (Michael Shannon), an immovable lawman impervious to Nucky's charms; and gangsters Charles Luciano (Vincent Piazza), Arnold Rothstein (Michael Stuhlbarg), Albert "Chalky" White (Michael Kenneth Williams) and a host of other shifty shooters, each one looking to either bring Nucky down or put a bullet in his head before he becomes too great a threat. What follows is a series that slowly but systematically distinguishes itself from HBO's Other Gangster Drama (The Sorpranos), establishes its own tone and tenor, eliminates potential histrionics, and leaves little room for comparison. Boardwalk Empire is quickly becoming the new HBO standard.

It also oozes historical accuracy, no small feat considering that much of its history, some of its storylines and many of its characters (several of whom are complete fabrications) are steeped in fiction. Scorsese and Winter make it difficult to discern truth from invention, though, blurring the lines between authenticity, atmosphere and creative license. It leads to a sense that little worked out as cleanly and cinematically as it does here, sure, but it also makes every double-cross, underhanded move, sleazy maneuver, suspicious seduction, shady political back-scratch, tragic downfall and dirty business venture that much more gripping. There's an art to manufactured history, and Scorsese is one of the great masters. His craft elevates the entire series -- even when early episodes creep along without the sort of bold direction you might expect -- and Winter (who takes the reigns come "The Ivory Tower") makes it all but impossible to tell Scorsese has retreated into the executive producer shadows and relinquished control to his anointed showrunner. Generous budgets, astonishing production design, smart casting and calculated performances can only take a series so far. Scorsese's Boardwalk Empire could have crumpled the moment the second episode began. Instead, Winter's command of each successive episode only intensifies, his confidence only blossoms, and the series only becomes that much more addicting as it plows ahead. It took me more than a week to make my way through the first five episodes. The next seven episodes? I blew through them in just three days. Season Two? Twelve episodes and a mere two days left me with an insatiable appetite for a third season. Suffice it to say, some will no doubt bemoan Scorsese's distance from the first season's later episodes, but Winter and his fellow writers and directors prove to be more than capable of carrying the torch.

When Boardwalk Empire idles it's all for good reason, although that reason may not be apparent until "A Return to Normalcy" (or, in some cases, Season Two). Yes, Nucky is a survivor, willing to sacrifice just about any stance to further his standing. But he's also a very human survivor; a man whose greed and lust for life has its limits, however loose they might be. Whereas Tony Soprano had to work to earn our affection, Nucky steals it almost immediately and with ease. He's a killer but not a hardened killer; he's a criminal but a criminal of opportunity; he's sharp but conflicted, crafty but loyal, cautious but driven. He isn't a gangland gimmick, a one-note guns-n-gangsters caricature or an out-and-out crooked politician. Oh, he's corrupt -- a thief, a liar and a conman -- but he's also a man of the people; a position he doesn't take as lightly as the letter of the law. His is a curse of justification, ego and self-delusion, and Buscemi makes one thing abundantly clear: Nucky knows it. When the series seems as if it's ambling along, chasing tangents and dead-end subplots, it's stretching Nucky, subtly priming him for the trials ahead. Like the best dramas (of which HBO has quite a few), Boardwalk Empire hinges on a long con. Scorsese and Winter could have roped viewers in from the start with cheap spectacle, operatic flourishes and other tricks of the period television trade, but to what end? Better to lay the groundwork, build something more substantial, and transport viewers to 1920; to allow Nucky and his enemies to inhabit a believable world, to come together and grow apart as real people would; to struggle, coerce, bend, break and persevere as a genuine (and genuinely corrupt) career politician might. And I would rather watch a carefully paced, character-driven drama than one that didn't rest on a proper foundation. I hesitate to compare Boardwalk Empire to The Wire -- yet, anyway -- but the two share more in common than you might think, including an affinity for slowburn storytelling, compelling characters, steady trigger fingers, and a wholly convincing setting. 1920s Atlantic City and 2000s Baltimore aren't so far apart after all.

Boardwalk Empire: The Complete First Season is yet another outstanding Blu-ray release from the premium cable network that changed the face of television. Stunning video, engrossing audio, seemingly endless supplements, and the first character-driven season of Terrence Winter and Martin Scorsese's critically acclaimed period drama. Little disappoints and even less comes up short. This is television and Blu-ray at their finest, and those who purchase this 5-disc set will be thrilled with the results.

[CSW] 7.5/10 - For some reason there weren't any great surprises for me. I seemed to sense almost every plot twist and turn well in advance. It is almost as if I had read spoilers an hour before each plot twist. I seemed to have successfully spoiled the tension and emotional shock value for myself every time all without knowing anything in advance.

--- JOYA ---


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