Boardwalk Empire | A

What would happen if Martin Scorsese's famed directing, Terence Winter's Emmy Award winning screenwriting and Steve Buscemi's delightfully distinctive acting were thrown in a pot, sprinkled with some roaring '20s style, and topped off with a gangster flare? Well you'd get Boardwalk Empire, HBO's hit new series that has critics raving and new fans popping up left and right. Boardwalk Empire has been met with almost universal acclaim, and it is no surprise that it is the show on everybody's minds. 

Set in Atlantic City during the Prohibition era, Boardwalk Empire centers on Enoch "Nucky" Thompson (Steve Buscemi, Fargo, Reservoir Dogs) the vastly wealthy and corrupt treasurer of Atlantic City. He runs the town, pulls the strings and is adored by everyone. The series follows Nucky's rise to power and interactions with various historical figures, such as politicians and mobsters. The first episode starts off immediately swinging, as Prohibition is enforced, and people are partying in the street like animals. Nucky sees Prohibition as a means of getting richer, and uses his power to control the illegal flow of alcohol into Atlantic City. Throughout the first three episodes, the show focuses not only on Nucky but heavily on secondary characters he collaborates with, such as mobsters Arnold Rothstein (Michael Stuhlbarg, Body of Lies, A Serious Man) and Al Capone (Stephen Graham, Snatch, Public Enemies). Nucky also welcomes back Jimmy Darmody (Michael Pitt, Funny Games), an eager, young World War I veteran, with aspirations of making it to the top. Also, Margaret Schroeder (Kelly Macdonald, No Country for Old Men) is introduced, as a caring mother who visits Nucky in hopes of getting a job. She serves as a possible love interest to him. So far Boardwalk Empire has opened up this dazzling world of sex, alcohol, crime and jazz, all happening in the dark underbelly of sin-city.

The praise that Boardwalk Empire has received has been properly justified. Good art is produced when experienced professionals collaborate, and that is exactly what happened here. Screenwriter/Producer Winter, who has previously worked on Xena: Warrior Princess and The Sopranos, teams up with legendary director Scorsese. Scorsese is no stranger to gangster films or period pieces, having directed some of the most acclaimed ones like Goodfellas and The Aviator. It is because of this that the action sequences in the show are intense, and the authenticity of the time period is genuinely captured. All the costumes, scenery and set feel like they were yanked right out of the '20s.

Boardwalk Empire possesses a unique cast of players. Buscemi steals the show with his unique portrayal of Nucky, adding his own, notorious style to the character. The rest of the cast hold their ground strong alongside Buscemi.

Boardwalk Empire is a show that provides a very enticing storyline with an impressive, historical backdrop to match. It will steal your attention, captivate you and leave you longing and eager for more.