There’s a new trailer for HBO’s upcoming prohibition-era gangster series “Boardwalk Empire,” thanks to New York Magazine. This is the third sneak peak at the series, being toted as the first trailer “with words” (as in, there are dialogue scenes). The series has been gaining a lot of buzz due to the involvement of director Martin Scorsese (who tackled the pilot), “The Sopranos” writer Terence Winter, and terrific actors such as Steve Buscemi, Michael Shannon , Gretchen Mol, Dabney Coleman, Michael K. Williams, Kelly Macdonald, Michael Stuhlbarg and Michael Pitt.
The trailer seems to inflate the buzz, with fantastically composed shots and sets, not to mention giving us plenty of time with lead character Steve Buscemi. Buscemi, rarely given the chance to play a tough character, knocks it out of the park in his performance as Nucky Thompson, based on Enoch “Nucky” Johnson. Enoch controlled Atlantic City through the Republican Party political machine, making it the center for prostitution, booze, and gambling during Prohibition. Enoch made out more than well in the process becoming extremely powerful and wealthy. Eventually, he landed in prison in 1941 due to tax evasion.
We also get a few shots of Michael Shannon’s character, who admittedly looks a bit stiff in his role as a Treasury Department agent assigned to crack down on bootlegging in the Prohibition era. A more optimistic evaluation of the very, very brief glimpse of his character would be that he is playing professional and bottled up, ready to explode at any moment – maybe towards the end of the series when there’s the inevitable showdown between the two characters? Shannon has often played off-beat characters, such as the ones in “Revolutionary Road” and “Bug,” but he also takes somewhat typical roles, such as the lead in “Shotgun Stories,” that could’ve very well been phoned in by anyone. In that film, Shannon gives depth to a role that most actors would’ve either hammed up or dismissed. One look from Shannon says more than most actors can say in ten pages of dialogue. If Shannon’s performance seems a tad understated, it’s all part of the plan.
The show premieres this fall, offering twelve episodes including the pilot. This is one of the many exciting HBO television shows on the way from established directors, including Kathryn Bigelow’s pilot for “The Miraculous Year,” and Michael Mann’s pilot for “Lucky.” Click here for the entire upcoming slate, featured at the bottom of the article. All that’s left for this writer to say is “‘Carnivale’ revival please.”