Boardwalk Empire – Season 1
Atlantic City, 1920. It’s the dawn of the prohibition in America and Enoch “Nucky” Thompson is the undisputed ruler of the city, as treasurer, local politician for the Republic Party, and gangster.
With alcohol distribution making tons of money for people who don’t mind breaking the law, we see Nucky deal with an ambitious boy he took under his wings, a ruthless and religious federal agent who’s out to get him, a widow he loves, and rivals like Arnold Rothstein, Lucky Luciano and Al Capone who would love nothing better than to take over his position of power.
Sound and Vision:
Boardwalk Empire is highly stylized and look incredible. Even if we only got to check out the DVD, the image quality is superb. There are no technical flaws what so ever, the level of detail for DVD is great, the contrast is spot on, the colors are vivid and perfectly fit the 1920s atmosphere and the boardwalk shots (just look at the intro!) are pieces of art. Fantastic!
The sound is focused on dialogue which is crystal clear, but has subtle effects coming from the rear channels. Positioning is perfect and the series also has a nice subtle portion of bass that supports the whole.
Extras:
– Making Boardwalk Empire
– Creating the Boardwalk
– Speakeasy Tour
– Character Dossier
– Atlantic City: The Original Sin City
– Audio Commentary tracks
The Making Of is a bit promotional in nature but the other extras are quite interesting.
Conclusion:
Boardwalk Empire is the latest series from HBO to reach our DVD player and again we see top quality appear on our screen.
Much like Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire puts up a scene with characters and lets various events take place in an extremely slow pace but interesting enough to make you keep watching. The stories unfold slowly and action is scarse, but the interaction between characters is intense and the acting superb. The look and feel of the series is spot on 1920s and the atmosphere created just breathes tension that makes you long for more.
One of the best shows on TV right now. Must-have!
9.0