Perhaps today there is not a single fan of gangster films left who would not watch the series Underground Empire. Reviews about the project leave mostly positive, which is not surprising - a wonderful plot, sound selection of actors, attention to historical details. All this made it possible to create, if not a masterpiece, then a truly outstanding work.
Short story
The series takes the viewer to 1920. The development center is Atlantic City. The United States is experiencing the Great Depression - a terrible tragedy that claimed the lives of millions and enriched thousands of people. In just a few hours, the most severe prohibition will come into force, prohibiting the production and sale of alcohol.
The main character decides to take advantage of this - Enoch Thompson, nicknamed Naki. Personality is very outstanding. During the day, he copes with the work of the city treasurer, and at night manages the local criminal network. All this is done not only thanks to his cunning and resourcefulness, but also with the help of support from the very top. So, Naki decides to acquire a serious batch of alcohol, which in a few hours will be outlawed. It is quite clear that immediately after the introduction of Prohibition, the price of a drink will increase several times. So, you can make good money on this business.
However, the desire to fish in troubled waters is not unique to Naki. Several criminal authorities from Chicago and New York, just a few hours drive from Atlantic City, also come into play. What can I say, even Naki’s faithful assistant - Jimmy Darmody - cannot resist the opportunity to get rich. Moreover, he has combat experience - he visited the fields of the First World War, was wounded, and only a few months ago left the hospital. Jimmy decides to seize a convoy of cars transporting alcohol to profitably sell it in New York. In this he is helped by the right hand of the influential Chicago gangster Johnny Torrio - young and unknown to anyone Al Capone.
However, there is another side to the conflict. Nelson Van Alden, an employee of the Internal Revenue Service, is ready to accept the battle in defense of Atlantic City from the illicit trade in alcohol. How will it all end?
Series duration
The pilot series of the Underground Empire received the best reviews, which is why the developers, without hesitation, decided to proceed with the release of the sequel. By the way, the pilot issue had a budget of $ 20 million, while all subsequent ones - 5 million each.
A total of 56 episodes were released, divided into 5 seasons.
The first one started in September 2010 and ended in December of that year.
The second came out from September to December 2011.
The third was broadcast in September-December 2012.
The fourth began to show in September and finished in November 2013.
Finally, the last season the audience watched from September to October 2014. It turned out to be the shortest - if in the first four seasons there were 12 episodes, then in the fifth there were only 8 episodes.
A few words about Nucky Thompson
Of course, one of the reasons the Underground Empire received positive reviews from critics is Enoch “Naki” Thompson - an extremely colorful, memorable, charismatic personality, so it’s worth telling more about him.
You need to start with the fact that the hero of the series is written off from a very real person, only his name was Enoch "Naki" Johnson. And outwardly, he did not at all resemble a character - a representative, tall, overweight, with clearly visible bald patches. However, when creating the "Underground Empire", they decided to change the type. Well, the result did not disappoint the audience.
Enoch's childhood was not easy. The constant beatings of the tyrant father, hunger, the death of the younger sister, the helplessness of the mother - all this tempered the character of the future gangster, embittered him.
Starting from the very bottom, thanks to the strength of his will and remarkable intellect, he managed to rise to the top, taking the place of the treasurer of a large city. Knowing well both ordinary society and criminal society, Naki feels comfortable in both areas, which allows him to effectively cope with official activities, bootlegging, robberies, and murders.
Leading actors
Talking about the series "Underground Empire", the actors who took part in its filming should definitely be mentioned. At least the most basic.
The main character - the already mentioned Naki - was masterfully played by Steve Buscemi.
Michael Pitt did an excellent job with the role of James Darmody , nicknamed Jimmy. Once he was an honest student at a prestigious educational institution, but went to war in Europe to pay off his debt to society and his homeland. Having returned home, he is forced to work for Naki, and being pulled in, he himself becomes not the last person in the organized crime of the USA.
The audience was also remembered by Kelly MacDonald, who played the role of Margaret Schroeder. The young widow is forced to turn to Enoch Thompson for help. He remembered her, later making him his mistress. And then the wife.
Michael Shannon "lit up" in the image of Nelson Van Alden - a special agent working in the Internal Revenue Service. At first he tried to stop bootlegging, but as a result, his fate changed in the most unpredictable way.
Great atmosphere
Perhaps the atmosphere became one of the main qualities of the Underground Empire. When viewing, the viewer sincerely begins to believe that everything that happens on the screen is true. Not surprisingly, the scriptwriters approached the question of studying that era as seriously as possible. Archives were raised, a huge amount of materials was studied. The scenario was based on real events that took place during Prohibition in the United States.
Other people involved in the filming of the series perfectly coped with the tasks. The costumes of all the heroes - both main and secondary, even episodic - were worked out as seriously as possible, created according to preserved samples and patterns. Reconstructed landscapes, buildings, decoration of the premises - when performing this difficult work, the creators of the series managed to do without blunders and inconsistencies, which often destroy even the most luxurious works.
Of course, someone can say that all these are trifles. However, it is from such trifles that the general impression of any film or series is formed. And here the creators gave everything in full. Therefore, we can say with confidence that the Underground Empire has fully deserved excellent reviews.
Interesting Facts
$ 5 million from the pilot series was spent on the reconstruction of the old quarter. Filming was conducted in Brooklyn. Especially for the film, a wooden flooring longer than 90 meters was built on the waterfront. Moreover, the boards were used the same as in Atlantic City a century ago.
The Thompson brothers - Enoch and Eli - received names in honor of the biblical characters.
To advertise the second season of the series, in the subway in New York on the line released historical trains created in the early twentieth century.
Rewards Received
Needless to say - one of the most successful series in recent years has become precisely the Underground Empire. The best proof of this is the many awards received.
- 2 Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor and Best Drama Series and five nominations.
- 17 statuettes "Emmy".
- United States Film Directors Guild Award.
- Grammy for compilation album.
This is not a complete list of awards, but you can already judge by it - the series was a success!
Conclusion
On this our article comes to an end. Surely fans of the series with pleasure read it, plunging for some time into the atmosphere of their favorite work. Well, for those who have not yet watched the series, you should definitely do this - you definitely will not have to regret the wasted time.