"Mob City" is intentionally, spectacularly pulpy right from the start—overheated narration, low angles with neon signs above, a constant jazz soundtrack. It feels as if Darabont isn't making a piece set in the prime of the gangster era but one set within the cinematic consciousness of that time. The writer/director calls out visual touchstones of his genre—a baby carriage shootout that evokes "The Untouchables," a "Top of the world, Ma" quote from "White Heat," a shot that is clearly an homage to one in "L.A. Confidential"—rather than being focused on a particular historical moment. And yet the callbacks don't feel self-conscious, just intelligently designed by someone who adores the genre. It gives the entire piece an air of confidence like hearing a jazz musician who knows the history of his form in enough depth that he could teach a class on it. You’re in the hands of an expert.
Darabont's story in the two-part premiere, airing on December 4, 2013, has enough twists and turns that it would be too easy to spoil the way it unfolds, and so I will keep the plot description to a minimum. Our narrator and central character is Officer Joe Teague (Jon Bernthal of "The Walking Dead"), a square-jawed, perpetually stubbled, brow-furrowed veteran who has come back from the war with a definite dark side. These days (circa 1947) he plays both sides of the streets, making arrests but also picking up the occasional oddjob for local gangsters. Bernthal is a perfect protagonist with his gruff delivery, bumpy nose, square haircut, and world-weary demeanor. He looks like he stepped out of a Cagney flick.
Teague is contacted by a stand-up comedian named Hecky Nash (a perfect Simon Pegg). The showman has something that some powerful crime bosses want back. He's going to blackmail someone and wants Teague to tag along as muscle. Teague takes it to his superiors, who plan to monitor the meet-up and bring everyone in, presuming that Nash must have something that could put a crime boss away. Things get very complicated from there, and the second hour introduces us to Mickey Cohen, Bugsy Siegel, and the rest of the criminal empire that will push and pull at Officer Teague.
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