8A - Monday, December 9, 2013

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

TV REVIEW
'Mob City' can't find light in film noir

AMC's new period
piece lives and dies
with tropes
By JOE REINHARD
DailyArts Writer
Part of the appeal of film noir
is that it's instantly recogniz-
able. Audiences know just what
to expect,
mostly thanks C±
to a handful
of beloved Mob City
tropes: a lotW
of drinking Wednesdays
and smoking, at 9 p.m.
the occasional AMC
cheesy lines
of dialogue,

exaggerated shootouts and vio-
lence, and usually a Femme
Fatale too. AMC's new period
piece "Mob City" delivers these
things and more. Despite being
obviously modern, it does a
great job capturing the tone of
the classic noir flicks from the
1920s, '30s and '40s. Indeed, it's
so laced in its genre that some-
times it's difficult to separate the
two. Maybe that's a good thing
because, by itself, the show just
doesn't hold up. Separate the
story from the cast and crew's
stylistic choices, and you're left
with a decent tribute to a cher-
ished genre.
That's especially a shame,
because the show had a lot going
for it in the production depart-
ment. Helmed by "The Shaw-

0
4.

AMC

Cigarettes aren't really that great.
shank Redemption" director
Frank Darabont, who also helped
create the widely successful "The
Walking Dead" on AMC, "Mob
City" has proven talent with a lot
of creative investment and con-
trol onboard. The show is based
on the true events of John Bun-
tin's book "L.A. Noir: The Strug-
gle for the Soul of America's Most
Seductive City," which details a
long-lasting struggle between the
Los Angeles Police Department

and the city's organized crime.
"Mob City" tracks their conflict
and spends a good amount of time
with both sides.
Standing in the middle is
Marine-turned-police officer
Joe Teague (Joe Bernthal, "The
Walking Dead"). So far, he plays
each side, working a delicate bal-
ancing act between the good guys
and the bad guys, or "the white
hats" and "the black hats," as he
calls them. Basically, he's the

SAMS
207 E .eyAnn Arbor

troubled anti-hero characteristic
of notonlythe noir genre, but a lot
of recent TV programs. ("Break-
ing Bad," "House of Cards" and
"Dexter," to name a few.)
Unfortunately, Joe Teague
doesn't stand out from that pack.
When "Mob City" borrows from
noir elements that are distinct
to the genre - like with its cam-
erawork and lighting - then the
results tend to be fantastic. But
when the show plays around with
other elements, elements that
aren't so unique anymore (such
as a morally ambiguous protago-
nist) then it falls short. Teague
isn't particularly poorly written,
and Bernthal delivers a solid per-
formance, but at this point, his
character is too vague to warrant
much interest. Seeing how we're
already two episodes into a six-
episode season, this proves trou-
bling.
The rest of the cast holds their
own, with no standout perfor-
mances, but a couple of highlights
worth mentioning. Simon Pegg
("Shaun of the Dead") makes an

uncharacteristic guest appear-
ance in episode one, "A Guy
Walks Into a Bar," playing a cyni-
cal comedian named Hecky Nash.
The aforementioned Femme
Fatale also makes an appearance,
in the form of the aptly named
Jasmine Fontaine (Alexa Davalos,
"Angel"). She plays a large role
in episode two, "Reason to Kill
a Man," and her connection to
Teague ends the episode on an
intriguing note.
Regardless, there aren't
enough twists and turns to make
this hour-and-a-half premiere
satisfying. The stock characters
do little to help out. What "Mob
City" does well (its heavily styl-
ized tone) relies too much off of
what it doesn't do well (char-
acters and plot). The former's
meant to complement the latter,
but right now, the tone carries
all of the weight. The show may
have the mobsters, the shadows
and the cigarettes, but it doesn't
have a story with enough sub-
stance to make it especially rec-
ommendable.

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