Would I like it?


Is it worth checking out? Stylish and smart like Boardwalk Empire or stupid and cliche like Gangster Squad?

ARE YOU GONNA BARK ALL DAY LITTLE DOGGY... OR ARE YOU GONNA BITE ?

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It's really its own thing. Mob City is a love letter to film noir, and as such very authentic to the genre. That means it's heavily stylized in its visuals and hardboiled dialog, it's a talky affair and the plotting can be a bit labyrinthine. Whether you can't get enough of that (me) or would dismiss it as cliche (every blogger, apparently) intends entirely on how much you like noir. Would you consider the previous description to be a list of "genre trappings," or does it read to you like an appealing throwback to a certain kind of fiction? That will determine whether or not you would like it.

Despite weaving in real-life people, this really isn't a historical drama, nor is realism or social commentary really the intent here. The synopsis may make you think of Boardwalk or Gangster Squad, but your frame of reference should be old noir films like The Maltese Falcon or Double Indemnity.

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