Showing @ C Nova, Edinburgh until Sat 25 Aug @ 1800
Taking place after Capone’s conviction for tax evasion, the mid-point in this stifling trilogy centres around the vacuum left in Chicago’s criminal society, the scramble for power and the games people play to conceal what they have. It’s the best of the bunch; no mean feat, given the talent on display in the other chapters.
We follow alleged second-in-command Nick Nitti as he gets on with running the operation and dodging the constant implications of his role as usurper. This is actor David Calvitto’s time to shine and he does a superb job, building layers of charm, good humour, even decency into Nitti’s character before smashing his world apart. Oliver Tilney gets less stage time but packs a punch whenever he appears. It’s more of a slow, delicious boil than Vindici, and the pay-off is blistering. There are no narrative tricks – Wilkes sticks to telling his story with wit, grit and excellent pacing.
There’s also wonderful chemistry between Calvitto and Suzy Preece, who excels again as Marlene, the glamorous wife. The part is more fleshed out than the genre usually allows and Preece adds more meat, giving us a rounded woman rather than an empty-headed girl. Substance and style is very much on display.