Boardwalk Empire is a crime movie.
Boardwalk Empire is an American period crime drama television series created by Terence Winter and airing on premium cable channel HBO . Winter , a Primetime Emmy Award-winning screenwriter and producer , created the show , inspired by the book Boardwalk Empire : The Birth , High Times , and Corruption of Atlantic City by Nelson Johnson about historical criminal kingpin Enoch L. Johnson . Enoch Malachi `` Nucky '' Thompson is a fictional character and the protagonist of the HBO TV series Boardwalk Empire , portrayed by Steve Buscemi .