Nochimson (film studies, NYU) sees similarities between gangster movies in America and Hong Kong not just because they are particularly prolific exporters of such films, but also because both are immigrant nations, whose lawless gangsters are nonetheless eerily similar to their "straight" citizens. Here she examines works from days before The Godfather (e.g. Little Caesar) to the present (Hong Kong's Young and Dangerous series), illustrating themes including the anxiety of marginality, the Taoist code and Hong Kong's gangsters, and illusions of material wealth and upward mobility of newcomers. In The Sopranos TV series, she finds a marriage of the characterization and filmmaking of both Hollywood and Hong Kong. An interview with the show's creator, David Chase, composes the epilogue. Annotation 漏2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)