Newark gangster Dickie Moltisanti makes his name known in the neighborhood, while also being a father figure to his nephew Tony Soprano.
CRIME/DRAMA
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The Many Saints of Newark (2021)Directed by Alan Taylor
Written by David Chase and Lawrence Konner Starring Alessandro Nivola, Michael Gandolfini, Leslie Odom Jr., Vera Farmiga, Corey Stoll, Jon Bernthal, Ray Liotta, Michela De Rossi, John Magaro, Billy Magnussen, Joey Diaz Prequel to the 1999-2007 TV series The Sopranos |
I had such high hopes for this movie, as did every other Sopranos fan on the planet. The trailer was fairly misleading, tricking audiences into thinking we'd be watching a movie about the formative years of iconic fictional gangster Tony Soprano. In reality, this film is about Dickie Moltisanti, and his relationship with Tony is a very small part of the movie. The show built up the legend of Dickie, but the movie does not deliver. It feels like a lukewarm Goodfellas knockoff, and not at all a part of one of the most celebrated crime dramas of all time.
The best thing about this movie is the performances. Michael Gandolfini does his father proud as a young Tony Soprano, though I wish I'd gotten more of him in the movie. Alessandro Nivola does a decent job as Dickie, but the character is so generic that I feel like anyone could have. Jon Bernthal and Vera Farmiga are good as Tony's parents, but again, they're pushed to the side like so many other cast members. To me, the standout was Corey Stoll as Uncle Junior. He was lights out, as was John Magaro as Silvio Dante. I was happy that Michael Imperioli returned to narrate the film as the ghost of Christopher Moltisanti, even if it was sporadic and unnecessary. I didn't care for the many subplots that distracted from what should've been the main story. Why is there so much time dedicated to Dickie lusting after his hot Italian stepmom and then sleeping with her after his father's death? Who is Harold McBrayer and why are we devoting so much time to him? How does Tony go from disgusted by the gangster lifestyle to becoming the boss of Jersey? I guess we'll never know. |
The Sopranos is not just a classic of television. It’s downright iconic. From the it’s legendary run to the characters and its much debated ending, fans and critics alike agree on it being one of the best shows of all time. It would also cement HBO’s status as the premier cable channel to house some of televisions more sophisticated and prestige quality type of shows. Yet, I still haven’t seen a single episode to this day. Not because it looks terrible to me. I’m actually quite interested in one day checking out what happens in this acclaimed mafia show and its most iconic character, Tony Soprano. I simply have just missed the boat. But I was still interested in this prequel film. Something which seemed like a good jumping on point and a way to push me to watch the show even more. Well, regardless of what I’m about to say about this film, I’ll still check out the show one day.
Talk about some slightly deceitful marketing. As you may recall, this was heavily hyped as being the origin of Tony Soprano and not what made him, but who made him. Which seemed smart for both types of audiences checking this out: those who’ve seen the show and those who haven’t. Thing is, this film is apparently not interested in that story at all. Instead, it delivers a fairly standard mafia movie with the occasional check in on the iconic character. Considering this film is about two hours long and Tony Soprano makes up about ten minutes of it, the story starts to drag after a while. And it’s not like Michael Gandolfini does a terrible job stepping into a younger version of his father’s shoes. He’s actually quite excellent and made me wish he was the focus of the film. Instead, the focus is on his uncle, Dickie. Alessandro Nivola does an outstanding job, but his character doesn’t exactly stick out from other mafia films. The Many Saints of Newark is a messy, generic, generic mafia film. I get this could be because I’m new to this long-established franchise. But I also don’t see how long-time fans can really enjoy this film. It focuses on the wrong character and never truly answers its own question. It actually makes it seem like Tony won’t join the family business at the end. |