The Many Saints Of Newark: A Decent, Yet Unnecessary Sopranos Story
Sopranos creator David Chase returns to the show that made him famous to deliver the prequel film no one asked for. Part origin story, part race relation film, part historical fiction, and part fan service feature, The Many Saints Of Newark is many things and nothing at all.
Witness the making of Tony Soprano. The story that reveals the humanity behind Tony's struggles and the influence his family - especially his uncle, Dickie Moltisanti - had over him becoming the most iconic mob boss of all time.
The Sopranos is one of television’s greatest shows, if not the greatest show that has ever graced a television screen. It showed a mobster’s struggle to balance family life amidst a stressful life of crime, as well as their difficulties coming to terms with their own monstrous psychology — a side of a mobster that was never really shown, let alone explored in such detail — and it created one of the most complex antiheroes in television history, one we root for and also despise. It’s safe to say that without Tony Soprano (or James Gandolfini’s iconic portrayal), we’d have no Walter White or Don Draper. The show single-handedly elevated what television could be, and it revitalized the crime genre, which had grown pretty stale.
In our opinion, it was a perfect show that had said everything it needed to say, but apparently, there was more Sopranos creator David Chase wanted to say or explore — oh, that pesky “wanting.” Disinterested in continuing the Sopranos saga after the show’s conclusion, Chase instead decided to enlarge The Sopranos universe by going back to before the show began. Reteaming with Sopranos writer Lawrence Konner and director Alan Taylor, Chase takes us back to late-60s New Jersey to tell a tale of gang wars, race riots, and how boys become monsters. Narrated by the Christopher Moltisanti (voiced by Michael Imperioli) from beyond the grave, the film mostly follows Chrissy’s father, Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola), a soldier in the DiMeo crime family, and his young nephew, a teenage Tony Soprano (Michael Gandolfini).
The Many Saints Of Newark features some excellent performances, but narratively, it’s a mess. Thankfully, none of it interferes with the sprawling story the show tells. A lot of it is fan service — some of it amusing, some of it shallow — that does little to enhance the show (like Tony holding a crying baby Christopher, or Tony’s mother looking like an Oedipal dead ringer for his future wife Carmela), but there’s one bit that closes the loop on a Sopranos mystery (who killed Dickie and why) and adds a layer to a pivotal Sopranos figure. That’s about the extent of its value. It grapples with some themes of race, set around the real-life Newark riots of 1967, but it doesn’t weave them into the story in any meaningful way. It’s also not really an origin story until it decides that’s what it wants to be at the end.
The performances are its strongest aspect, and they’re largely what keep you engaged. Ray Liotta, who plays twin brothers "Hollywood Dick" and Salvatore "Sally" Moltisanti, steals the show with his dual performances. He has the film’s best line (“It’s the wanting. All life is pain. Pain comes from always wanting things.”), and he gives the film some much needed weight. Alessandro Nivola, Vera Farmiga, and Michael Gandolfini also give solid performances that command attention. You can really tell that Gandolfini spent a lot of time mastering his father’s mannerisms and movements, and he honors him well, but he’s only a small part of this Sopranos story.
Overall, it’s pretty well directed, and it looks good, but it just doesn’t really capture the spirit of the show, narratively or visually. It just sort of feels like an unfocused Scorsese knockoff that’s lacking substance. It’s hard to tell what it’s trying to communicate or what exactly it wants to be. It’s confused, unnecessary, and all over the place, but it’s not a terrible film or a regretful watch. It’s just one of those films that kind of evaporates from your memory as you’re watching it unfold, which is the complete opposite of the show’s resinous, thought-provoking quality.
Recommendation: If you’re a fan of the show, it’s a decent watch, but it wasn’t exactly built for the uninitiated. It won’t blow your hair back, but it might provoke a rewatch of the show, which is never a bad thing.
Rating: 3 paychecks outta 5.
What do you think? We want to know. Share your thoughts and feelings in the comments section below, and as always, remember to viddy well!