As I’ve stated in many a past review, I’m a sucker for a good mob story and, in my humble opinion, HBO’s The Sopranos (1999-2007) is one of the straight-up best examples ever, and not just as a gangster story, but as a prime illustration on how to do long-form cinematic dramas in general.
Added to which, the late great James Gandolfini’s stellar and layered performance as New Jersey mob don ‘Tony Soprano’, which allegedly took a real toll on him during production, is one of the most nuanced and oddly complex characterizations of a character who is essentially the Bad Guy, ever shown on a screen…again, IMO.
Add further to that, the amazing supporting cast of terrifically-realized supporting characters ably portrayed by a bevy of dedicated and memorable actors and the many twisting, inter-woven story lines they so compellingly inhabit.
Like all good things that must one day end, The Sopranos wrapped up in 2007, with one of the most divisive endings ever filmed (I’m personally cool with it, and it fits the overall tone and style, but I understand the inevitable criticisms). They’d had a solid run, massive critical acclaim, a continuously blossoming fan base (to this day) and they shrewdly seemed to know when to GTFO, before overstaying the prized show’s ‘welcome’ in contemporary pop culture. Good job, creator David Chase and the crew at HBO!
And that seemed to be that.
Until it wasn’t.
In 2021, David Chase and HBO quietly put together and released The Many Saints of Newark, a direct prequel story to The Sopranos, just as a 2-hour movie directed by long-time HBO veteran Alan Taylor, not a limited run series (something they maybe should’ve considered). It may have been a case of ‘too little, too late’, as this film dropped into theatres with seemingly little fanfare or even interest, and quietly exited much the same.
That always had me curious. Why would a flick, with direct ties to one of the most influential pieces of televised media in the last 50 years, a solid budget and crew, and the cultural goodwill solidly established by The Sopranos, just come and go like a blip on a radar screen.
So, after too many months without scribbling down a film review (some major upheaval in Life reared its ugly head and derailed my drive to strive…but it’s back, baby!), I decided that it was time to settle down in my new domicile (I’m an RV bachelor guy now!) while a West Coast rainstorm pummelled my Man Cave-on-Wheels (strangely soothing, with odd moments of terror) and FINALLY get to checking out this companion piece out and see if it’s failure is evident in the final product.
Once the dog-girls were tucked in, a Vodka-soda had been mixed, a joint had been lit, and my pen and paper were brought forth…I hit PLAY.
Here lie them scribbles…
-Nice! Chrissy! From beyond! I went into this not knowing how much overt connection there would be to The Sopranos, so I’ll admit to being pleasantly surprised when our narration comes from none other than ‘Christopher Maltisonti’ (Michael Imperioli), ‘Tonys’ hot-headed ‘nephew’ who, as he reminds us right off…*SPOILER*…eventually meets his fate at the hands of the man he loyally served for years. At first, I was unsure why, of all characters, would ‘Chrissy’ get a seat at this table, but as the flick plays out…it does make sense.
*a little research yielded that the name ‘Maltisonti’ literally translates from Italian to ‘many saints’…so there ya go.
-Liotta! RIP. Ugh, they made him gross. Before I threw this on, I did no recon on it at all, having forgot damn near everything from the couple trailers I saw way back when, so essentially I went in blind. I’ve always loved Ray Liotta, going back a couple decades and at the time of this writing, we only just recently lost the man to atherosclerotic disease, a true loss to the acting world. Having forgotten that he was in this, it was a pleasure to see his name in the opening credits. When he first turns up as ‘‘Hollywod Dick’ Maltisonti’, you can right away see the pains that went into making the aged gangster seem naturally repellent and abrasive. In other words, you can see why what happens to him later in the flick…happens to him later in the flick.
-Bernthal! Poppa Soprano? In keeping with my prior-mentioned ignorance going in, I’d also forgotten that Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead) takes the stage as a new incarnation of ‘Johnny Boy Soprano’, ‘Tony’s dead-beat piece-of-shit mobster of a father. What’s funny to me about this casting is that we’ve seen ‘Johnny Soprano’ turn up in the series in a number of flashbacks before and actor Joseph Siravo, who’s a little bug-eyed and odd looking, in no way competes with the chiselled features and defined jaw-line of the ruggedly handsome Punisher star Bernthal. Merely an amusing observation on casting and continuity.
-Young Silvio Dante. Hilarious. At first, I thought that the stooped character with the hideous comb-over and nasally voice was supposed to be future Soprano family consiglieri ‘Silvio Dante’s (Steven Van Zandt) father, but then he eventually gets fitted with a strangely familiar pompadour hair-piece (a hilarious Easter Egg for the fans), and all the dead-on ‘Silvio’ impressions and character mannerisms carried out by actor John Magaro made sense. Which then made me realize that we were also getting young versions of classic Soprano characters like ‘Paulie Walnuts’, ‘Big Pussy’ and ‘Uncle Junior Soprano’. I’ll admit that there was something SLIGHTLY cheap-feeling about watching direct impressions of other well-established performances, almost cosplay-like…but then I realized, with the particular story, that it was the most logical choice.
-Love the period production design. This story takes place smack dab in the middle of the late 1960’s and the production designers did a good job with the trappings of the period.
-Definitely more cinematic than the average Sopranos episode. Of course, given that this IS a movie, that visual approach does stand to reason. But going back to what I had alluded to earlier, I think this story could’ve been a bit more filled out and given room to breath by a 6 or 8 episode run as a companion-piece mini-series, where they could’ve honed in on visually connecting the universes, so to speak.
-Holy shit! Family dysfunction. Whoops! As with everything Sopranos, there is some seriously DEEP family issues at work, from all different angles of the story and one of them results in some questionable ‘step-mom action’, some raised voices, and a forehead messily destroyed against a car steering wheel.
-Interesting focus on race riots. One aspect I didn’t expect was the inclusion of a side-plot involving a flare-up of race rioting and looting stemming from the abuse of a black cabbie by white cops (naturally). In among the rising tensions, a black associate of the Italians named ‘Harold’ (Leslie Odom Jr.) decides to use the unrest, both societal and mob-related, to claim his piece of the game on the streets, leading to an inevitable clash. Bullets fly, bodies fall. Some things never change.
-CG fire. I swear THAT’s CG fire. Water and fire are two of the hardest things to render convincingly in CG and more often than not, it’s painfully obvious we’re seeing ‘1s and 0s’ at work, not a practical effect caught ‘in camera’. One key sequence involving arson was painfully obvious, with the flames engulfing the building looking almost cartoonish. Definitely stood out.
-Wha?! Two Liottas? Yep, so as the narrative plays out, our main character, ‘Dickie Maltisonti’ (Alessandro Nivola) goes to see someone in prison…and lo and behold, another Ray Liotta walks out, this time as twin bro to ‘Hollywood Dick’, gangster-turned-convict ‘’Sally’ Maltisonti’; an incarcerated murderer who believes he’s paying proper penance for the life he once lived and who has a hard timing accepting what ‘Dickie’ has to say as truth (wise) or if he’s even worth taking seriously. One thing ‘Sally’ does appreciate is ‘Dickie’s ability to acquire jazz albums for him, which he uses as a bartering chip for reluctantly dispensing counsel.
-Good casting on Young Tony. While one of the gimmicks behind this movie was the addition to the cast of James Gandolfini’s real-life son Michael stepping into the early version of the character that made his dad a literal house-hold name, there is another young actor who portrays ‘Tony’ as a young kid and his name’s William Ludwig…and he’s pretty good, both as a physical match for James / Michael Gandolfini and in some of the mannerisms.
-There he is! Mike Gandolfini. Nepotism and name recognition aside, I think the younger Gandolfini may have a bright future in Hollywood, having been regularly picking up work in the last few years and increasing a solid reputation.
-Good proto-versions of key Sopranos characters. If you know who you’re looking for, several other key future characters turn up in amusing ‘cameos’, like future chef ‘Artie’ and eventual wife ‘Carmela’. This falls back in line with the younger versions of the future Soprano crew and the admittedly fun portrayals by the new roster of younger actors.
-Gandolfini does a good impression of his dad. It’s the little ‘ticks’. That. Right there.
-Dude playing young Silvio is rocking it! John Magaro had me laughing out loud more than once with his eerily accurate portrayal of the comically ghoulish co-counsel to ‘Tony Soprano’, as originally played to perfection by E-Street guitarist / non-actor Steven Van Zandt, with the little mannerisms, speech inflections and gait all on point.
-Awesome (and obvious, really) tune for end scene. And as the 3rd Act wraps up, the familiar sounds of ‘Woke Up This Morning’, by Alabama 3 fade in, which is, of course, the opening credits tune / theme for the entirety of The Sopranos series. Perfectly fitting.
So, as a life-long fan of The Sopranos, did The Many Saints of Newark give me what I needed? From a purely entertainment standpoint, with an established love of gangster flicks, sure…it was just fine. Even exciting and funny at times. Mostly mildly entertaining.
However, as said life-long fan of The Sopranos, do I think The Many Saints of Newark was necessary?
Not at all.
While interesting and generally well-done (despite feeling rushed and choppy at times), there was really no reason for this story to be told. Sometimes, we don’t always need the answers or back stories to EVERYTHING (looking at YOU, Alien franchise!).
There’s still something to be said about giving the audience the benefit of the doubt and leaving some things for them to fill in on their own (though it’s sadly true that SO MANY humans today are too fucking stupid to be trusted with…well…anything, really). If you’re a fan of the series, I can lightly recommend checking this title out, from either a completist stand-point or if the early stories of the Soprano crew are of any interest. Or, even just to pick out the scattering of Easter Eggs that David Chase, Alan Taylor and Co. dutifully laid out for the fans. Hell, make a drinking game out of it. But on that note, for the casual viewer, there’s nothing beyond a few solid performances from some well-established Hollywood talent to draw them in, especially if lacking a connection to The Sopranos series.
All in all, I do think this is an obvious case of too little…too late. Had this come out within 5 years of the divisive finale’, I think the poker might’ve still been hot enough to entice the fans of the series back in for more Sopranos content. But 2007 to 2021 is a helluva stretch these days, especially given just how much other content has emerged in that time and while The Sopranos is, and will always be, fondly remembered both critically and by the fans, as time goes on, that original unique spark, the true creative soul of the project, often fades and becomes harder to successfully bring what may have worked before to new material, and I think that’s what happened with The Many Saints of Newark.
thekneejerkreaction 