For some people this will be the most anticipated film of the year as The Many Saints of Newark is a prequel The Sopranos TV show.
Over lockdown I rewatched The Sopranos and that really helped me enjoy this imperfect film. People say that you do not need to have watched the series to enjoy this film, but I am not so sure I agree with that. Without the show, this is a little messy… actually it is a lot messy.
It feels a little like a season of a TV show squeezed into a two hour movie. It is usually a good thing leaving a film wanting more, but I really did not feel satisfied walking out of this one, because there is the makings of something really special here.
It could have been a really incredible 10 episode season on TV, instead it feels a little clumsy. For the first half, it is all about Dickie Moltisanti (father of Christoper in the show ) and his Oedipal relationship with his bully father. Then, about half way through - in what feels like a ‘season one finale - it becomes a Tony Soprano origin story. This is what the fans came for and, wow, does it deliver a taste of something special. Such a shame it is such a short ride.
Alessandro Nivola plays Dickie Moltisanti, and it is really his movie. I would love to have seen a lot more of him. Nivola is an interesting actor that has been working for years but never quite took off - he was excellent in Junebug and You Were Never Really Here.
Young Tony Soprano is played brilliantly by Micheal Gandolfini (son of James ), who is uncannily like his father. That said, it is unfair to credit this great performance to just looking like his dad. He does a great job imitating Tony’s mannerisms and demeanour. He manages to transcend what could be seen as gimmick casting.
Lots of other great actors here - Vera Farmiga and Jon Bernthal do a lot with very little screen time as Tony’s parents and Ray Liotta is brilliant as Dickie’s father. Also his young Neopoltian bride, played by Michela De Rossi, is absolutely electric when she is given time. There are so many characters here that should have been fleshed out.
While it is great fun for fans of the show, it does feel to me like a missed opportunity. This could have been one of the all time great seasons of TV but instead is only an OK film.
