Interesting and fun to watch, The Many Saints of Newark is an early years prequel to HBO’s “The Sopranos”. If you have seen the long running show about mobster Tony Soprano that had him bumping off someone weekly in order to run “the business”, then for you this film is certainly a must see. Nicely acted by a cast that includes Corey Stoll, Michela De Rossi, Vera Farmiga, Ray Liotta and Michael Gandolfini the fast moving film takes you into the Newark mob as it develops from change of leadership to a bloody finale.
The film opens in 1967 where we are introduced to Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola) the uncle of young Tony Soprano (as teen Michael Gandolfini) on their way to pick up Dickie’s father, Hollywood Dick Moltisanti (Ray Liotta). He has arrived via ship from Italy with his new wife Giuseppina Moltisanti (Michela De Rossi). One of the Capo’s of the DiMayo Mafia in Newark, he lets his son Dickie run the numbers racket, their lucrative illegal big money making business. From here on out begins the story of how Tony grew up, his getting involved in the shady side of the family and living in one of the most volatile times in America.
Director Alan Taylor does a great job of depicting the era in New Jersey and then putting his actors to work portraying their roles bringing the volatile story to life. I like the way Taylor use Italian language in conversations and it reminded me of my family while growing up in New York adding. For me it brought some realism to the many familial characters in the movie. However, all that said, I wanted to see more about Tony’s past that will actually connect to what we have seen in HBO’s “The Sopranos”. The film centered more on the Moltisanti’s than the Sopranos and not the film I expected. Maybe, this is just the beginning of another series for HBO? Maybe I missed it, but where were the scenes where Tony became a “made man”?
The acting throughout the film by the whole cast is exceptional, reminding me a bit of The Godfather II and Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas. Ray Liotta gives a heavy performance as the head of the Moltisanti family in two roles. Showing whose boss, he Kicks his wife down the stairs and as Salvatore running the mob from a jail cell. His characters are probably the best representative of the power of the Italian mob in the late 60’s and 70’s.
Others who contribute to a good show are Alessandro Nivola as Dickie Moltisanti the hardnosed campo who takes over the business when his father ends up dead. Power crazy and sometime bull headed, his Dickie follows in the footsteps of his father by killing off the opposition whenever need be.
Leslie Odem, Jr. plays Harold McBrayer the tough leader of the black neighborhood. He connects with Dickie Moltisanti in the number’s racket, but despises Dickie Moltisanti for his demands on him. He shows the hatred of the Italian mob who takes over his community using his labor with very low return. Fighting back, Harold has his back to the wall trying hard to get the upper hand. I would have liked to see this character fleshed out more and how he fits into the future of Tony Soprano.
It was great to see Michael Gandolfini following in the footsteps of his father James who made Soprano a shuddering name. In this prequel to the amazing series, Michael plays Tony Soprano as a teen that just wants to have fun in the shadow of his Capo Uncle Dickie. Admiring him, he wants to impress Dickie that he can be part of his powerful mob.
The Many Saints of Newark has been rated R by the MPAA for strong violence, pervasive language, sexual content and some nudity. Foul language includes some racial slurs and a lot of F-bombs throughout. The film could have been, and should have been, more about the connection to the future “The Soprano’s” capo, but it’s still fine entertainment. 3.5 out of 5 Stars
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Alessandro Nivola, Corey Stoll, Michela De Rossi, Ray Liotta, Vera Farmiga, Michael Gandolfini, Leslie Odom Jr., Jon Bernthal, Joey Coco Diaz, Billy Magnussen, John Magaro, Samson Moeakiola.
Directed by: Alan Taylor
Genre: Drama, Thriller
MPAA Rating: R for strong violence, pervasive language, sexual content and some nudity
Running Time: 2 hours
Opening Date: October 1, 2021
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures
Released in: Theaters, HBO Max
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
