Review: The Many Saints of Newark

Don’t be fooled by the trailer; while this does feature a young Tony Soprano (played convincingly by James Gandolfini’s son Michael), he’s a minor player in this Sopranos prequel. The real focus here is the trials and tribulations of Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola), mid-level player in the New Jersey mob during the late 60s and early 70s; Tony's a looming background presence, slowly drawn into the mob life.

 

While there’s plenty of Sopranos characters lurking around the in the background – some vividly re-created, others verging on parody – it's Dickie who's the star, both of the film and on the streets of Newark. But his troubles with his mobbed-up father "Hollywood Dick" Moltisanti (Ray Liotta), who’s just returned from Italy with new wife Giuseppina (Michela De Rossi), hint at deeper issues.

 

Over the course of the next five years or so Dickie is seen by those around him as a stand-up guy – an image that is far from accurate in his private life - while a series of race riots and social unrest provide an opportunity for black crime figure Harold McBrayer (Leslie Odom Jr.) to move out from under Dickie’s shadow and start up a rival syndicate. If you've never seen a mob movie before, rest assured that this is not the kind of thing the Mafia is going to just let happen.

 

Written by Sopranos’ creator David Chase, this is a solid but rarely spectacular film that probably would have worked better if it had been turned into a miniseries (or lost a few supporting characters). Individual scenes often stand out and Dickie’s character arc is a strong central theme, but multiple callbacks to events mentioned in the original series leave the film feeling more aimless than it needs to be.

 

Director Alan Taylor and his team do a vivid job of recreating the feel of 60s and early 70s New Jersey, giving this a historical veneer that really makes the turmoil of the era pop. Coupled with a range of spot-on musical choices, the setting feels almost too real for the occasionally cartoony mobsters strutting through it - though this contrast only highlights the brutal fates of some of them.

 

For those interested in this purely as a prequel the film's excesses will be easier to take, though even there some of the big moments feel a little rushed. Tony’s scenes, especially with his mother (vividly played by Vera Farmiga) are excellent and yet still feel like they belong in another project entirely; this a film where you leave the cinema excited about the prospect of checking out the deleted scenes.

 

 

 

- Anthony Morris