I’ve never really seen The Sopranos. Actually, I’ve never seen the HBO series at all. Despite its critical acclaim and legendary status, and despite the fact that I do have an inkling of some bits of the series, like the legend of Tony Soprano, it’s been a series I’ve decided I could do without. So, perhaps it’s best that The Many Saints of Newark, the Alan Taylor directed film, is a prequel to the series. Hence, I could most likely watch it without needing to have caught The Sopranos itself.
But prequels are never really just prequels, are they? They usually leave very obvious trails to the original work, so much so that you almost have to see it. And The Many Saints of Newark lets us know that, as it starts with a narration from Christopher Moltisanti, who, as the film shows, is dead in the future (most likely in The Sopranos), long before this events of this film, which are set during the New Jersey riots in the late 1960s.
The Many Saints of Newark focuses, to a considerable extent, on Richard ‘Dickie” Moltisanti (played by Alessandro Nivola). And to Nivola’s credit, he absolutely aces the role as the lead character. He gives everything; the calmness, the rawness, the realness; the sense of charm. His portrayal of a hot-headed man haunted by the demons he created and the consequences work well.
The performance of Vera Farmiga as Livia is also one to admire, as is that of Michael Gandolfini as Tony Soprano. Not to mention Ray Liotta, who is the latest actor to fulfill David Chase’s shtick with twins, playing ‘Hollywood Dick’ Moltisanti, and his brother Sally.
However, The Many Saints of Newark doesn’t quite work its scenes. Scenes happen with a sense of haste, and sometimes there isn’t much to take in, or time to take it in. It’s not quite fast-paced, but it brushes over things a bit. No scene really lives in the memory, especially for a film with a pay-off that doesn’t quite have that much of thrill – even though it does have a dramatic effect.
Even as someone who hasn’t seen The Sopranos, you can tell this movie pays some form of fan service to the series. Probably too much. There are references I can’t get, but watch the character’s reactions to statements, and the way they want those remarks to kind of linger, and you know. Then there are the ones that are so blatant that even I get.
In terms of its cinematic feel, The Many Saints of Newark works. The cinematography is more than commendable, and the sense of realism and connection that said cinematography aids is obvious. Case in point, the scene by water, when Dickie sits reminiscing on what he just did.
Like many crime films, The Many Saints of Newark touches on fate, consequence, fatalism, and products of violence. It is a credit to it that it (the protests aside) doesn’t have to get overtly violent – despite some scenes of gore – but does well to reflect the end result of that violence.
This film, though, doesn’t quite end on the best note. It serves up a conclusion that leaves a few questions; why did Junior Soprano order that hit? (or is that something that’s answered in the series itself). Not to mention how, despite serving as something of an origin story for Tony Soprano, it feels incomplete. Again, haven’t seen the series, but I know Jackie’s top dog moment comes before Tony’s. The Many Saints of Newark feels like a prequel that needs its own sequel, and for someone like me, is not the kind of movie that makes you want to check out The Sopranos itself.
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