"The Many Saints of Newark" (2021 release; 120 min.) brings the story of Dickie Moltisanti and his cohorts. As the movie opens, the voice-over reminds us that it's "1966", and Dickie and his nephew Tony Soprano are welcoming Dickie's dad and his new young bride from Italy at the dock in New York. Pretty soon thereafter the Moltisanti ("many saints") family are scheming up more ways to generate revenue. Then one evening, racial tensions boil over after a black cabdriver is assaulted by two white police men... At this point we are 10 min into the movie but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.
Couple of comments: this is the long-awaited prequel to the long-running HBO TV series "The Sopranos", which last aired in 2007, yes almost a decade and a half ago, but that hasn't diminished the allure of the series, on the contrary. "The Sopranos" creator David Chase dreams up a prequel in which we get to watch teenage Tony Soprano (played by Michael Gandolfini, son of James), admiring his uncle Dickie Moltisanti as Dickie goes about his business. To be clear: the movie is NOT a young Tony Soprano movie, but instead centers around the Moltisanti family. At times it feels like the movie is lacking an overall arch or theme, as we don't understand what really is driving the story. But at times the movie is also very much on point, just watch the racial tension and riots that took place in Newark in 1967 yet feel as though they could've happened (and in fact did) just last year. The cast is quite good. It is uncanny how much Michael Gandolfini looks like his dad. Ray Liotta looks creepy playing 2 roles (twin brothers, including Dickie's dad). Newcomer Michela De Rossi (as the new bride from Italy) is stunningly beautiful. The production set is exquisite. And yet, when you all sum it up, the movie feels quite uneven, sometimes hitting the mark, sometimes missing the mark. As if all of the pieces together don't quite add up to the total. Is "The Many Saints of Newark" a 'bad' movie? Of course not. Is it as good as "The Sopranos"? Certainly not.
"The Many Saints of Newark" was scheduled to be released in theaters in September, 2020. Then a little thing called COVID-19 had different ideas. Now a year later, the film was finally released in theaters this weekend, while also being streamed on HBO Max, where I caught it. If you loved "The Sopranos" (and who doesn't?), this movie is a must-see, but be prepared for a slight letdown as it is NOT at the same level as "The Sopranos". But hey, don't take my word for it. I'd readily suggest you check this out, be it in the theater, on HBO Max, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion. (Early internet buzz is that a sequel to "The Many Saints of Newark" is all but a certain thing.)
Couple of comments: this is the long-awaited prequel to the long-running HBO TV series "The Sopranos", which last aired in 2007, yes almost a decade and a half ago, but that hasn't diminished the allure of the series, on the contrary. "The Sopranos" creator David Chase dreams up a prequel in which we get to watch teenage Tony Soprano (played by Michael Gandolfini, son of James), admiring his uncle Dickie Moltisanti as Dickie goes about his business. To be clear: the movie is NOT a young Tony Soprano movie, but instead centers around the Moltisanti family. At times it feels like the movie is lacking an overall arch or theme, as we don't understand what really is driving the story. But at times the movie is also very much on point, just watch the racial tension and riots that took place in Newark in 1967 yet feel as though they could've happened (and in fact did) just last year. The cast is quite good. It is uncanny how much Michael Gandolfini looks like his dad. Ray Liotta looks creepy playing 2 roles (twin brothers, including Dickie's dad). Newcomer Michela De Rossi (as the new bride from Italy) is stunningly beautiful. The production set is exquisite. And yet, when you all sum it up, the movie feels quite uneven, sometimes hitting the mark, sometimes missing the mark. As if all of the pieces together don't quite add up to the total. Is "The Many Saints of Newark" a 'bad' movie? Of course not. Is it as good as "The Sopranos"? Certainly not.
"The Many Saints of Newark" was scheduled to be released in theaters in September, 2020. Then a little thing called COVID-19 had different ideas. Now a year later, the film was finally released in theaters this weekend, while also being streamed on HBO Max, where I caught it. If you loved "The Sopranos" (and who doesn't?), this movie is a must-see, but be prepared for a slight letdown as it is NOT at the same level as "The Sopranos". But hey, don't take my word for it. I'd readily suggest you check this out, be it in the theater, on HBO Max, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion. (Early internet buzz is that a sequel to "The Many Saints of Newark" is all but a certain thing.)