Saint: A person acknowledged as holy or virtuous (formal); kind and patient (informal).* There’s certainly not many saints by this definition in Newark, NJ. Rather, the main characters of The Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of New Jersey are brutal, impulsive, and all in need of sensitivity training. One minute, Dickie Moltisanti, is charming and going out of his way to help others. The next, he is killing those closest to him.
Dickie (Alessandro Nivola in an impressive leading-man debut) is a middle manager in the DiMeo crime family, which includes Johnny Soprano, his brother Junior, Silvio, Paulie, Pussy, and Buddha, all from The Sopranos series. The 1967 Newark riots serve as the film’s backdrop as tensions rise between the Italian-American and African-American communities, particularly their crime organizations. One of Dickie’s black associates, Harold, takes part in the riots and breaks away to start his own black crime organization. Ruthless violence breaks out between the warring parties, including a new form of torture (at least to me) which…let’s just say it involves auto shop equipment.
Rightly so, much has been made of James Gandolfini’s son, Michael, playing the young Tony Soprano. (It should be noted that he first appears almost halfway into the film; William Ludwig also deserves credit for playing Tony as a boy.) The film’s special moments are watching teenager Tony struggling to navigate his world while capturing his father’s mannerisms, voice, and walk as only he could. Tony is smart, but always getting into trouble – setting up a gambling ring at school, stealing test answers, and taking an ice cream truck for one hell of a joyride. It’s “Uncle” Dickie who Tony looks to for guidance. His mother (Vera Farmiga) is what they used to call hysterical, but hysteria is understandable when you consider her lot in life. His father (Jon Bernthal) gets thrown in jail for four years and misses Tony’s formative years. Dickie’s uncle (Ray Liotta, who plays Dickie’s Dad and twin brother) tells him to leave Tony alone and let him find his own way. He does this for awhile, but upon seeing how torn up Tony is without his Uncle, Dickie decides to get back in his life and makes plans to meet him at the soda shop. Fate intervenes, Dickie never shows, and Tony is left waiting alone.
Although, the story can stand on its own, it’s disjointed and without at least some sense of the TV series, you may find yourself lost. For fans of the show, in addition to Michael Gandolfini as Tony, it’s fun to see the other portrayals from the show. For the most part the casting is excellent, with Vera Farmiga, Jon Bernthal, and Corey Stoll as Junior, embodying the Sopranos-vibe circa late 1960s. Paulie and Sylvio, however, seem capable of just providing a few laughs. Dickie is mentioned, but never shown in The Sopranos.
The Many Saints of Newark just opened in the theaters on October 3rd (I ventured back in to the theater!) and is also now streaming on HBO Max. If you watched The Sopranos, you know you gotta check it out. It’s not the TV series, but provides a fascinating look back into their lives, particularly Tony’s. Does it help explain the man Tony Soprano? Yes and no. The movie’s narrated bookends by Dickie’s son Christopher (played by Michael Imperioli in the series) are perhaps telling (Sopranos reminder: Tony kills Christopher in the series). Maybe this would have made a great Limited Series…
* Oxford Dictionary
D² Rating ◼◼◼☐☐
Trivia ? – How does The Sopranos series begin in the 1999 pilot?
Answer: Tony passes out at a bar-b-que and gets referred to a psychiatrist, Dr. Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco).
Bonus Trivia ? – What does Tony tell her he does for a living at first?
Answer: A waste management consultant