THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK : Tuesday 9th November 2021

I saw 'THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK' earlier this week at my local independent movie theatre, and this MA15+ Rated American crime drama story is Directed by Alan Taylor whose previous film making credits take in his debut 'Palookaville' in 1995, 'The Emperor's New Clothes' in 2001, 'Thor : The Dark World' in 2013 and 'Terminator : Genisys' in 2015. In the meantime he has also Directed multiple episodes of 'Homicide : Life on the Street', 'Sex and the City', 'The Sopranos' and 'Game of Thrones'. Co-Written by and based on characters created by David Chase this film serves as a prequel to Chase's HBO crime drama series 'The Sopranos', and takes place during the 1960's and '70's in Newark, New Jersey. The film has garnered largely positive critical acclaim, has so far recouped US$12M off the back of a US$50M production budget, saw its World Premier showcasing at the Tribeca Film Festival in late September and went to general release in the US on 1st October along with a month-long simultaneous release on HBO Max. 

In 1967 a young Tony Soprano (William Ludwig) is travelling with his uncle and mentor Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola) to greet Dickie's fathers 'Hollywood' Dick Moltisanti (Ray Liotta) off a cruise ship with his new young Italian bride in tow Giuseppina (Michela De Rossi). Moltisanti in a 'soldier' in the DiMeo crime family which comprises of Johnny Soprano (Jon Bernthal) and his brother Junior (Corey Stoll) amongst others. Over dinner later that evening with the newlyweds, Dickie and his wife Joanne (Gabriella Piazza), Dickie can hardly tear his eyes away from Giuseppina. 

A few days later a black taxi driver is unceremoniously dragged out of his cab and set upon by two uniformed white Police Officers which sparks the Newark riots of mid-July 1967. One of Dickie's black henchmen, Harold McBrayer (Leslie Odom Jnr.) takes part in the riots by throwing a molotov cocktail at a Police patrol car which erupts in a ball of flame. Harold kills a young black man, Leon Overall (Mason Bleu) stealing from their business, forcing him to escape the heat to North Carolina. Before leaving, he asks Dickie for a loan of US$1,000 saying that he will repay it, but instead Dickie gives him US$500 as a gift.

Later, at a carnival, Tony witnesses Johnny and Junior being arrested. Subsequently, Johnny is sentenced to four years in prison for assault with a deadly weapon. During an argument, Hollywood Dick kicks Giuseppina down a flight of stairs in their home. Dickie, in speaking with a downtrodden Giuseppina the next day finds out. He confronts his father later that night in the garage of their house, and an argument breaks out with the pair seated in the front of the car. The argument turns into a physical altercation where Dickie repeatedly slams his fathers head against the steering wheel in a fit of rage, accidentally killing him. He moves the body into the passenger seat and drives the vehicle through the riot torn streets to one of his father's businesses, douses the lifeless body and the building with petrol and sets it alight to make it look like it was destroyed in the riots. Wracked by guilt, Dickie visits his father's twin brother, Salvatore 'Sally' Moltisanti (Ray Liotta) who is serving a life sentence behind bars for the murder of another made man in his own family. Dickie's says he wants to do a 'good deed' hence his wanting to strike up a relationship with Sally, which his father had previously always forbidden. Dickie also starts a relationship with Giuseppina as his mistress. Meanwhile Tony has been suspended from school for starting up an illegal gambling operation, and so Dickie makes him swear a pinkie promise to do the right thing and follow the rules. 

We then fast forward four years to 1972, and Johnny is released from prison and Harold returns to Newark because the prosecuting Police Officer died and the case just dropped by the wayside. Harold starts up his own black-led criminal operation and begins by killing one of Dickie's men and stealing their protection money. Giuseppina has an affair with Harold after a fight with Dickie. Dickie and his crew locate one of Harold's crew, Cyril (Germar Terrell Gardner) in an auto repair shop late at night and torture him using an impact wrench to the mouth to gain the name of the man who ordered the hit, and then kill him. Before he died, Cyril blurted out Harold's name. In retaliation for Cyril's death, Harold and his gang engage in a drive-by shooting with Johnny's crew, during which one is killed. Harold and Dickie have a standoff, but they flee the scene when they hear Police sirens approaching.

After Tony (Michael Gandolfini) steals the answers for a school exam, the school counsellor tells Tony's mother, Livia (Vera Farmiga), that he has a high IQ and that on the Myers–Briggs scale he demonstrates the personality traits of a leader. The counsellor also tells Livia how Tony told her about a time in which his mother hugged him after his father was committed to prison and read to him from a book until he fell asleep and how it was one of his best memories ever. The next day, Livia tries to show her affection for Tony by cooking him up a burger for his dinner, but she mentions how her Doctor wanted to prescribe her antidepressants. When Tony suggests taking it, she retaliates against him. Tony subsequently asks Dickie if he could get the drug Elavil for his mother, but Dickie is reluctant.

Following the wake of Johnny's man who was shot and killed in the drive by shooting, Junior slips and falls on the rain soaked steps of the church. This results in Dickie laughing out loud uncontrollably in his face at his pain and suffering, so infuriating Junior. Dickie reconnects with Giuseppina and promises her a beauty parlour for her to run as a business joint venture between them but he acting as a silent partner and completely hands-off. This is her dream come true. During a walk on the beach, she confesses to her affair with Harold. Dickie is so besides himself with rage that he drowns her in the ocean. Dickie again visits Sally, who says that everyone close to Dickie ends up dead eventually. He goes on to say that the best Christmas present he could give to Tony, is to stay out of his life. Dickie listens to Sally's advice and begins to avoid Tony, refusing to see him or answer his calls. 

Later that night, one of Dickie's henchmen Silvio (John Magaro) encourages Dickie to reconcile with Tony, and Dickie relents and agrees to a catch-up at a local cafe the next morning at 9:00am, before the planned hit on Harold at 10:00am having learned where he is staying. However, before he can arrive home, Dickie is shot in the back of the head by an unknown assailant while unpacking Christmas gifts from the trunk of his car. Junior is seen later limping across the street to answer a ringing payphone. The voice at the other end simply says 'it's done' and hangs-up. The next morning at 9:00am Tony is waiting patiently at the cafe for Dickie to arrive, which of course he never does. At Dickie's wake, it is revealed that Dickie did acquire the Elavil for Tony, and had it in his pocket when he was killed. Tony looks despondently down at Dickie's corpse and imagines another pinkie promise with him, like the two had done all those years ago. Some time later, Harold has moved into a white neighbourhood, his organised crime operation reaping its rewards. 

For someone who has never seen a single episode of 'The Sopranos' I was neither wowed or disappointed by 'The Many Saints of Newark', but I was expecting more development of the young Tony Soprano and the experiences, influences, motivations and emotions that made him into the character that would become the leader of a criminal organisation. Instead what we get at the end is a young mid-teenage lad Tony Soprano, on the edge of adulthood, who could go either way - down the straight and narrow, or into a life of underworld crime - the jury is still out on that one, or maybe that was the whole intention! What we do get however, is a more intimate look inside the world of Tony's favourite Uncle Dickie Moltisanti, from his rise up the ranks as a result of the death/murder of his father, the murder of his mistress, the relationship with his fathers twin brother, his clashing with Harold, to his untimely death orchestrated by Junior with only fleeting glimpses of his influences over Tony. And how does Dickie explain away the death of his mistress, known to many of his cohort, who was last seen drifting away in the ocean? As a stand alone movie this works fine, but 'Goodfellas', 'The Godfather', 'The Irishman', 'Carlito's Way' or a whole host of other American mobster films you care to mention, this ain't. Perhaps as a three or four part mini-series this could have worked better with greater emphasis placed on the development of the young and impressionable Tony Soprano. The casting is however, spot on with special mention going to Alessandro Nivola, Ray Liotta and Michael Gandolfini who really carry the film through every scene. 

'The Many Saints of Newark' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-