Our movie today is a prequel to HBO’s hit series “The Sopranos” and ironically opens at a cemetery with commentary provided by the deceased Christopher Moltisanti. I don’t know how many people would be viewing this movie without knowledge of the series, but it is helpful to have a working knowledge of the cast and original storyline.
It’s 1967 and young Tony Soprano is with his favorite Uncle Dickie Moltisanti who are meeting Dickie’s father at the pier. Dad, known as Hollywood is returning from a trip to Italy with Giuseppina, a very much younger non English speaking bride. Dickie, Hollywood, Tony’s father Johnny, his brother Junior, Paulie, Silvio and Pussy are all part of a large local crime family. Side note….it was very interesting to see these series characters as their younger selves, casting did a very good job here.
Newark is erupting in race riots, total blocks are in flames and looting is rampant. It’s at this time that Junior and Johnny are arrested for shooting a man in broad daylight at a church carnival (!) and Johnny, Tony’s father is sentenced to 4-5 years In prison.
Meanwhile young Tony starts a gambling business at his school and is soon suspended. His mother (remember her from the series? Now it all makes sense) calls upon Uncle Dickie to have a talk with Tony to straighten up.
Uncle Dickie really has a soft spot for young Tony, especially since he and his wife have been unable to have their own children. He makes a pinkie promise with Tony to end his gambling side gig.
In the meantime, Giuseppina and Hollywood have hit a bump in the road, and she wishes she never married and stayed in Italy. Dickie tries to be a good listener but is soon sucking face with his young and beautiful step mother. This being a movie about the Mafia, it’s not a big leap for Dickie to take care of his stepmother’s problem even if the problem is his own father.
Soon we flash forward a few years and Johnny Soprano has been released from prison and he’s not happy with the looks of his old neighborhood which has become racially diverse. Tony has grown into a teenager and is now played by Michael Gandolfini, son of the late James who originated the role of Tony Soprano in the HBO series. We also meet baby Christopher Moltisanti, son of Dickie and it’s a bit sad because we know his future from the series. Also foreboding, when Tony goes to hold baby Christopher he begins to wail incessantly. An older woman pronounces, “when babies are born they know everything about everyone” If that’s true, we definitely know why he isn’t feeling warm and fuzzy with young Tony.
Women never fare well within the Soprano circle. They are given materialistic tokens, but business and the men’s perceived respect are most important, which brings us to Giuseppina Moltisanti and her demise. Dickie has a bit of an epiphany after Giuseppina’s watery death, and begins a journey of trying to do good things. It’s on this path that he visits his imprisoned Uncle Sally, the twin brother of his father. Yes, he is visiting his father’s twin brother…the brother of the man he savagely murdered then set on fire. Uncle Sally, in a roundabout way lets Dickie know he knows Dickie killed Hollywood and Giuseppina, and advises him to stay away from loved one because it seems anyone close to him ends up dead. Dickie seems to process this and makes a decision to cut young Tony out of his life. He sees the path Tony is on, and doesn’t want to steer him down the same path he took himself.
Dickie’s path to righteousness came a bit too late, and sadly we are at another funeral.
As a fan of the series, it was good to see the origins of the Soprano/Moltisanti family. The movie delves into the racial tensions of the late 1960’s in Newark, and the development of the African American communities own organized crime family.
Honestly, I was disappointed in this movie. We got a lot of back story about the Moltisanti’s but I thought this was a movie about how Tony Soprano became head of a crime family. Add in the angle of the race riots in Newark and the development of the fledgling African American Mob, I think the writer and director just lost their focus. Also disappointing is the ending, which was abrupt and is obviously setting up for a sequel, but do we need a sequel to the prequel? I vote no.
The Many Saints of Newark is rated C-. Though written and produced by David Chase, who performed those same tasks for the Soprano series, the story is nothing special, just a generic mob story which makes it more disappointing. Take the Soprano’s angle out of this movie, and it’s almost a better movie in that you know what you get, a mafia/mob movie. But, as a prequel to the Soprano’s? Very disappointing, and they should really rethink the planned sequel.
As for a beverage? It’s an Italian mob movie….Chianti of course.
