by guest critic Michael Clark
Before the 86th and final episode of The Sopranos even aired on June 10, 2007, the idea of a feature film sequel began circulating amongst the show’s faithful. Creator and show runner David Chase never said he wouldn’t consider it, but with the sudden death of series lead James Gandolfini in 2013, it all became a moot point. In addition to letting Chase off the hook for a sequel, Gandolfini’s death only added further to the series’ ambiguous, mythical ending.
With the possible ghost of Tony Soprano out of the way, Chase began exploring the idea of a prequel and, to his credit, he rejected the idea of an outright Tony Soprano origin story. In its stead, Chase, his co-writer Lawrence Konner, and nine-time series director Alan Taylor have crafted a DiMeo Family story where Tony (first played by William Ludwig and eventually Michael Gandolfini) is a supporting character.
For established fans of the show, having Tony as a secondary player within the context of what this film is trying to accomplish not only makes sense but is actually preferred. The show didn’t start with Tony as the boss; in fact three men preceded him in that position on the show and it wasn’t until well past the series halfway point that he became the official head of the family.
There are certainly more than a few people unfamiliar with the show who will feel intimidated and beyond challenged with the idea of viewing something with a such a storied history; an understandable fear for sure, but one which will quickly dissipate. By every count, The Many Saints of Newark is a standalone film and knowing nothing about what took place after it ends will have no bearing on being able to figure it out. It’s not a denouement but rather a springboard.
Only familiar to the show’s most ardent fans through other characters' often-conflicting recollections, Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola) was the ideal choice for the lead here. The father of Christopher (Michael Imperioli, providing sparse narration), Dickie ran the numbers racket for the DiMeo crew in North New Jersey in the 1960s and was the archetypical American gangster. Always dressed to the nines, Dickie wouldn’t be caught dead in any of the jogging outfits preferred by the guys on the show (a few of which show up in extended cameos).
After Tony’s father Johnny (Jon Bernthal) gets sent to prison for four years, Dickie steps in as the boy’s mentor, which Tony wholeheartedly welcomes as he is in desperate need of a male role model. As much as Johnny’s brother Junior (Corey Stoll) would like to fill this void, he’s too weak and lacks magnetism. Stuck in a home with two sisters and his cold-fish, perpetually-downbeat mother Livia (Vera Farmiga), Tony gravitates towards Dickie, which yields some intriguing, albeit short-term results.
The filmmakers’ principal attention is wisely devoted to the simmering, soon-to-boil relationship between Dickie’s established Newark Italian crew and Harold McBrayer (Leslie Odom Jr.), a member of the Black community who realizes remaining a mid-level operative of the mob is a career dead-end. Best known as Aaron Burr in the original Broadway production of Hamilton (for which he won both a Tony and a Grammy) and Sam Cooke in last year’s One Night in Miami, Odom as Harold provides the perfect dramatic foil for Dickie.
Like Dickie and the older Tony, Harold is a towering antihero who adapts to the fluid situations going on around him and takes long chances where others would surely demure or outright shrink like a violet.
Recognizing the need to cater to long-established fans, the filmmakers regularly needle-drop references to the show, but do so without alienating or confusing the uninitiated. Junior’s mentioning of “the makings of a varsity athlete” will make no sense to newcomers but will mean everything to long-time devotees.
Perhaps the biggest coup – casting wise – was hiring Ray Liotta in dual roles. Chase’s first choice as the TV version of Tony, Liotta’s appearance here further connects the Sopranos and GoodFellas universes. One of Liotta’s roles is a de facto shrink, offering Dickie unbiased and unemotional advice; something Liotta’s GoodFellas co-star Lorraine Bracco did for Tony as his psychiatrist (Dr. Melfi) on the show.
Chase has stated he’s open to making at least one more Sopranos movie, preferably with the participation of long-time writing colleague Terence Winter, who has all but guaranteed his intention to do so. To that end, there is a “stinger” scene which appears within the closing credits of “Many Saints” which – barring a highly unlikely box office bust – means we’ll see another installment.
In a perfect world, there would be two more prequel movies bridging the gap between the ending of The Many Saints of Newark and the start of The Sopranos. With the aid of another decade and some carefully applied prosthetics, Michael Gandolfini could be further aged and become Tony as an older man with countless more story lines mentioned from the show brought in to flesh-out the bigger picture.
The final scene in the third movie would have Tony sitting in Dr. Melfi’s waiting room for the first time.
That would be beyond cool.
Rated R for strong violence, pervasive language, some nudity, and sexual content. Opens in theaters on October 1 and also available on HBO Max.
Grade: A
With the possible ghost of Tony Soprano out of the way, Chase began exploring the idea of a prequel and, to his credit, he rejected the idea of an outright Tony Soprano origin story. In its stead, Chase, his co-writer Lawrence Konner, and nine-time series director Alan Taylor have crafted a DiMeo Family story where Tony (first played by William Ludwig and eventually Michael Gandolfini) is a supporting character.
For established fans of the show, having Tony as a secondary player within the context of what this film is trying to accomplish not only makes sense but is actually preferred. The show didn’t start with Tony as the boss; in fact three men preceded him in that position on the show and it wasn’t until well past the series halfway point that he became the official head of the family.
There are certainly more than a few people unfamiliar with the show who will feel intimidated and beyond challenged with the idea of viewing something with a such a storied history; an understandable fear for sure, but one which will quickly dissipate. By every count, The Many Saints of Newark is a standalone film and knowing nothing about what took place after it ends will have no bearing on being able to figure it out. It’s not a denouement but rather a springboard.
Only familiar to the show’s most ardent fans through other characters' often-conflicting recollections, Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola) was the ideal choice for the lead here. The father of Christopher (Michael Imperioli, providing sparse narration), Dickie ran the numbers racket for the DiMeo crew in North New Jersey in the 1960s and was the archetypical American gangster. Always dressed to the nines, Dickie wouldn’t be caught dead in any of the jogging outfits preferred by the guys on the show (a few of which show up in extended cameos).
After Tony’s father Johnny (Jon Bernthal) gets sent to prison for four years, Dickie steps in as the boy’s mentor, which Tony wholeheartedly welcomes as he is in desperate need of a male role model. As much as Johnny’s brother Junior (Corey Stoll) would like to fill this void, he’s too weak and lacks magnetism. Stuck in a home with two sisters and his cold-fish, perpetually-downbeat mother Livia (Vera Farmiga), Tony gravitates towards Dickie, which yields some intriguing, albeit short-term results.
The filmmakers’ principal attention is wisely devoted to the simmering, soon-to-boil relationship between Dickie’s established Newark Italian crew and Harold McBrayer (Leslie Odom Jr.), a member of the Black community who realizes remaining a mid-level operative of the mob is a career dead-end. Best known as Aaron Burr in the original Broadway production of Hamilton (for which he won both a Tony and a Grammy) and Sam Cooke in last year’s One Night in Miami, Odom as Harold provides the perfect dramatic foil for Dickie.
Like Dickie and the older Tony, Harold is a towering antihero who adapts to the fluid situations going on around him and takes long chances where others would surely demure or outright shrink like a violet.
Recognizing the need to cater to long-established fans, the filmmakers regularly needle-drop references to the show, but do so without alienating or confusing the uninitiated. Junior’s mentioning of “the makings of a varsity athlete” will make no sense to newcomers but will mean everything to long-time devotees.
Perhaps the biggest coup – casting wise – was hiring Ray Liotta in dual roles. Chase’s first choice as the TV version of Tony, Liotta’s appearance here further connects the Sopranos and GoodFellas universes. One of Liotta’s roles is a de facto shrink, offering Dickie unbiased and unemotional advice; something Liotta’s GoodFellas co-star Lorraine Bracco did for Tony as his psychiatrist (Dr. Melfi) on the show.
Chase has stated he’s open to making at least one more Sopranos movie, preferably with the participation of long-time writing colleague Terence Winter, who has all but guaranteed his intention to do so. To that end, there is a “stinger” scene which appears within the closing credits of “Many Saints” which – barring a highly unlikely box office bust – means we’ll see another installment.
In a perfect world, there would be two more prequel movies bridging the gap between the ending of The Many Saints of Newark and the start of The Sopranos. With the aid of another decade and some carefully applied prosthetics, Michael Gandolfini could be further aged and become Tony as an older man with countless more story lines mentioned from the show brought in to flesh-out the bigger picture.
The final scene in the third movie would have Tony sitting in Dr. Melfi’s waiting room for the first time.
That would be beyond cool.
Rated R for strong violence, pervasive language, some nudity, and sexual content. Opens in theaters on October 1 and also available on HBO Max.
Grade: A
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