‘The Many Saints of Newark’: Remember the Little Moments

Due to the pandemic, a lot of people have ventured into the streaming abyss, picking up on shows they’ve never finished or starting shows that have been on their radar for quite some time. One show, in particular, has seen a resurgence of popularity: HBO’s, one and only, The Sopranos.

The Sopranos is more than just a crime show. It’s a satire of the American dream, a character study, a family drama, an existential head trip. It’s occasionally hilarious, other times macabre. It’s a merciless, pitch-black depiction of the human condition.

On a personal note, I’ve watched the show from beginning to end untold times. All its six glorious seasons are permanently imprinted in my psyche. I can quote the show and do so on multiple occasions. I’m one of those fans who’ve read the infamous essay on the Sopranos ending. In my mind, when it comes to television, nothing tops The Sopranos.

The announcement of a Sopranos movie came with a lot of hype. The fact that it was going to be a prequel, not a continuation, meant that the film could possibly answer the show’s fabled mysteries or portray past events only talked about in the show. Those familiar with The Sopranos lore would speculate tirelessly about the film’s content.

When it was announced that Michael Gandolfini would portray the childhood version of the character his late great father had made famous, it felt right. Michael had already proven his thespian mettle in a previous HBO show, The Deuce. There was also something touching about Michael taking over the role of his father, one of the greatest actors of television history, a man who was taken away from us far too soon.

The screenplay would be co-written by original series creator, David Chase. This is similar to how the long-anticipated Deadwood movie, was also co-written by the series’ original creator, David Milch (the second in the great David’s of HBO, the third one being David Simon, creator of The Wire).

To my mind, how could anyone be worried about the film’s eventual quality?

The film tells the story of Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola), the father of Christopher (Michael Imperioli), one of the main characters of The Sopranos. Dickie was never seen in the show, but his presence was felt throughout Christopher’s arc.

The film opens with Christopher’s narration, as he introduces us to his father and his uncle, Anthony, a person who would later become a father figure to him — note, that if you haven’t seen the show, the film does spoil something major. The film takes place in Newark, New Jersey in the late 1960s. We see how Dickie struggles with his conscience as a lucrative member of the Sopranos crew.

The continuing influx of Black people in Newark, and the institutional racism they are confronted with — not to mention the casual bouts of police brutality — would eventually lead to the infamous four-day Newark riots. Amid this riot, we see how small-time criminal Harold McBrayer (Leslie Odom Jr.), becomes increasingly disillusioned with the American experiment, especially when it comes to the treatment of the African-American populace.

While initially on friendly terms with Dickie and his associates, Harold eventually decides to take a stand and incites a war. Meanwhile, Dickie struggles with himself, wanting to be a good man and set a good example for his beloved nephew, while also being a competent gangster.

Watching The Many Saints of Newark as a devout Sopranos fan does make it admittedly hard to be objective about the film’s overall quality. On one hand, my expectations could be unreasonably high; on the other, my affection for the show might make me overly forgiving, even blind, to the prequel’s flaws.

I have done my best to be as objective as I can about the film’s merits. My experience was undoubtedly positive, though it falls short of being an instant gangster classic.

The film is abundant with endearing callbacks: Uncle Junior (Corey Stoll) mentions that a certain character lacks the necessary varsity athleticism; a fight between Johnny (John Bernthal) and Livia (Vera Farmiga) that ends in a gunshot, which was mentioned in the show, is hilariously recreated in the show; a feeble-minded character mentioned in the show but never seen, makes an appearance (played by David Chase himself); Junior’s idiosyncratic use of profanity (in reference to someone’s sister) whenever he falls on his back, is repeated here in wonderful winking fashion.

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