Movie 🎥 Review: “The Many Saints of Newark”

Critics gave it a 61% the users an 72%.

Rated: R with a 2 hr run time and an IMDb of 7.3/10.

Cast: Alessandro Nivola, Michael Gandolfini (James Gandolfinis real son), Leslie Odom Jr., Jon Bernthal, Corey Stoll, Billy Magnussen, Michela De Rossi, John Magaro, Ray Liotta, and Vera Farmiga.

Young Anthony Soprano is growing up in one of the most tumultuous eras in Newark history, becoming a man just as rival gangsters start to rise up and challenge the all-powerful DiMeo crime family. Caught up in the changing times is the uncle he idolizes, Dickie Moltisanti, whose influence over his nephew will help shape the impressionable teenager into the all-powerful mob boss, Tony Soprano!

The Many Saints of Newark (marketed with the subtitle A Sopranos Story) is a 2021 American crime drama film directed by Alan Taylor and written by David Chase and Lawrence Konner, and is a prequel to Chase's HBO crime drama series The Sopranos, set during the 1960s and 70s in Newark, New Jersey. Using the 1967 Newark riots as a backdrop for tensions between the Italian-American and African-American communities.

Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema obtained the rights to produce The Many Saints of Newark alongside HBO Films. The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Fall Preview on September 22, 2021, and was theatrically released in the United States on October 1, 2021, along with a month-long simultaneous release on the HBO Max streaming service. The film received positive reviews from critics, with many praising Gandolfini's performance.

HEADS UP: If you have NOT watched the hit TV series The Sopranos and you decide to watch this film, aside the enjoyment you will get out of watching…………..you WILL BE as lost as last years Easter Eggs with how this dove tails to the original series.

With that said they did an amazing job as a prequel keeping you glued to every word in every scene as you begin to formulate in your mind the connections to the series. 14 years waiting for this to happen and it didn't disappoint. I have watched all seasons of The Sopranos 4 times over since its airing in 1999-2007. For a long time I hailed The Sopranos as the greatest TV HBO series until GoT’s came along.

The film is watchable but can be underwhelming is some scenes. You’ll remember several younger versions of the characters but the mood and tone is markedly different. Pace is slow at times with some thin dialog, but you find yourself wanting to see what’s coming next in the film that will keep your interest.

Like I stated earlier this prequel gives us a look of how it all started to Tony Soprano and that in itself is worth the watch. Check out the trailer above!