A MIDDLING TENOR THAN A HIGH SOPRANO
The Sopranos…. a crime mafia drama that revolutionized television throughs its various story, muliti–faceted characters, and edgy violence that broke the conventions of syndicated TV series; paving the way for a new generation of TV series that followed in its footsteps in the following years. Created by David Chase, the series revolves around Tony Soprano, a New Jersey-based Italian American mobster, portraying the difficulties that he faces as he tries to balance his family life with his role as the leader of a criminal organization. These character struggles and fears are explored during his regular therapy sessions with his Tony’s psychiatrists, who delves into past childhood trauma, frustrations of his mafia colleagues, and difficulties of dealing with his family members. The Sopranos premiered the pilot episode on January 10th, 1999, on HBO and ran for six seasons for a totaling 86 episodes until it ended in 2007. The success of The Sopranos has been one of a triumph from HBO, with the series widely regarded as one of the greatest television series of all time (or at least in upper echelon category along with other famous / popular TV series), with the Writers Guild of America naming The Sopranos the best-written TV series of all time in 2013, TV Guide ranked the series as the best television series of all time, and the series ranked first in the Rolling Stone list of the 100 greatest TV shows of all time in 2016. In addition, the series won a plethora of nominations and won a multitude of awards, including Peabody Awards for the first two seasons, five Golden Globe Awards, and 21 Primetime Emmy Awards as well as several others. The TV series has even been the subject of critical analysis by examining discussion of organized crime and the effects of psychology as well as being points of controversy, parodies, and a strong merchandise foundation (i.e., books, video game, soundtrack albums, podcast, and clothing attire. Now, fourteen years after the conclusion to popular HBO series, Warner Bros. Studios (as well as HBO) and director Alan Taylor return to New Jersey setting for a prequel to The Sopranos, with the release of The Many Saints of Newark. Does this prequel shine some new storytelling light into The Soprano lore or is it a “too little, too late” and unnecessary endeavor from a narrative that has been laid to rest long ago?
THE STORY
Beginning in the late 60s, tension are high in Newark, New Jersey, with racial violence against African Americans and rioting in the streets causing chaos to disrupt the peace. On a smaller scale, tensions are just as deadly as Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola), an Italian American and a soldier in the DiMeo crime family, welcomes his abrasive father, “Hollywood Dick” (Ray Liotta) back home with his new Italian wife, Giuseppina (Michela De Rossi). The resulting arrival of his father causes much distress for Dickie, who is becoming increasingly attracted to Giuseppina, with her advances becoming more pronounced. At the same time, Dickie is dealing with two other obstacles, with the first dealing with one Harold McBrayer (Leslie Odom Jr.), an African American associate of his who gets caught up in the racial riots, and the other being his relationship with his young nephew, Anthony Soprano (William Ludwig), a troublesome youth that is looking for guidance / figure after his father, Johnny (Jon Bernthal), is sentence to jail and his mother, Livia (Vera Farmiga) is emotionally unbalanced. As the years pass, Dickie raises the family as prominent member, but continues to struggle in finding a proper balance in his life, with increasing measure to be taken with his organized crime business as McBrayer returns and tries to muscle in on Dickie’s turf; causing the two men to be at odds with each other. Likewise, Giuseppina (now his mistress) wants more and more affection from the mobster, which causes Dickie to be torn between his family and her, while Anthony (now played by Michael Gandolfini) is still wanting to be part of his uncle’s life and the business that he runs. As all of these factor play out, Dickie is found at the center and dealing with the outcomes of each scenario as they come, but a man can only hold back certain things before they begin to overtake him fully.
THE GOOD / THE BAD
As a fan of many HBO series (i.e., The Wire, Oz, Deadwood, Entourage, Game of Thrones, etc.), I think that The Sopranos is definitely one of the best endeavor that the channel / studio company, with lasting and memorable presence…. even to this day. I definitely can see why the show is considered to be one of the best TV series of all time. It has great characters (both lead and supporting players), a gritty drama, pushed the envelope of violence and explicit content (for its time), and an interesting take on the leader of the organized crime, who goes through psychiatric help throughout the course of the show. My parents first watched it when it was originally being released on HBO during the early 2000s and I actually came into the show at the beginning of season 3 during the “Employee of the Month” episode (kind of a rough episode, but a great ending); becoming hooked on the show after that. I then watched The Sopranos regular when it was originally aired until it finally ended back in 2007. I do think that the show loss it focus on a few episodes, especially when David Chase / Terrence Winter weren’t handling an episodes script, but (as a whole) the series was fantastic. Of course, some of favorite Soprano episodes are “Funhouse”, “Employee of the Month”, “Pine Barrens”, “The Strong, Silent Type”, “Whitecaps”, “Long-Term Parking”, and “Made in America” just to name a few. Plus, the final scene of The Sopranos left a lot of fans of the series divided, with some of them loving it and others hating it. Me…. I’m somewhere in the middle as the ending is left unclear, but leaves it up to the imagination of the viewer. Plus, it’s without question that actor James Gandolfini gave such an impressive, well-rounded, dynamic, and all-around fantastic performance in the lead role of Tony Soprano. It’s just a shame for his unexpected passing (another unfortunate star lost in Hollywood). Even the rest of the principal Sopranos cast, with many being relatively unknown at the time of filming, have gone on to become prominent acting talents in the Hollywood; utilizing their involvement on the show to spring off. In the end, I think calling The Sopranos one of the best TV series is all time is a solid one and it’s earned its rank and title in the upper echelon television programs.
This, of course, brings me back to talking about The Many Saints of Newark, a 2021 crime drama film and a prequel film endeavor to The Sopranos TV series. I do remember hearing way back when about both HBO and David Chase were thinking about doing a sort of prequel spin-off to The Sopranos, but that idea never fully materialize. Of course, I, like many out there, would be very interested in seeing such a project come to fruition, especially since there is wealth of lore and background ideas into making such a prequel within the popular TV series. Perhaps another reason of this particular project didn’t get off the ground was due to the fact that many of cast had moved onto other projects in their career and weren’t available (all together) to collaborate once more. Even the unexpected death of James Gandolfini could’ve added to the impact, with the titular actor, who played the lead role in the series, left a gapping hole in many, with the prequel project idea hanging more in limbo. After a while, I didn’t hear much about this until a few years back when it was finally announced a deal was struck and that a Sopranos prequel movie was greenlit and that Gandolfini’s son was gonna playing a younger version of Tony Soprano. Then the project went “under the radar” for quite some time; only catching a few tidbits here and there about the upcoming movie. The first really glimpse I got of this movie was when the film’s movie trailer was released online, which showcased what the movie was going to be about (mostly about Dickie Moltisanti and his relationship with his nephew Tony) and other various characters that either came before the start of the TV series or younger iterations. I was really interested in seeing this movie, so I was super excited to see it, which I did when The Many Saints of Newark was released on October 1st, 2021, with simultaneously release of both in-theaters and on HBO Max. I decided to watch the movie on HBO Max as I was a bit busy with my work schedule along with my parents were wanting to watch with me. So, I did, and I’m give my personal “two cents” on what I thought of this prequel movie from The Sopranos. What did I think of it? Well, it was okay and tad bit disappointing. While the intent is there and the film’s cast is solid in their respective performances, The Many Saints of Newark is a very hurried, compressed feature that tries to tackle too much of The Sopranos lore; biting off more than it can chew. It’s not a terrible movie, but it’s one of frustration because of the potential it had to offer.
The Many Saints of Newark is directed by Alan Taylor, whose previous directorial works include such films like The Emperor’s New Clothes, Terminator Genisys, and Thor: The Dark World. While he has done feature film endeavors, Taylor is more accustomed to handling directorial works on the small screen (i.e., TV series, with the director handling several episodes for some of HBO’s popular TV series, including Game of Thrones, Sex and the City, Rome, Deadwood, and (of course) The Sopranos. Thus, with his familiarity with both HBO and The Sopranos, Taylor seemed like a very suitable choice to helm a project like this; approaching the material with sense of respect and appreciation for the story that was created by David Chase. An interesting point of which the film gets to explore is the story before the pilot episode of The Sopranos; revealing the organized crime family that Tony Soprano would one day control for several years. Taylor seems to relish in that idea, with the movie’s primary focus on life and times of character Dickie Moltisanti, who is the current head of the organization, and his overall relationship towards his nephew, Anthony Soprano (a younger and impressionable Tony). There are other factors that play into the film’s overall narrative, but Taylor seems invested in these two components greatly, which is kind of a good thing as we (the viewers) get to experience these two characters of a younger Tony (who’s past / upbringing is instrumental in the TV series) and in Dickie, a character who mentioned many times in the show, but is dead before the first episode begins. This is where the film shines the best, with Taylor adhering to the “meat and potatoes” of The Many Saints of Newark of the struggles that Dickie’s faces of balancing his personal life with his business all the way seeing the upbringing of his nephew, who is needed for a father figure role model (of which he sees in Dickie). Additionally, the movie, much like the original TV series, doesn’t shy away from many character getting their hands dirty, with Taylor playing up the gangster violence outbursts of shootouts, fighting, and anger aggression found in several key important characters. It’s nothing that the revolutionary or uncommon to be found in most organized crime / mafia narratives, but it definitely feels appropriate in the movie, especially since The Sopranos was the one of forerunners that made gritty mature violent drama in a television; something that has carried over from today’s works in episodic TV series.
Additionally, new material is given to flesh out this particular time period of which The Many Saints of Newark is set in, which explores the gang rivalry and racial tensions in Newark, New Jersey. This, of course, leads into the infamous Newark Riots in 1967, which is sort of a backdrop for a portion of the movie as well as laying the foundation between Dickie Moltisanti and Harold McBrayer. Taylor shapes the film with this mind, which gives that extra layer of narrative storytelling and historical poignancy; rooting The Many Saints of Newark in the cultural and “sign of the times” of which the main cast of character play a part in. The ever-changing shift of power amongst men and of society is ever presence, with the characters in the movie playing their parts as Taylor showcases the power of those men and how the challenges they face. While the movie does struggle to properly executed these movements and power shakers (more on that below), I do have to give Taylor some admirable credit for trying to piece together a story that is rooted to historical moments as well as trying to connect the narrative to The Sopranos lore and mythos. Plus, I think that Taylor had fun getting to stage events and playing up the younger iteration of some of The Sopranos characters within a somewhat new setting.
On a technical and visual standpoint, The Many Saints of Newark fits perfectly within its time period and gives off a very congeal / realistic world of Newark, New Jersey (and the surrounding areas). With the movie being primarily set during the late 60s to early 70s, the film’s background setting is solid and, while it isn’t flashy and / or glamorous, the film remains true to realistic effect on which the original HBO show was known for, with muted colors and sort of gritty textures that had a sense of realism to the narrative. In this regard, I think that the movie’s presentation (visually speaking) definitely works as well as all the costume, hair, and make-up effects for all the various characters…..be it principle, secondary, and minor players in the film. Thus, the film’s “behind the scenes” team, including Bob Shaw (production design), Regina Graves and Deborah Jensen (set decorations), and Amy Westcott (costume designs) for their efforts in making the film’s background “look and feel” setting feel authenticity and believable. Lastly, while the film’s score, which was composed by Peter Nashel, is okay (fitting into the movie nicely, but never truly standouts nor his quite memorable), the movie does offer a few good song selections that adhere to the film’s story era of the late 60s / early 70s. That being said, fans of The Sopranos TV series will love the song that plays immediately when the film’s end credits begin to roll. Won’t spoil it, but fans will like it.
Unfortunately, The Many Saints of Newark ends up being restricted and hampered by its own ambitions and storytelling narration. What do I mean? Well, for the most part (and this is main point of my criticism), the movie is way too compressed and rushed in what it wants to fully tell. This is shame because the material surrounding The Sopranos is so rich with characters and exploration of who they are, what they did, and who / what made them the way they are. Thus, I was very eager to see how the movie was going to explore all those facets within several characters, including Anthony Soprano. However, the film itself struggles to find a proper balance in trying to explore all the various aspects of both characters and story within the time constraints of a two-hour feature film. Pretty much most of the story threads that are intertwined to make up the movie’s story are relatively “surface level”, with the film glossing main events that happen to these character Soprano characters. This makes the movie itself have that awkward feeling of spreading itself “way too thin” and translates into being quite overstuff with content, with little to no time to fully examine such characters and / or events properly. It is because I think that this particular prequel project should’ve been done as TV series instead theatrical film. Looking at The Many Saints of Newark’s story (as a whole) there’s some much material and potential to create a standard ten-episode season that can span their one or two seasons (maybe three) TV series that acts as a prequel to the original Sopranos show. Fans of the show would’ve loved that idea and Warner Bros (HBO’s parent company) would’ve benefited from that, especially to attract viewers to their HBO Max streaming service. However, with this not being the case, the film suffers from wanting to show / explore too much and not enough time to fully invest, which makes The Many Saints of Newark too compressed, rushed, and thinly sketched.
Adding to that problem is that the simple fact that the movie is not as “friendly” towards the non-initiated to The Sopranos characters / story. How so? Well, like a lot of prequel endeavors, the story doesn’t spend a lot of time trying to “catch up” viewers on introductions as many, who are presumably watching this narrative, are already familiar with the property. This gives the prequel endeavor enough motion to jump right into the thick of things of its main story, without an extended time of depicting who’s who in the story. However, this particular film does exactly that, but it sort of jumbles around its own narrative. Again, this goes back to the compressed narrative of the movie, but also with the director’s skills of shaping the movie (as a whole) as well as the script, which was penned by creator David Chase and Lawrence Konner. Given the fact that the Chase was so-called “on-board” with this project got me initially excited. However, the script for the film is quite jarring as it tries to encompass a lot of storylines together, but doesn’t have a lot of time to fully explore such threads; causing the film (as mentioned) to have that “surface level” notions. In addition, the script doesn’t take time to explain a lot of importance of certain characters because the movie assumes you (as the viewer) is familiar with The Sopranos property. Thus, fans of the show will probably get it. Unfortunately, those who haven’t watched The Sopranos or haven’t watched the show in quite some time, will be confused to what is going on. Some parts are easy to figure out on their own, but several key factors aren’t fully explained (i.e., characters and the motivations behind them), which may cause viewers to loose interest in the movie altogether. Basically, the movie is for the fans of the show and not so much for non-fans out there. So, just be cautious when approaching this movie. Also, those expecting this film to a full-on crime / gangster movie will disappointed as it more focused on its character connections and not so much on organized crime rings. Thus, those expecting the movie to be like like The Godfather, The Irishman, Casino, of The Untouchables, will be disappointed with The Many Saints of Newark. Then again….the original HBO show followed that formula.
In addition to the film’s script handling, the movie also is a bit wonky when it comes to providing its material to the feature. There are several side stories that are thrown into the mix, which creates several problematic areas. This is especially noticeable in the storyline of Harold McBrayer, with the movie’s script (and film’s direction) going off on a somewhat of a tangent with this particular character, but neither the script nor film itself fully commits to exploring McBrayer’s story. Thus, it ultimately comes up as an unnecessary storyline that is actually never fully concluded. As a whole, I think that Taylor’s direction is a jarring when he tries to tie everything together, which results in the movie being unbalanced and sort of jumble as if I lot of material (important ones) were left on the cutting room floor to trim down the feature to a manageable runtime. This results in the whole disjointed feeling as well as having a sluggish pacing problem throughout the movie as Taylor jumps from one plot point to the next without any substance. Well, I should say he does try to make the attempt, but, while the intent is there, the results always feel haphazard and hollow. Thus, despite Taylor’s familiarity with show and Chase co-writing the script, The Many Saints of Newark falters for being too rushed.
What also plays a part of this criticism is in the movie’s cast. Well, I should partly part of that criticism as I really do love the cast of The Many Saints of Newark, with the selection of actors and actresses being fantastic across the board. That being said, the flip side is that many (if not all) of the characters are thinly sketched due to the film’s “glossed over” aesthetics; resulting in many of them being one-noted, generically flat, or a bit perplexing. Perhaps the best that the film has to offer is within the film’s main character of Dickie Moltisanti, who is played by actor Alessandro Nivola. Known for his roles in Face / Off, American Hustle, and Disobedience, Nivola proves to quite a capable actor and definitely who his own throughout the feature….no matter how is paired up against whenever on-screen. He also definitely pulls off the character of Dickie, a character that was only mentioned in The Sopranos TV show as his time existed before the show. Thus, it was quite interesting to explore this particular character in the movie and seeing his struggles and how tries to manage his daily life; dealing with his organized crime business, his personal life (including his mistress), and the relationship with his nephew (Anthony). Nivola does get the most screen-time in the film and almost acts like the main character of the feature, which is a bit misleading in the film’s marketing campaign (more on that below). Still, for better or worse, Nivola is terrific in the role and gives well-rounded performance as Dickie Moltisanti.
Behind Nivola, actor Michael Gandolfini makes a very impressive and convincing younger iteration of Anthony Soprano in the movie. As many know, his father, James Gandolfini, played Tony Soprano in the original TV show, so seeing Michael play the younger version of a role that is father made compelling and memorable is a delightful treat to see and experience throughout the movie. Plus, Michael, who is known for his roles in Cherry, Youngest, and The Deuce, gets to further prove his acting skills in such an iconic character role that his father played, but gets to put his own spin on the character. As a younger iteration of Tony, Michael shows the personal struggle that Anthony in trying to combat his absentee father, his crazy mother, and finding a kindred relationship with his uncle, Dickie. It definitely all works and the movie shows that, with Michael getting the chance to bounce off those respective characters. The problem, however, is that Michael is not the true main focus of the feature (something that the marketing campaign mislead viewers at), with majority of the focus being placed on Dickie. Plus, Michael’s Tony Soprano is somewhat limited as his iteration of the character comes roughly halfway through the film. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Michael’s performance in the movie, but he’s more secondary in The Many Saints of Newark as I just wished that he was giving more time to explore the character or rather his interpretation of the character that his father made famous. As a sidenote, young actor William Ludwig (Just Roll with It and Side Hustle) does a good job as the pre-teen iteration of Tony Soprano.
Personally, who actually fares the best in the movie (beyond Nivola’s Dickie and Gandolfini’s Tony) is actress Vera Farmiga, who plays Tony’s mother / Johnny’s wife…. Livia Soprano. Farmiga, known for her roles in The Conjuring, The Departed, and Godzilla: King of the Monsters, is a talented actress and, while this movie isn’t her most memorable performance in her career, it’s definitely one that works. How so? Well, Farmiga does quite an impressive job in capturing a younger iteration of the character that was set by the late actress Nancy Marchand in The Sopranos TV series. The dialect voice, the mannerisms, and the emotional unbalance persona are all there, with Farmiga does such an incredible job in mimicking Marchand’s Livia from the HBO series. This, of course, brings continuity to both The Many Saints of Newark and The Sopranos, with this particular character being the best iteration (I personally think). The problem is that the character is somewhat in the background and feels a bit haphazard (her character development). Still, for better or worse, I think that Farmiga nailed her performance as Livia.
Who actually fares the worst is in the character of Giovanni “Johnny Boy” Soprano, Tony Soprano’s father as crime mobster associate to Dickie Moltisanti. Let me rephrase that…. the character isn’t the worst (in terms of acting), but in how he’s presented in the movie. He’s actually bare in the movie and seems more like an afterthought in the feature. Of course, a little bit of that is by design as Tony finds a father figure type in Dickie than his father, but still…. the character of Johnny, who is deceased by the time the original HBO series, could’ve been further explored in the movie, but never is. Of course, I think that actor Jon Bernthal (Punisher and Ford vs. Ferrari) definitely looks the part of what I imagined Johnny Soprano to look like, but the movie just never gives both the actor nor the character enough time to shine (or get substance) in the movie. The same can be partially said for the character Junior Soprano, Johnny’s brother, Dickie’s other mobster associate, and who is played by actor Corey Stoll (House of Cards and Ant-Man). Stoll’s acting is great in the movie and definitely looks the part of a younger Junior (including the thick horn-rimmed glasses), but the character is sort of pushed aside for most of the feature and only making appearance here and there. Again, this might be design as the character is fully fleshed out in the original Sopranos series, but his character development in the movie is wonky and feels half-bake; finding Junior in The Many Saints of Newark to confusing and perplexing.
Of the new characters that The Many Saints of Newark has to offer, the character of Giuseppina Moltisanti gets the most screentime and has a more compelling story arc (even though there are some problematic areas to cover). Played by actress Michela De Rossi (The Rats and Libero Grassi), the character of Giuseppina is an interesting one in the movie as she is the mistress to Dickie’s father (i.e., “Hollywood Dick”), but ends up having romantic feeling towards Dickie himself. She definitely plays a part in the main storyline of the movie; finding her character linked to Dickie’s narrative thread and plays an instrumental role in his character’s upbringing and personal struggles. Of course, Rossi is good in the role and portrays Giuseppina quite well, but the movie’s script struggles to fully flesh out her character, which ultimately makes the character a bit generic in my opinion.
Behind her, actor Ray Liotta gets to have the most fun in not just one character in the film, but two, with his dual roles of twin brothers of “Hollywood Dick” Moltisanti and Salvatore “Sally” Moltisanti, Dickie’s father and uncle respectfully. Known for his roles in Goodfellas, Narc, and Field of Dreams, Liotta is a good character actor and that certainly shows in dual performances in this movie. He fits each character respectfully and gives them a clear and very distinct personality; finding “Hollywood Dick” to be arrogant and brash, while “Sally” is more docile and reasonable. It’s obvious that Liotta is having fun playing those roles as both have some substance. That being said, the movie limits those two characters, which is very frustrating as both “Hollywood Dick” and “Sally” have plenty to offer and could’ve been something more. This is especially prevalent if the movie’s story was translated into a TV series rather than a feature film. The same can also be said with the film’s last main character, Harold McBrayer, an associate gang member to Moltisanti who ultimately becomes a sort of rival for the mafia’s crime family. Played by actor Leslie Odom Jr., who is known for his roles in Hamilton, Harriet, and Murder on the Orient Express, the character of McBrayer is a peculiar one in the movie as the both the film itself and the script sort of set him up to be a “big deal” in the movie, with the feature going off on several of its tangents to explore his struggles in the world. However, the movie never fully gets to explore the characters, which results in making the character redundant and thinly sketched. Odom Jr’s performance in the role is good, but his screen-time is limited and can only do little with the material that is handed to him. Thus, both Liotta and Odom Jr. are great acting talents, it’s just sad (and disappointing) that the movie’s limitations restricts their respective characters from growing and being fully fleshed out.
Other players in the movie, including actor John Magaro (The Big Short and Overlord) as Silvo Dante, actor Billy Magnussen (Into the Woods and No Time to Die) as Paulie Walnuts, actor Samson Moeakiola (Hawaii Five-0 and Oh, Baby) as Pussy Bonpensiero, and actor Joey Diaz (The Longest Yard and Grudge Match) as Pussy’s father Buddha round out the rest of the cast, with many of these character being younger iterations of character the original TV series. While all acting talents in this category are great (nothing to complain about), the movie restricts these characters to just being mostly in the background, with only a few having a fleeting moments to showcase their respective personas for these characters. It’s just a shame because it would’ve been that much cooler to see what these talents could do with such iconic Soprano characters.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Who made Tony Soprano the man who he was is presented as the film’s tagline as a story focuses on younger Anthony and his relationship with his mobster uncle in the movie The Many Saints of Newark. Director Alan Taylor latest film presents a unique tale to be told, with his film acting as a prequel to popular HBO TV series and fleshes out certain characters and relationship in the film’s narrative exploration. Unfortunately, while the intent is there and the well-mannered presentation and acting performance are great, the movie sort of falters and collapses onto its own ambition, with a rushed and compressed narrative, wonky side stories, pacing issues, and “surface level” character developments. Personally, the movie was okay, but I was still disappointed with it. The movie had so much going for it and, while I don’t it is a complete train wreck of the feature, I just think that the whole endeavor could’ve (and should’ve been) better as a TV series rather than motion picture. I think that production was good, the story was somewhat intriguing, and I liked all the acting talents involved and seeing them play famous / younger versions of such memorable characters from the show. Alas, the negative sort of overtake the positives in my opinion and, even though I’m still a fan of the original show…. I have very little reason to rewatch this movie again. Thus, my recommendation for this movie is uneasy “iffy choice” as fans of the HBO series might flock to see it, but may walk away feeling partially unsatisfied with the film’s end result, which is what I did. That being said, I probably would also give the film a “skip it” for the casual moviegoers out there, for there’s not enough substance to fully absorb and engaged the non-fans of The Sopranos within this movie. The film’s ending leaves the story sort of open-ended; leaving that wiggle room for a future installment. However, while I would be interesting to see another prequel feature, it would have to more refined and better handled…in my opinion. Regardless, if one does or does not materialize on the horizon, it still stands that The Many Saints of Newark is an overstuffed prequel endeavor that just can’t quite capture the same level of memorable entertainment that HBO TV series was able to achieve. In short, the movie is more a middling tenor than a high soprano.
2.9 Out of 5 (Iffy Choice / Skip It)
Released On: October 1st, 2021
Reviewed On: October 19th, 2021
The Many Saints of Newark is 120 minutes long and is rated R for strong violence, pervasive language, sexual content, and some nudity
source https://jasonsmovieblog.com/2021/10/19/the-many-saints-of-newark-2021-review/
