Set in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the young Tony Soprano seems destined to go to college and distance himself from the criminal activities of his family. But he also looks up to his Uncle Dickie Moltisanti, a charming but violent mobster.
It has been a long time since I have seen an episode of The Sopranos. I found it a very good, if a little overrated to start with, though I lost interest and did not get all the way to the end. Therefore, whilst I enjoy gangster movies generally, I was unsure whether I would get that much out of this prequel to The Sopranos, with my knowledge of what followed a little sketchy.
In a move that has angered many fans of the series, a large part of the story is focused on simmering racial tensions of the time, and Dickie’s one time employee, Harold McBrayer, trying to move onto his territory. However, I thought that part of the story was more involving than the expected predictable Scorsese-light gangster antics.
It seemed a smart casting move to have James Gandolfini’s son, Michael, playing the teenage Tony, but he is not a great actor. More impressive are Alessandra Nivola as the smooth Dickie and Ray Liotta in duel roles as Dickie’s Dad and Uncle.
The Many Saints of Newark fizzles out towards the end as the plot is set up to align with the start of the series, but there is just enough to make this an okay watch.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10