Tom Schwider

My rating would be 2.5 stars if they'd allow it. I tried to temper my expectations, but this prequel to the epic Sopranos series seemed to be mostly going through the motions. The best performance was given by Michael Gandolfini, perhaps because he was more secure that, as James Gandolfini's son, he didn't have to overact to match his father's portrayal. Unfortunately his screen time was minimal compared to his uncle. The original series had an immediacy and pacing that was compelling. David Chase created a milleu and peopled it to perfection. A prequel is frought with peril because he had to adhere to everything that happens in the future and still produce something compelling. Having Christopher crying as a baby whenever he's close to the young Tony is compelling, having a character stating something like 'you know what they say, babies close to birth remember their future', is not. Also the choice to have the dead adult Christopher narrate while adding little asides like 'even though he choked me to death' referring to Tony, was a little over the top. The same with Silvio's performance where the actor seemed more interested in hunching over and grimacing as if he were Rich Little doing Jimmy Cagny on the Ed Sullivan show. Ray Liotta was a servicable Soprano patriarch, freed of any expectations, but I liked his other performance as the jailed brother much more, playing the fool so to speak, as the unfettered conscience for Dickie Moltisanti. A fool who wants Miles Davis records, but rejects Al Hirt as 'not jazz'. This is the kind of story telling that Chase spoiled us with for six seasons. Maybe if he had been given another season or two, or more, he could have taken his time, like Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad. Trying to fit the seething Black turmoil of the 60's, along with racial animus, along with so many twisted familial relationship arcs into two hours is a thankless task. Alessandro Nivola, Leslie Odom Jr., and Michela De Rossi are the three prime movers of this film, none of whom were constrained by portrayals in the original series, but their love triangle consisted of a time worn trope. While Michela brought a great deal of passion to her role, I was never completely sold by either Nivola or Odom as gangsters. Once again, maybe if this had been allowed more time, both characters might have flourished. Vera Famiga always disappears into her roles as one of the finest actors alive today, maybe I missed the nuance, but I never got that level of menace that was always simmering beneath the surface in Nancy Marchand's portrayal of Livia. I didn't regret watching this film. There was enough there to keep me involved, but it rarely equalled the same minute by minute viewing ectasy that the original series provided. I think the best tribute to David Chase is that The Many Saints of Newark has convinced me to watch the entire original series again.