(CNN)Fourteen years aft "The Sopranos" ended successful much-debated fashion, "The Many Saints of Newark" reopens that universe, wisely going backmost decades earlier those events. Yet what sounds similar a Tony Soprano root communicative truly focuses connected different characters, successful a richly elaborate movie filled with capable caller worldly and callbacks to accommodate a constricted series, which mightiness person been the much absorbing approach.
As is, bid creator David Chase -- reunited with manager Alan Taylor, and sharing publication recognition with Lawrence Konner -- has acceptable up a satellite wherever the young Tony, played for a small implicit fractional the movie by the precocious James Gandolfini's son, Michael, is mostly a bystander. The main action, successful fact, surrounds his uncle Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola), whose lad Christopher would yet go 1 of the much unfortunate soldiers successful the grownup Tony's ranks.
The charismatic Dickie is everyone's favourite uncle, but he's besides a very, precise atrocious guy, moving a lucrative numbers operation. His beingness is analyzable erstwhile his begetter (Ray Liotta) returns from Italy with a trophy woman (Michela De Rossi), who evidently didn't autumn for him strictly for his charm.
The movie opens successful 1967, a peculiarly tumultuous play successful which radical strife bleeds into the family's transgression enterprises. One of Dickie's operatives, Harold ("Hamilton's" Leslie Odom Jr.), begins to chafe astatine the relationship, arsenic constabulary mistreatment of Blacks becomes harder and harder to overlook.
Modern movies seldom permission audiences clamoring for more, but successful the lawsuit of "Many Saints," it mightiness person been necessary. For starters, it takes a small portion conscionable sorting retired the formed of characters and connecting them to their "Sopranos" counterparts, with Vera Farmiga arsenic Tony's horrid and unhappy ma Livia, young soldiers who would aboriginal beryllium portion of Tony's unit and Corey Stoll arsenic Uncle Junior, who doesn't person the respect helium thinks helium deserves, particularly with his member Johnny Boy (Jon Bernthal) temporarily distant connected a felony rap.
The violence, lest anyone has forgotten, is brutal and disturbing. Flashing guardant into the aboriginal '70s, erstwhile "Dirty Harry" is recommended viewing, the communicative finds Dickie beset astatine enactment and home, Tony struggling with precocious schoolhouse and Johnny Boy retired of prison, which lone adds substance to the already-combustible household dynamics.
The quality successful a bid to tease retired specified storylines leaves "Many Saints" feeling a trifle rushed toward the finish, though it pays disconnected successful a peculiarly due way, 1 that not lone connects to "Sopranos" but pulls unneurotic the somewhat disjointed quality of what preceded it.
A seasoned histrion making the astir of this prima turn, Nivola is the existent standout successful a terrific cast, portion Gandolfini represents Tony's awkward teenage years -- idolizing his uncle and the manner during a agelong erstwhile going into the household concern wasn't envisioned for him, overmuch similar a young Michael Corleone.
In a caller Deadline interview Chase said he's "angry" astir this Warner Bros. merchandise simultaneously premiering connected the streaming work HBO Max (like CNN, units of WarnerMedia), but that lone indicates the writer-producer mightiness person been blinded by the allure of a "'Sopranos' movie."
"The Many Saints of Newark" turns retired to beryllium a credible and rewarding film. But with a spot much seasoning and clip successful the oven, similar its HBO predecessor, it really mightiness person risen into a genuinely sensational TV show.
"The Many Saints of Newark" premieres Oct. 1 successful US theaters and connected HBO Max. It's rated R.
English (US) ·