“The guy I went to hell for.”

From The Many Saints of Newark.

Young Tony Soprano (William Ludwig) is captivated by his uncle, Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola), who helps run the family’s business and helps maintain their portion of the Newark mob scene. When Dickie’s father (Ray Liotta) returns from a trip to Italy with a new young bride, Guiseppina (Michela De Rossi), Dickie is torn between doing right by his wife (Gabriella Piazza), his father, and his father’s new wife. Dickie uses various members of the family (including John Magaro, Billy Magnussen, Joey Diaz, and Samson Moeakiola) keep control over their neighborhoods, but he also uses Harold (Leslie Odom Jr.), a black runner to help keep the family’s control against the black gangs that are growing in the city. When Tony’s father, Johnny Boy (Jon Bernthal) is sent to prison, Tony’s mother (Vera Farmiga) struggles to raise the tough, wild child, so Dickie steps in to help where Tony’s other uncle, Junior (Corey Stoll) was unable to reach the boy. As race riots erupt across the city, Howard fleas to avoid arrest and Dickie uses the distraction to cover up his father‘s murder, so he can take the young Guiseppina as his mistress. Several years later when Johnny Boy is finally released from prison, the entire family is happy to see him, but none are quite so happy as the teenage Tony (Michael Gandolfini). As time goes on, Dickie dries to balance his professional and personal lives with growing difficulty, especially when Howard returns and tries to move in on his business. Caught in the middle between the family business and the desire to live a normal life is young Tony, and his only constant is idolizing Dickie, constantly seeking to make him proud.

A prequel to the iconic television show The Sopranos, this drama offers a violent look at the making of a legendary character. The cast is constructed of solid actors, but Nivola is an impressive lead, while Gandolfini’s portrayal of the younger version of his real-life father’s character is captivating. A slower burn than the action-packed trailers suggested, The Many Saints of Newark still manages to provide viewers with some enjoyable mob action.

| Rated: R | Running Time: 120 minutes |Genre: action/drama|

||Family Viewing||Cursing: 7* of 10|Nudity: 4 of 10|Sexuality: 3 of 10|Gore: 7 of 10

|AVAILABLE FOR HOME VIEWING|