If there’s one show that I need to catch up on, it has to be the Sopranos. At the time when it was actually running, I was far too young to watch it. Even by the time the show ended, I was still a tad too young. I always wanted to binge the whole thing, but thanks to Family Guy, I learned how the show ended. Needless to say, it sounded like a very disappointing and anti-climactic finale. My parents were big fans of the series and they actually liked the finale. To me, it sounded like a strange way to end a popular television show, and the reception was understandably divisive. However, I’ve always been a sucker for the mob movie genre and I feel like it has fallen off the map in recent years. From Goodfellas, to the Godfather, mod movies sure have made their mark.
So with the mod movie genre becoming less and less prominent in recent years, I’ve been waiting for it to make a comeback. I’m pretty sure the Sopranos is the gold standard for mob television, so I better catch up on it. I finally got the chance to start it and I’m liking it so far. I can see why the Sopranos was the most popular show on television for years and it’s largely thanks to the stellar performance of James Gandolfini as the main character, Tony Soprano. It’s a shame he’s no longer with us, but his greatest role will forever be Tony Soprano, and for good reason.
While I have plenty of catching up to do for the Sopranos, I’m very interested in the upcoming prequel movie. The prequel, titled The Many Saints of Newark, will take place in the 1960s and the 1970s, and will tell the story of Tony Soprano when he was a young man. And first of all, let’s just all appreciate the fact that the young Tony Soprano will be played by James Gandolfini’s son, Michael. It’s incredibly fitting, especially since his son looks so much likes him. It’s a great way to continue his father’s legacy, but what exactly will this prequel movie be about?
Well, the trailer for the Many Saints of Newark was released recently and I liked what I saw. The Sopranos series showed the crime family at their peak, but this prequel movie will tell us the story from the beginning. While the trailer showed the young Tony Soprano wanting to work his way up the criminal ladder, what stood out to me was the presence of Jon Bernthal and Vera Farmiga. I’ll watch anything with Jon Bernthal, since he always plays cool characters. For the Sopranos prequel, he’ll be playing Giovanni “Johnny Boy” Soprano, the father of Tony. Vera Farmiga, likewise, will be playing Tony’s mother, Livia. I’m loving this cast, but I’m more interested in what this movie can do for the mob genre.
The Many Saints of Newark will show the young Tony Soprano taking on rival gangsters as they challenge the DiMeo crime family. This will develop the character and shape him into becoming the mob boss we all recognize from the Sopranos series. This is a typical premise for the old mob movies, but there’s nothing wrong with that. I mean, that’s usually how the best mob movies played out, right? Michael Corleone began as the outsider of his family, who had to work his way into becoming the new Don of the crime family. Henry Hill, a man who was never even eligible for becoming a made man for the mob, told us his story from when he was a kid, to when he decided to become an informant.
These mob movies took place in an older time in American history and those were the years when the mob was at its strongest. And let’s face it, with directors like Martin Scorsese emerging back in the day, those were the golden days for mob movies. How many of those have you seen that come even remotely close to the success of Goodfellas or The Godfather? Not very many, but this Sopranos prequel can change that. I believe that this movie can make fans once again pay attention to mob movies and how good they can be. Just think about how many people watch The Sopranos. Okay, so I was late to that party, but in my defense, I was too young to watch it. Not that I’m catching up, I can say that watching it does spark my interest back to the mob movie genre.
Now can The Many Saints of Newark receive the same reception as The Sopranos? Maybe not, but it doesn’t have to. To me, all it has to do is make the mob genre relevant again. If it does that, then it can regain some momentum and get people interested again. Check out the trailer on YouTube and see Jon Bernthal go full mobster with his smashing head of hair. The man just looks good in anything.
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