The Many Saints of Newark serves as a sequel to The Sopranos, explaining just exactly how Tony Soprano’s father figure and uncle Dickie Moltisanti was killed — an event that would inevitably set Tony up as the leader of the Sopranos.
We expect Many Saints to explain Dickie’s death as a simple cause-and-effect that takes roots at the beginning of the film and then sees its end in the final moments. But that’s not the case — for all the impulsive, often rash decisions that Dickie makes (including two murders), it is ultimately a rather harmless snide that takes him down.
We find out that Dickie is shot by an unknown assailant under the direct orders of Junior Soprano. Why did Junior call the hit? Simply because a little while earlier, Dickie had laughed at Junior when he fell down the staircase.
This is different from what was previously ambiguously explained in the show, where Dickie’s death was a result of a police altercation. But if Junior wanted to cover his tracks, it’s a good way of doing so.
While it is absurdly random that Junior is behind Dickie’s death, it’s not unsurprising. Junior, whose internal insecurities made him feel weak and wronged, is known to violently display his anger for the smallest things.
We see this in The Sopranos too, where Junior plots a hit on Tony (who is now his boss) just because of a snarky comment.
The film once again brings in The Sopranos’ creator David Chase’s unique tone of using disjointed storytelling to show us glimpses of Dickie’s life, personality, and its influence over adoptive kin, Tony, even at moments where the latter isn’t present in the scene.
Many Saints ends with a young Tony staring at Dickie in his casket, signaling a subtly “pinky promise.” Earlier in the film, Tony promised his uncle that he would be good through this very gesture.
It has time and again been emphasized how Dickie was the only person Tony would listen to. Dickie’s early departure meant that there were still many things he had to teach him, but Tony learned them anyway as he kept his promise of “being good” and ascending as the Sopranos’ leader.
It is only fitting that The Many Saints of New York ends with the song Woke Up This Morning by Alabama 3, which is the theme track of The Sopranos. The baton has been passed.
About The Many Saints of Newark
The Many Saints of Newark is an upcoming prequel movie based on the groundbreaking HBO MAX series, The Sopranos. It is written by David Chase and Lawrence Konner, and is directed by Alan Taylor. The trio are also the producers of the movie.
The cast includes Michael Gandolfini playing the young Soprano, Alessandro Nivola playing Dickie Moltisanti, Leslie Odom Jr., Jon Bernthal, Corey Stoll, Ray Liotta, Vera Farmigo and more. In addition to them, the original Tony Soprano, played by James Gandolfini also appears in the movie, though via an archive audio.
The movie is set in the 1960s and 70s, focusing on the young Tony Soprano. He’s growing in one of the most struggling racial unrest times in Newark, with rival gangsters rising against the DiMeo crime family. During all this time, his uncle Dickie Moltisanti, whom the young Tony idolizes, leads him to the world of crime, leading him to become the infamous and all-famous mob boss, Tony Soprano of The Sopranos.
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