The Many Saints of Newark

One of the disappointments of the year? The film is a prequel to the cult series The Sopranos, which unfortunately I haven't seen, but I was hoping that the film could stand on its own, and since I like gangster movies, I was expecting a contender for gangster movie of the year (there wasn't much competition, but I'm not very satisfied with the final impression). Alan Taylor, has Thor and the last Terminator to his credit, so you would also expect a more action-packed film in the style of Gangster Squad, but he made something more in the style of The Irishman and that doesn't quite do it for me. The setting of New Jersey in the 1960s is great, the costumes, the fashion, the beautiful women, it all has a proper gangster look, but that's about it. One brief gunfight in the whole movie is not good, especially when the Punisher is available - he is woefully underused. There's no proper villain, no proper lust for power, no war in the streets, not enough dead bodies, the pacing is slower, it simply lacks drive and feels more like the opening episode to a series where big things are about to start happening. Those who have seen the series will complain even more or, on the contrary, will be satisfied. Despite the flaws, I wasn’t bored, it's the kind of stuff that can’t make me suffer, even if it's just a bunch of guys in hats drinking whiskey and smoking cigars, but it's definitely wasted potential. In terms of craftsmanship and performances (Ray Liotta) is decent, but easily forgettable. Michela De Rossi is, however, a fierce babe! Story 3/5, Action 1/5, Humour 0/5, Violence 2/5, Fun 3/5 Music 3/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 3/5, Suspense 2/5, Emotion 1/5, Actors 4/5. 6/10. (06.10.2021)

Eine Rückkehr zur Sopranos-Familie, die leider sehr schnell verblasst. Verdientermaßen. Für diejenigen, die die berühmte HBO-Serie nicht kennen, bietet diese lediglich Motive, die bereits zichmal in anderen Gangsterfilmen zu sehen waren, und in Sachen Fanservice ist der Film auch nicht überzeugend. Es tauchen zwar viele bekannten auf, aber ihre Charaktere kommen und gehen so, wie es den Schöpfern gerade passt (selbst während einer Schießerei). Man tut sich dann schwer, eine stärkere Szene darin zu finden. Mit diesem glanzlosen Prequel bestätigt Alan Taylor nur, dass es höchste Zeit ist, das Kino für immer zu verlassen, wenn er nicht einmal mehr in der Lage ist, auf dem „Heimstadion“ zu punkten, welches seine Karriere vor 20 Jahren ankurbelte. (05.10.2021)