Tagarchief: James Gandolfini

Dungeon Classics #39: True Romance

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

FilmDungeon’s Chief Editor JK sorts through the Dungeon’s DVD-collection to look for old cult favorites….

True Romance (1993, USA, France)

Director: Tony Scott
Cast: Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper
Running Time: 119 mins.

In the early nineties, Tarantino wrote a couple of screenplays, including True Romance and Reservoir Dogs. He chose Reservoir Dogs for his directorial debut and was willing to sell True Romance. In 1993, after his debut was released, he took a date to the perfect date movie: True Romance, the film he had written. And boy, did it turn out to be a good movie; great fucking movie. Just looking at the cast members rolling by in the opening credits is astonishing; seeing so many (future) stars in one ensemble cast is rare. Director Tony Scott couldn’t deal with the screenplay’s non-chronological structure, so he changed it to a linear one. But aside from that, it’s a real Tarantino movie: the sharp dialogue, the great characters, the humor, the sudden bursts of violence; it’s all there. And then there’s an amazing sequence, one of the best he ever wrote: the famous Sicilian scene with Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken. Oh man, that is legendary. Also memorable is the brutal confrontation between Alabama and the sadistic Virgil, played by James Gandolfini. The whole movie is basically a rollercoaster in which the two main characters – Clarence (Christian Slater) and Alabama (Patricia Arquette) – fall in love, get married, kill Alabama’s pimp, take off with his coke, and head to Hollywood to sell it, stumbling into one crazy situation after another while always keeping the film’s romantic core intact. True Romance is Scott’s best film and by far the best Tarantino movie not directed by Tarantino. In other words: it’s a must-see.

The Many Saints of Newark (2021, Review)

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

Directed by:
Alan Taylor

Written by:
David Chase
Lawrence Konner

Cast:
Alessandro Nivola (Dickie Moltisanti), Leslie Odom Jr. (Harold McBrayer), Jon Bernthal (Johnny Soprano), Vera Farmiga (Livia Soprano), Corey Stoll (Junior Soprano), Ray Liotta (‘Hollywood Dick’ Moltisanti), Michela De Rossi (Giuseppina Moltisanti), Michael Gandolfini (Teenage Tony Soprano), Billy Magnussen (Paulie Walnuts), John Magaro (Silvio Dante)

“My uncle Tony…” It is certainly great to hear Christopher’s voice again. He narrates the story in this long awaited Sopranos prequel from the grave. Chrissy forms the link between the spirit world – where the beloved show now resides – and the world of The Many Saints of Newark, which is now coming to life on cinema screens worldwide and on streaming service HBO Max.

This world, which is set in the 1960’s in New Jersey, is inhabited by many familiar characters in their younger years: Tony Soprano, ages 9 and 17, his parents Johnny Boy and Livia, his uncle Junior, Silvio Dante, Paulie Walnuts, Big Pussy Bonpensiero, and a couple of others. The main character is Christopher’s father Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola), who was referred to as a legend in the series, but never seen. Logical, since he was already dead when the show started.

We meet Dickie at the Jersey station, where his father Hollywood Dick, played by Ray Liotta, brings home a new Italian wife from the home country. She is into the handsome and charming Dickie immediately, which complicates the already difficult relationship between him and his mobbed-up father. And soon it leads to a dramatic moment early in the film, which is also none of the highlights of the movie. Both Nivola and Liotta are terrific in their roles. For Liotta, a double role that is; he also plays Dick’s twin brother Sally who’s in jail for life for whacking a made member.

Dickie is a troubled man obviously. He resembles his future son Christopher in many ways: he’s a compulsive law breaker, has an explosive temper and is a murderer. He is also searching. Dickie has the deep desire to do something good, something special to elevate his existence out of the mundane. But he doesn’t know how. Dickie is involved in the numbers rackets in Jersey together with a bunch of black criminals. In the first part of the movie, the 1967 Newark riots take place in which the black riotters, who are structurally discriminated against, face off against the police. In the second part of the film, Dickie’s black business partners get ambitions of their own which leads to a violent conflict in the Jersey underworld.

Besides having his own activities, Moltisanti is also deeply involved with the DiMeo crime family in Jersey whose members love him. But as we know from the show, in this volatile milieu inhabited by envious sociopaths, danger is always lurking. It is this world that young Tony Soprano (Michael Gandolfini) is inevitably drawn to. Dickie becomes his mentor, but on advice of Sally, whom he goes to visit in jail, he turns his back on him. Although the film was marketed as the story of how Tony becomes a gangster, there is not one defining moment through which this happens. This is really at the early beginning of his transformation. Dickie is certainly an inspiration for him with all his influence, his money and his women. But above all, Tony is just talented, and the invitation for him to join the Family is there.

The casting of Michael Gandolfini – son of the deceased James Gandolfini who became a legend by portraying Tony Soprano – works wonderfully well. He is obviously a gifted actor like his father, but the way he resembles his dad as Tony is uncanny at times. Especially during the scene in which he and his friends hijack an icecream truck and start handing out free ice creams. Another standout performance is given by Vera Farmiga as Tony’s batshit crazy mother Livia. The dynamic between her and Gandolfini is great, and the scene between her and Tony’s school counselor is genuinely touching.

Other positive points of Many Saints are the terrific sixties soundtrack, the dark humour and the many clever references to the show that fans will love. A point of critique is that although it feels cinematic, which The Sopranos also did by the way, the screenplay is written more like a long television episode. Storywise, a few cogs are missing and the ending comes too suddenly.

David Chase has expressed interest in doing another period piece about young Tony Soprano together with Terence Winter, who wrote some of the best Sopranos-episodes. Winter responded positively, so there might be another return to this universe Chase has created. But if it doesn’t, that’s okay by me. The Many Saints is a very enjoyable return to the show that still ranks as one of the best ever. The Many Saints can now be added as a great cinematic companion piece.

The Sopranos – 100 Greatest Moments: 30-21

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

30. Queer Situation

Episode: Mr. and Mrs. John Sacrimoni Request (SE6, EP5)
Characters: Vito, Sal Lacuzzo and other Lupertazzi Family associate

Vito’s big secret gets spoiled due to an incredible coincidence. While dancing at a gay club, he runs into two New York associates who are there to make a collection. What are the odds? He tries to play it off as a joke, but that aint gonna fly. How can he possibly explain that motorcycle outfit?

29. Bonding

Episode: The Ride (SE6, EP9)
Characters: Tony and Christopher

“We have a bond. Very special.” Tony and Chris have a bonding experience and they flash back to the day that Christopher came to Tony about Adriana. This powerhouse scene with tremendous acting was cut from ‘Long Term Parking’ (the episode in which Adriana is whacked) in order to maintain suspense in that episode. It is very, very chilling. Definitely one of the most dramatic scenes in Season 6.

28. Bye Bye Bacala

Episode: The Blue Comet (SE6, EP20)
Characters: Bobby ‘Bacala’ Baccalieri, Trainstore owner, customers and New York hitmen

The model train store hit on Bobby Bacala is a small masterpiece in editing. It happens at the height of an old school Mafia war, that – just like the Blue Comet – doesn’t really exist anymore. The murder proves that Bacala is not the brightest bulb in the lighttree. Now if you’re in the middle of a deadly conflict with a New York Family, who have 200 button men, would you go to fucking TrainWorld and leave your cell phone in the car? Seriously, what was this guy thinking?

27. Tony ‘Gets It’

Episode: Kennedy and Heidi (SE6, EP18)
Characters: Tony and Sonya Aragon

At the end of the pitch black episode that is ‘Kennedy and Heidi’, Tony exclaims “I get it”, while tripping on peyote in the desert. What Tony exactly ‘gets’ is up for debate, but it’s certainly a beautiful scene. Very atmospheric and featuring another brilliant performance by Gandolfini.

26. Pure Cinema

Episode: Amour Fou (SE3, EP12)
Characters: Patsy Parisi and Gloria Trillo

Great scene in which Tony made a very clever move by sending Patsy to deal with the dangerously unstable Gloria. Patsy tells her; “Stay the fuck away from Tony Soprano. It’s over, capice? Over. You call or go anywhere near him or his family and they’ll be scraping your nipples off these fine leather seats. And here’s the point to remember; my face is the last one you’ll see. Not Tony’s. We understand each other? It won’t be cinematic.” That’s not the way it was supposed to go at all, Gloria thinks. Patsy is not exactly her dream guy. Mission accomplished.

25. Kitchen Fight

Episode: Whoever Did This (SE4, EP9)
Characters: Tony and Ralphie

The final struggle between Tony and Ralphie is a brutal one. Ralphie almost has Tony a few times, but eventually loses due to Tony’s weight and sheer power. This is real ugly violence. Tony banging Ralphie’s head against the floor is difficult to watch, even for hardened viewers. And all because of a horse, or is there more than meets the eye? Ralphie’s final insult to Tony is a good one by the way; “What are you a vegetarian? You eat beef and sausages by the fucking carload.” Very true.

24. Saved the World Today

Episode: The Knight in White Satin Armor (SE2, EP12)
Characters: Carmela and Tony

Great dialogue between Tony and Carmela right after Tony comes home after a rough night cleaning up Richie Aprile. Carmela is shocked about Richie’s death, but soon moves the conversation on and informs Tony that she and Rosalie Aprile want to travel to Rome and that Tony, considering his unfaithfulness with Irina, better let her go. The musical choice ‘I Saved the World Today’ by ‘Eurythmics’ is the perfect song to end this episode with.

23. ‘No’

Episode: Employee of the Month (SE3, EP4)
Characters: Tony and Dr. Melfi

After she got raped in a parking garage and her assailant is released from custody, Dr. Melfi is naturally a little tempted to let Tony tear him apart. He would do it without a doubt, so all she has to do is tell him. But Melfi is one of the few uncorrupted characters in the show and therefore needs to keep her integrity. She does. In the final scene of the episode, she breaks down in front of Tony, but when he asks her if she wants to tell him something, she says; ‘no’. It was to be expected, but it is still impressive and fortunate. The series needs one character like this. Way to go Jennifer. One of the finest episode endings.

22. Holsten’s

Episode: Made in America (SE6, EP21)
Characters: Tony, Carmela, A.J., Meadow and Member’s Only Guy

This is the end. It might not be the epic conclusion some were hoping for, but it’s a unique scene nevertheless. Chase makes an almost cosmic experience out of something ordinary like eating onion rings in an American diner. Like he said, there is nothing definite about what happened, but we do get a clean trend on view on what Tony and Carmela’s future looks like. This is definitely true; Tony could easily get whacked or go to jail. The Sopranos was never the show to tie up everything neatly anyway. In that sense, there is quite a lot of closure in the final season. Therefore, the ending is as fitting an ending as can be with loads of stuff to analyse for the fans.

21. Soprano Versus Soprano

Episode: Whitecaps (SE4, EP13)
Characters: Carmela and Tony

In Season 4’s finale, Tony is fighting a battle on the homefront for a change. Carmela is enraged after ‘the Russian’ (Irina) called the house; Tony slept with her one legged cousin Svetlana. When Tony drives over his own golf bag, you know that this time Carmela means business. The fight that follows is real fireworks, featuring award winning acting by Falco and Gandolfini. This domestic fight can be measured with the finest in cinema history, let alone television history. Outstanding drama.

The Sopranos – 100 Greatest Moments: 100-91

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

100. Free Alterations

Episode: Meadowlands (SE1, EP4)
Characters: Tony and Mikey Palmice

When Tony is really enjoying himself, it is often because of violence. But who’s complaining when he is giving Junior’s sick henchman Mikey a good whacking? Tony is a real bear and when he hits somebody, the viewer can almost feel its impact. The reason for teaching Mikey a lesson is his killing of Brendan Filone and arranging a mock execution for Christopher. T uses a staple gun to attach a parking ticket to Mikey’s suit. That’s gotta hurt. “What are you screaming about? Free alterations”, Tony laughs. “This ticket is overdue.”

99. Idiot Squat

Episode: Full Leather Jacket (SE2, EP8)
Characters: Christopher, Matt Bevilaqua and Sean Gismonte

It was clear from the get go that Matt Bevilaqua and Sean Gismonte were not the sharpest tools in the work shed, but this idiotic action comes shockingly unexpected even from them. They shoot down Christopher because they somehow figured this would help them move up the mob hierarchy. They don’t even manage to pull it off. Sean wears a seatbelt, so he gives Chris time to shoot back and kill him. Matt takes off, having just signed his own death warrant. The Sopranos never fails to surprise.

98. West Caldwell

Episode: Sentimental Education (SE5, EP6)
Characters: Tony Blundetto and Mr. Kim

For a while, Tony Blundetto seemed to be different from all these selfish, sociopathic animals that inhabit Soprano-land, but his old personality comes back with a vengeance in ‘Sentimental Education’. All it took was finding a bag of money and gamble for a few nights straight. Here, he snaps and kicks the shit out of his sponsor and business partner Mr. Kim. Typical story of an ex con; he tries to improve his ways, but doesn’t have what it takes. He is as crazy as the rest of the crew. His imitation of Mr. Kim is hilarious though. “Wes cal well. Wes cal well. WEST CALD-WELL.”

97. Melfi Judges

Episode: From Where to Eternity (SE2, EP9)
Characters: Tony and Dr. Melfi

Usually Dr. Melfi behaves perfectly around Tony, despite his often rude behaviour. But in this session, his rant about how poor people came from Italy only to be used as worker bees becomes too much even for her. “What do poor Italian immigrants have to do with you? And what happens every day when you get out of bed in the morning?” It may not be professional, but it had to happen sometime in the treatment of a mobster. The scene also gives us insight on how Tony feels about his sins, like murder. “We’re in a situation, where everybody involved knows the stakes. If you’re gonna accept the stakes you gotta do certain things. It’s business. We’re soldiers. We follow codes. Orders.” Indeed an effective way to justify all his actions.

96. Poor Me, Poor You

Episode: Amour Fou (SE3, EP12)
Characters: Tony and Gloria

It is quite subtle, but Gloria really is the substitute for Livia who died earlier in Season 3. “I sit back like a mute, while you screw every woman out there.” In this scene, Tony finally sees it too. “I have known you all my life. A bottomless black hole.” Subsequently Gloria tries to commit ‘suicide by mob boss’. Normally an effective technique, but Tony is too clever to let it go down like this. Great acting here by Annabella Sciorra and James Gandolfini.

95. Rude Awakening

Episode: The Happy Wanderer (SE2, EP6)
Characters: Tony and Davey Scatino

A moment that illustrates the tragedy of the gambling addiction. After the euphoria comes the hangover. Davey just had to sit in with the executive game. He had a few good rounds, but then he started losing. Big time. In the end, Davey gambled away 45 boxes of ziti (45.000 dollars). Tony, who was his friend before, now puts on his other face. “If I don’t get back every penny, I am gonna send a guy to your joint every Saturday, for five percent interest.” These are the people mobsters prey on and Davey slowly starts to realise, this bet is gonna cost him everything.

94. A Killer’s Conscious

Episode: Kennedy and Heidi (SE6, EP18)
Characters: Tony and Dr. Melfi

After Tony murdered his nephew Christopher, he feels relieved. But he can’t share his true feelings with anyone, because, well you know Christopher’s death is supposed to be due to the accident. So what does the unconscious do? In a dream, Tony comes clean to Dr. Melfi. The truth is pretty chilling when you think about it: “The biggest blunder in my career is now gone and I don’t have to be confronted by that fact no more. Let me tell you, I murdered friends before, even relatives. My cousin Tony. My best friend Puss… but this…” Then he wakes up all worried that he spoke in his sleep.

93. Dismemberment

Episode: Whoever Did This (SE4, EP9)
Characters: Tony, Christopher and Ralphie’s corpse

In ‘Whoever Did This’, we get to spend the night with two mobsters, who have to get rid of a corpse. These mobsters are Tony and Christopher and Ralphie is the corpse. Chris, who is high like a kite, has to ‘make him ready’. He discovers that Ralphie is wearing a wig. This freaks him out more than chopping off his hands with a meat cleaver does. These sociopaths…

92. Traumatic Encounter

Episode: Employee of the Month (SE3, EP4)
Characters: Jennifer Melfi and Jesus Rossi

Completely unexpected, Dr. Melfi becomes the victim of a brutal sexual assault. It’s a terrible scene to watch because it makes you feel so powerless. Up to this point, Dr. Melfi – who now briefly becomes Jennifer – had been an observer, someone who could offer some sensible comments on the pretty twisted universe all the other characters live in. Now, she becomes part of the action in the least desirable way possible. It’s a painful experience for her and the audience.

91. Setting the Trap

Episode: Long Term Parking (SE5, EP12)
Characters: Tony and Adriana

Tony makes a memorable call to Adriana. He tells her that Christopher tried to commit suicide and that he was ‘very upset about something’. But Tony is lying. He sends Silvio over to her place to take her on her last ride. The conversation ends with the iconic line; “I’ll see you up there.”