Tagarchief: James Gandolfini

R.I.P. Big Pussy Bonpensiero

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

Vincent Pastore, the Italian-American actor from New York who played the legendary Salvatore ‘Big Pussy’ Bonpensiero in The Sopranos, has died. He was 80 years old.

Pastore was a former club owner in New Rochelle, New York. He became friends with Matt Dillon and Kevin Dillon – two of his regulars – who convinced him to try acting. He was in his forties when he got into the business. He died with nearly 200 film credits to his name (including Flodder in Amerika!).

In 1990, he had a small role in GoodFellas (credited as ‘Man with Coatrack’), one of the greatest gangster films ever made. That year marked the start of the decade of the mob movie, and Pastore appeared in many of them: State of Grace, New Jack City, Carlito’s Way, Sugar Hill, Gotti, The Last Don, A Brooklyn State of Mind, and Witness to the Mob.

In 1999, he was cast in The Sopranos as Big Pussy Bonpensiero, one of Tony Soprano’s crew members. His character’s name was based on a real gangster, apparently – something show creator David Chase had picked up somewhere. In fact, there were two Pussys in the mob: Big Pussy and Little Pussy. This became one of the big mob jokes in the pilot episode:

HESH: I hear Junior wants to whack Pussy Bonpensiero?
TONY: Pussy Malanga.
HESH: Oh, Little Pussy?
TONY: Yeah, Little Pussy. What, you think he’s gonna fuck with Big Pussy? My Pussy?

In the first season, Big Pussy became one of the leading characters. Then, in episode 11, Tony is told by a corrupt cop on his payroll that Pussy is a rat. A heartbroken Tony tells his soldier Paulie to go and check, and after a tense confrontation, Pussy flees.

Later that season, Tony suspects the cop was actually referring to Jimmy Altieri, another “fat fuck with black hair”, and Jimmy is killed on Tony’s orders. Pussy is exonerated, but he remains on the run, fearing his friends want to whack him.

When season one became a phenomenal success, fans wondered what happened to Pussy. David Chase realized he had to bring him back for season two. And so Pussy returns – only for us to quickly discover he’s working with the FBI to get Tony indicted. The way Tony eventually discovers this, and deals with it, leads to my favorite moment in The Sopranos in my favorite television episode of all time, from any show.

He would always remain famous for this role. I remember him coming on the ‘Talking Sopranos’ podcast, telling the story of how he took his grandchildren to the zoo and people recognized him: “Hey, it’s Pussy!”

So, 26 years after his fictional death in Funhouse, now Pussy has joined Tony (James Gandolfini) and Paulie (Tony Sirico) in Tony’s heaven crew.

Rest in peace, my friend.

Read some of Big Pussy’s best lines on The Sopranos here.

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.