Many Saints Of Newark, The

In "The Many Saints Of Newark" young Anthony Soprano (Michael Gandolfini) is growing up in one of the most tumultuous areas in Newark's history, becoming a man just as rival gangsters begin to rise up and challenge the all-powerful DiMeo crime family's hold over the increasingly race-torn city. Caught up in the changing times is the uncle he idolizes, Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola), who struggles to manage both his professional and personal responsibilities––and whose influence over his nephew will help make the impressionable teenager into the all-powerful mob boss we'll later come to know: Tony Soprano. (Gary Reber)

Special features include the featurettes "Making Of Newark" (HD 13:07) and "Sopranos Family Honor" (HD 05:36), three deleted scenes (HD 05:26) and a Movies Anywhere digital code.

The 2.39:1 1080p AVC picture, reviewed on a Sony Bravia Z9D 4K Ultra HD HDR display, upconverted to 2160p with greater resolution and luminance, was photographed digitally in anamorphic Panavision® using the Arri Alexa LF camera system and sourced from a 4K master Digital Intermediate format. A 4K Ultra HD edition is available but no review copy was provided. The picture is stylized and enhanced with moderate digital grain to project a period in the time the story unfolds. The color palette is nicely saturated with diverse hues yet the imagery at times appears natural, especially the street scenes. Flesh tones are generally natural in appearance. Contrast is generally good with deep black levels, revealing shadow delineation, and naturally bright white levels. Resolution is generally good as well, though, there is a softness overall to the imagery, especially facial detail. Other imaging aspects appear generally sharp. Overall, this is a nicely crafted period picture. (Gary Reber)

The Dolby Atmos/Dolby TrueHD 7.1-channel soundtrack is dialogue focused but with a lot of atmospheric support that enhances the various settings, whether with respect to interior or exterior scenes. With a story about gangsters, there is quite a bit of gunfire that is very powerful at times. Other sound effects include crashes and explosions and fires, and the sounds of a riot. The music score is somewhat diverse and well recorded. Deep bass is supportive throughout. Surround energy is aggressive with respect to the sound elements, especially the music. Dialogue is intelligible throughout with generally good spatial integration.

The Immersive Sound element is ineffective as there is no
music, atmospherics or sound effects, just subtle din. There was no effort put into creating a height layer to an otherwise excellent ear-level sonic production. This should have never been credited as a Dolby Atmos soundtrack.

This is a compelling holosonic® ear-level soundtrack. (Gary Reber)