The Many Saints Of Newark: The 10 Smartest Characters, Ranked

In The Many Saints Of Newark, familiar characters from The Sopranos return as younger versions of themselves and they are as fascinating as fans have known them to be. There are plenty of new faces too, including the main character, Dickie Moltisanti. And during the proceedings, some of the Newark natives impress audiences with their thoughts and decisions while others stay reckless.

The characters have to employ caution and strategy at all times in the HBO movie since Newark is portrayed as a dangerous place to live in the ’60s and ’70s. And it’s not just the mobsters that do this effortlessly. Some friends and associates in the prequel also prefer to keep their thinking caps on at all times.

10 Dickie Moltisanti

Tony’s mentor loves his expensive suits and cars. And even though he is ever cheerful, his anger often drives him down dark paths. This is best demonstrated when he murders his father Hollywood Dick and his Italian goomah, Giuseppina.

Dickie never gets arrested like Johhny Boy and Junior because he is an expert at doctoring evidence to fool the authorities. A perfect example of this is when he burns a building with his father’s body inside during the Newark riots, making it seem like the rioters did it. On the downside, he can be very precipitous too. Dickie riles up everyone because he is one of the bravest characters in The Many Saints Of Newark but his unnecessary acts of provocation cause Junior to order a hit on him.

9 Giuseppina

The 1967 winner of the Miss Provolone contest is the ultimate goomah in the prequel. The beauty queen’s arc mostly revolves around her romantic relationships with Hollywood Dick, Dickie Motisanti, and Harold McBrayer.

Aware of the beds of roses that the love interests of mobsters bounce on in America, she pairs up with Hollywood Dick during his visit to Europe and comes back to the US with him. Giuseppina learns English in record time and since she isn’t one to idle on sinking ships, she begins courting Dickie when she realizes that Hollywood Dick is all brawn and no smarts. And when Dickie threatens to cut her loose, Giuseppina attempts to secure her future with Harold McBrayer. Regrettably, she blunders by confessing to Dickie that she bedded his rival McBrayer. Unable to digest the betrayal, Dickie murders her.

8 Giovanni “Johnny Boy” Soprano

Before he gets arrested, Johnny Boy is reported to have one of the best performing crews in New Jersey. He is thus understandably frustrated when he comes out of prison to find out that his crew is no longer making as much as it used to.

As a mobster, Johnny Boy avoids feuds and the positive outcome of this is that money flows easily without any interruptions. As a leader, he ensures everyone is performing to the best of their abilities. And as a father, he lets Tony make his own decisions rather than push him into the world of organized crime.

7 Artie Bucco

The friendship scenes between Artie and Tony in The Sopranos are numerous but in the prequel, the buddies don’t get to do much together. Nevertheless, the younger version of Artie is portrayed as an erudite character in the few scenes in which he appears.

Even though he spends most of his time hanging around Tony, Artie knows better than to engage in mischief like him. His focus is on the Vesuvio restaurant, which his father has promised him that he will inherit. Artie is also the only positive influence in Tony’s life. By watching how disciplined Artie is, Tony tries to emulate him. Sadly, the allure of the underworld is too powerful for him to resist.

6 Silvio

The young Silvio is one of Dickie’s most reliable colleagues. He is revealed to be a great marksman when he guns down McBrayer’s fleeing associate. He is also good with numbers as some scenes involve him counting the family’s cash. Most importantly, he’s a great advisor hence the reason he becomes consigliere in the future.

Silvio’s ability to analyze situations and predict possible outcomes is remarkable. In the final moments of the movie, Silvio predicts that the young Tony will one day be a great man in “this thing of ours,” one of the frequently used mob terms in The Sopranos to mean “organized crime.” His being trusted with the family’s financial books yet he is fairly young implies that his superiors acknowledge and appreciate the fact that he never makes mistakes.

5 Harold McBrayer

Harold starts out as Dickie’s associate who is so deep in debt that he begs for $500. The rags soon become things of the past and Harold not only slides to riches but also becomes the most powerful Black gang leader in Newark. He then sets up a crew that is powerful enough to take on the established New Jersey mob.

Despite being the instigator of violence, Harold remains unscathed when the tale ends and this shows how calculated his moves are. During his war with the DiMeo Crime Family, he proves an astute strategist by hitting him where it hurts most. He steals earnings from street soldiers and muscles in on their numbers racket, leaving them cash strapped. And when he is about to catch a case for murder, he becomes a ghost by fleeing to North Carolina.

4 Mrs. Jarecki

The guidance counselor at Tony’s school summons Livia after Tony’s gambling ring gets unearthed. Though Tony’s offenses are serious, she handles everything in a very calm manner.

Mrs. Jarecki’s prophetic powers mirror Silvio’s and she’s able to predict that Tony will be a great leader one day. She is also able to figure out why Tony has a D+ average yet IQ tests show that he is a genius. It’s simply because he doesn’t apply himself. Livia doesn’t believe any of what Mrs. Jarecki says but future events prove she was right all along.

3 Junior Soprano

Junior briefly manages the Soprano crew when his brother Giovanni “Johnny Boy” Soprano gets a 5-year sentence. His rivalry with Dickie sees him order a hit on the rising mobster and he eventually gets whacked outside his house.

Many people try to kill Dickie but Junior is the only one who is successful. Not only does he buy his time but he also makes sure to order the hit on Dickie at the most appropriate time when Dickie is feuding with Harold McBrayer. This way, everyone believes it’s Harold that did it. Another impressive thing he does is avoiding jail time by lying when he and Johnny Boy get arrested at the carnival.

2 Tony Soprano

Tony spends most of his time in the movie learning things from Dickie and interacting with his friends. On one occasion, his guidance counselor tells Livia that Tony is a genius, according to the Stanford–Binet IQ test.

Tony’s high IQ is proof enough of his superior brain but there’s more to back it up. At a fairly young age, Tony is able to set up a profitable gambling operation at school, thus demonstrating his business acumen. He also enjoys reading books and unique comics, with Dickie even wondering why he doesn’t read Superman and Archie like other kids.

1 Salvatore “Sally” Moltisanti

Hollywood Dick’s twin brother Sally is serving time in prison for killing a “made guy” but doesn’t appear too bothered about it. During his interactions with Dickie Moltisanti, he advises him to not desire too much in life if he wants to be peaceful and to leave Tony Soprano alone.

Every remark that Sally makes can literally be filed as a word of wisdom and it’s no surprise that a good portion of the best quotes in The Many Saints Of Newark come from him. It’s easy to see what keeps his reservoir of knowledge full since he tells Dickie that he prefers reading all day instead of talking to fellow inmates. He is also great at assessing people’s personalities. Even without interacting with Tony, he can tell that Dickie is a bad influence on him.

About The Author

Philip Etemesi
(1222 Articles Published)

Philip Etemesi is an author, journalist, screenwriter and film critic based in Nairobi. Kenya. As a child, he preferred watching movies like The Goodfellas instead of Home Alone. His girlfriend constantly has to pull him from the front of the TV but he just keeps returning. Stubborn dude! An animal lover, Philip also has a pet giraffe called Refu.

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