The Many Saints Of Newark Review: 7 Ups & 3 Downs

2. It Probably Should've Been A Series

There's little denying that David Chase and director Alan Taylor pack a hell of a lot of characters and storytelling into their mere two-hour movie, enough that you can practically feel the film bursting at the seams at times.

As such it's tough not to watch The Many Saints of Newark and wish that it unfolded over a more expansive canvas - perhaps not a 12-episode season of TV, but possibly a six-episode mini-series.

There's so much love and effort put into the characters and the production values that it's a shame all involved aren't given more time to play in this sandbox.

An episodic presentation would also allow the more hurried plots to breathe and play out a little more deliberately.

Chase certainly does a rock solid job with the various setups and payoffs throughout, but with so much talent crammed in, this could've easily been an Emmy-winning mini-series.