Between 1999 and 2007, HBO broke the mold of TV series when it ran The Sopranos. The show would go on to garner a staggering 111 Emmy nominations in that time, redefining television in the process as it broke barriers and pushed boundaries in ways that opened the door for R-Rated shows to become as commonplace as they are today. Though many cast members from it were excellent, none of the roles stood out as much as the lead character, Tony Soprano, whose portrayal became a career-defining role for James Gandolfini.
His riveting and superbly nuanced approach to the role was almost Brando-esque as it made Gandolfini the Godfather of TV mobsters. With his life indelibly marked by the character, Gandolfini went on to have a terrific career that included many supporting roles in a host of hit films like Zero Dark Thirty and The Incredible Burt Wonderstone. However, no matter how many solid performances he showcased in those roles, he was never quite able to ever shake off the mantle of Tony Soprano and continued to be remembered for that role right up until his tragic death in 2013 from a sudden heart attack.
While his role as Tony Soprano won him the near-universal acclaim of audiences and critics alike, it sadly also overshadowed what a terrific range he actually had as an actor. By the untimely end of his career, his two last films, Enough Said and The Drop, were perfect examples of this, as they both showed his true depth and versatility. Here’s a look at those films and why they show what a loss for the industry James Gandolfini’s death truly was, arguably even more than The Sopranos.
Exploring New Territories in Enough Said
The penultimate film James Gandolifini starred in before his death was the rom-com Enough Said. It featured Gandolfini as Albert, a character who was the polar opposite of Tony Soprano. In contrast to Tony’s brashness, propensity for violence, and deeply disturbing personality, Albert is a kind, gentle, and caring man. As a divorced single father, he often cuts a properly sincere and thoughtful figure, who also has a very sweet edge to him.
Anyone who has seen Gandolfini as Tony Soprano will know, this kind of character is basically incompatible with him in virtually every aspect. Starring alongside Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who was the lead in the film, her presence as Eva, his love interest, gave him ample opportunities to pull out a sterling performance.
Gandolfini Stood Out Amid a Terrific Cast
The pair complemented each other perfectly in the film and had loads of great chemistry. However, as terrific as she was in the film, it was Albert who commanded viewers’ fascination most of the time — though it didn’t hurt the film to have other superb supporting cast members that included the likes of Catherine Keener and Toni Collette.
Albert’s magnetism in the film wasn’t because he was a commanding presence like Tony Soprano but because he was so much kindlier, with Gandolfini’s portrayal sticking out so much more because of this. The role brought the terrific range that Gandolfini possessed as it highlighted a softer side to his persona and showed how well he could play genuinely vulnerable characters. An amazing film made even more brilliant by Gandolfini’s mesmerizing performance, it serves as a great reminder of what a diverse talent he possessed.
He Returned to a Gritty Performance in The Drop
After thrilling critics in Enough Said, James Ganolfini went on to play a more familiar kind of role in The Drop. In this one, he played Cousin Marv, a former criminal who owned a local bar. Despite no longer being active in his former life, the bar is now used as a drop point for gangsters and was taken over by Chechen mobsters, leaving Marv quietly plotting to regain his former status.
As a former criminal drawn back into the underworld, despite playing a role that’s more in line with his character in The Sopranos, the film still offered Gandolfini room to explore more subdued and complex emotional tones. Despite the gritty layers, his character is one who clings onto lost dreams and was depicted by Gandolfini in ways that draw the character’s deep-seated vulnerability to the fore with understated brilliance.
A More Desperately Vulnerable Character Than Tony Ever Was
Aside from Gandolfini, Tom Hardy starred as the lead in the film, ably supported by Noomi Rapace. Among this triad of stars, The Drop represented another standout performance from Gandolfini, who more than held his own and, at times, even stood out more than Tom Hardy did in the film. In the end, it proved to be an extra poignant role as it was his last one ever and was released posthumously.
Compared to his role as Tony Soprano, this character was far less authoritative, lending him a desperate edge that instead made Cousin Marv a character with some intriguing levels of depth when examined more closely.
As Susan Wloszczyna in her review for Roger Ebert described the role:
This slice of working-class gang life is extra notable as the final film appearance by the late, great James Gandolfini–perfectly fine as Marv, Bob’s cousin and boss, who turns out to be the sort of desperate type that Tony Soprano would have had disposed of with nary a blink.
Critical Reception and Legacy
While most fans and critics alike will always remember the brilliance of James Gandolfini for his role as Tony Soprano in The Sopranos, his last two roles perfectly showed just how much range and depth he always had beyond the show. It was no surprise when Enough Said garnered a 95% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes, leading to a slew of award nominations. Deservedly so, James Gandolfini earned a pair of Best Supporting Actor wins amid various prestigious nominations for the role.
The critical success of that film was followed up with The Drop receiving an 89% critical rating. This role again earned Gandolfini acclaim from critics, many of whom singled out his performance despite the fact that he wasn’t the lead actor. In light of these roles, the actor’s death was made all the more tragic by his age and the untimely nature of it. As it was with others like Heath Ledger, there was also an added edge of sadness to Gandolfini’s passing given the grandeur of his final performances.
While the acting world still reflects on what a talent he was and what a tremendous void his passing left in the acting world, these films provided fitting augmentations to his already stunning body of work as an actor. While there could only ever be one Tony Soprano, Gandolfini has left behind an amazing legacy that saw him win three Primetime Emmys amid six nominations and one Golden Globe amid four nominations for his timeless performance as Tony Soprano in what was a very challenging role. Beyond that role, however, he proved with other films like Enough Said and The Drop that he was far from a one-note actor.
Enough Said
can currently be streamed on Hulu, and
The Drop
can currently be streamed on Apple TV+.
