How Michael Gandolfini paid tribute to his late father with 'Warfare' role
James Gandolfini loved the troops and would have loved this from his son.
The secret ingredient that made Tony Soprano so irresistible is the fact that he cared more than your average mobster. He cared for his men, the people in his neighborhood, and the family around him who were his backbone. Maybe a little too much. In real life, the man who portrayed Soprano loved the military and the human being who served our country more than anything except for his family.
James Gandolfini and Tony Sirico, who portrayed Paulie Walnuts on the legendary HBO series, often went overseas to visit soldiers who were giving their time and lives to protect the ground that allowed us to sit back in our chairs and watch a great show every Sunday night after dinner. In 2007, Gandolfini teamed up with HBO to produce Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq, where he interviewed ten soldiers who were seriously injured in the war in the Middle East.
There’s a good chance he spoke with someone who knew of, was involved in, or got close enough to the Battle of Ramadi and still lived to talk about it. The deadliest battle in The Iraq War is chronicled in a very intense and painfully realistic upcoming film called Warfare. The late Gandolfini’s (he died of heart failure in 2013) son, Michael, has a supporting role in the film that covers a team of Navy Seals on an overwatch mission who come under enemy fire and must shoot their way out of a house to safety before perishing.
Young Gandolfini portrays Lieutenant McDonald, one of the Seals in charge of keeping watch for the U.S. troops on the ground. Hiding out in a house in the middle of the city, the group is spotted and cornered, pushing them into a gunfight that left a few seriously injured and others fighting for their lives. It’s not a beefy role, but one that Michael disappears into with ease.
He’s quietly building a nice resume, including a role in The Many Saints of Newark as a young Tony Soprano. He also played a soldier in The Russo Brothers’ underrated Tom Holland war movie, Cherry, also based on a true story. Along with a role in the wacky Joaquin Phoenix film, Beau is Afraid, and a part in the new Daredevil: Born Again television series, Gandolfini is taking the same path to Hollywood stardom as his dad. Small, yet potent, integral parts that prove to directors and producers that you can mix into an ensemble and still make a dent.
In the film, Lt. McDonald spends the majority of the film tending to the injured Elliott (the amazing Cosmo Jarvis), whom the film is dedicated to since he lost his entire memory of the event. McDonald and another Navy Seal have a fun moment early on before chaos ensues where they share a bottle of water in typical dude fashion. McDonald takes a drink and spits it back into the bottle with a smirk, and the receiving guy drinks it and smiles back. In a movie that’s 90% adrenaline-laced realistic violence, these quiet instances are fuel for the fire.
Gandolfini, who is 25 years old, looks like his dad more each year. You can see it in his build, face, and expressions. One of the earliest memories I have of James is from his killer turn in Tony Scott’s True Romance. Those eyes were like sharpened spears with intent to create an impact with only a handful of scenes. Michael Gandolfini received that gene directly, and roles like Lt. McDonald in Warfare are proof of that transfer.
Don’t miss Mendoza and Garland’s film. Along with Gandolfini, the entire ensemble cast gives it all they got and the production value is top notch. It’s a must-watch for war movie buffs and cinema fans in general. Mendoza is an Iraq War veteran and Navy Seal who was there that fateful day in 2006 when everything went to shit. He was the military advisor for Garland on his powerful (and also highly visceral) 2024 film, Civil War. It was snubbed for awards because it wasn’t a musical, didn’t involve a ton of makeup, and hit too close to home.
The truth about a war zone is that all normal reality rules don’t apply. It’s about survival. I think one of the ways Michael Gandolfini survives without his dad in a family business is by doing as many military-based movies and stories that keep him connected to James. If I had lost my dad when I was 13, this would be the method.
Keep an eye on him. He’s going places.
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