“The Alto Knights” is a crime drama biography film about two 1950’s Mafia bosses who go from friends to foes as they fight for control of New York City’s gangster kingdom. Director Barry Levinson (“Good Morning, Vietnam” 1987) put forth a worthy effort in creating this motion picture with good production values, a superior screenplay (Nicholas Pileggi), and good acting. The problem is that it is too much of a story that we have seen time and time over the recent decades from “The Godfather” (1972) to “Good Fellas” (1990) to “The Irishman” (2019).
The film’s undisputed star of the show is none other than Robert De Niro, who plays the dual roles of mob bosses Vito Genovese and Frank Costello. He still has enormous energy at age 82 to tackle these roles, especially both in heavy makeup. Co-stars include Debra Messing, Kathrine Narducci, Cosmo Jarvis, Michael Rispolli, Ed Amatrudo, James Ciccone, Matt Servitto, and Wallace Langham as U. S. Senator Estes Kefauver.
The watchable “The Alto Knights” was a huge flop at the box office for producer Barry Levinson, Winkler Films, and Warner Bros. Pictures. The film has been nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screen Combo for Robert De Niro as Frank Costello and Vito Genovese.
The Alto Knights (2025)
cinema
My Review
“The Alto Knights” is a crime drama biography film about two 1950’s Mafia bosses who go from friends to foes as they fight for control of New York City’s gangster kingdom. Director Barry Levinson (“Good Morning, Vietnam” 1987) put forth a worthy effort in creating this motion picture with good production values, a superior screenplay (Nicholas Pileggi), and good acting. The problem is that it is too much of a story that we have seen time and time over the recent decades from “The Godfather” (1972) to “Good Fellas” (1990) to “The Irishman” (2019).
The film’s undisputed star of the show is none other than Robert De Niro, who plays the dual roles of mob bosses Vito Genovese and Frank Costello. He still has enormous energy at age 82 to tackle these roles, especially both in heavy makeup. Co-stars include Debra Messing, Kathrine Narducci, Cosmo Jarvis, Michael Rispolli, Ed Amatrudo, James Ciccone, Matt Servitto, and Wallace Langham as U. S. Senator Estes Kefauver.
The watchable “The Alto Knights” was a huge flop at the box office for producer Barry Levinson, Winkler Films, and Warner Bros. Pictures. The film has been nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screen Combo for Robert De Niro as Frank Costello and Vito Genovese.