The Alto Knights

One of the most disappointing experiences one can have is to see a mob thriller starring not one, but two Robert De Niros (in dual roles) that’s not particularly engaging or engrossing. Even worse is to see a film that looks like it’s supposed to be in the vein of a Martin Scorsese film end up never having the boldness or imagination of his mob films. That’s the case with The Alto Knights, a rusty and clunky mob movie directed by the great Barry Levinson (Bugsy, Rain Man, Wag the Dog, Good Morning Vietnam), who can’t seem to keep the Nicholas Pileggi screenplay alive. Both visually and dramatically, the film feels inert, failing to ignite with its familiar mob movie tropes. Its lack of dramatic momentum, uneven pacing, and subpar visual style fail to recapture the ambiance that made Levinson’s 1991 crime movie such a success.

Filmgoers have already watched numerous films of Robert De Niro playing gangsters before—and always to great effect. De Niro is quite versatile in this film as well, playing both roles as mobsters Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, who play lifelong friends and organized business partners that spend decades covering up their organized crime syndicate that involves drug trafficking, racketeering, and money laundering. With this setup, you would expect something on the same level as Goodfellas, Casino, and The Irishman. But no. The story doesn’t do anything refreshing, and the material never feels contemplated or philosophical in tone. Sadly, it just offers the routine “rise and fall of gangsters” that audiences have become accustomed to.

Courtesy Warner Bros.

The film begins like Casino, where we see mobster Frank Costello (Robert De Niro) getting shot in a lobby. Through narration from Frank, we follow the journey of Frank’s crime ring, and we are introduced to Costello’s business partner and irate friend Vito Genovese, who feels like it’s written for Joe Pesci, but De Niro channels his interpretation into the dual roles, and it’s an effective performance. Throughout the film, we see how Frank and Vito were well-organized in keeping their money hidden through their operations. For Vito, he always lived within his means or at least created the illusion. Frank passes off his wealth as being a “businessman” while he made money off bootlegging, drug trafficking, and gambling operations in Las Vegas. He also put in slot machines all over the east coast. Over the course of time, we see FBI investigations, court hearings, and paranoia, and we see Vito attempt to plot to go to war with Frank as he has plans to take over the business. Both men have many disagreements throughout the film, but their dynamic feels botched, and the film unfolds more like sketches than a cohesive narrative. The dynamic is never fully grounded, and it never quite reaches the dramatic scope that it aims for.

Some of the films strongest scenes involve the women characters. Including Katherine Narducci as Anna Genovese, who is Vito’s wives. Their scenes start off joyful, but of course the marriage reaches a demise once Vito begins to extort Anna’s earnings of her own night club that caters to the LGBTQ community. Debra Messing is also compelling as Bobbie Costello, Frank’s wife, but both women’s characters end up feeling short lived and underwritten as you are left wishing their characters made a stronger impact. There are other missed opportunities in the film as well about the Italian immigrant experience, and insights on the operations in Las Vegas.

Courtesy Warner Bros.

In other words, if The Alto Knights was more epic in scope and offered more of a grandiose approach to the world of gangsters and provided more refreshing insights, it probably could have reached the potential that it strives for. But it somehow feels like a botched movie without the satisfying mob drama. Levinson tries his hardest at being something as great as The Irishman, but the pathos is never reached. If you’re a Robert De Niro fan, it is certainly a showcase because you get two De Niros for the price of one. Sadly, De Niro as Vito feels unserviceable, as do most of the supporting characters. The result feels more like a gimmick, unlike Adaptation and Dead Ringers, where the dual roles by Nicolas Cage and Jeremy Irons held a far greater dynamic. What does it all add up to? It’s a gangster story that we’ve seen many times before, not great, but more or less a very disposable entry to the genre. Yet it has some solid moments that are undeniably engrossing. Sadly, it’s a film where you walk out where your mind and heart are mainly untouched.