The pedigree behind The Alto Knights is world-class. Directed by Barry Levinson — Rain Man, Good Morning, Vietnam, Wag the Dog — written by Nicholas Pileggi — Goodfellas, Casino — and starring Robert De Niro in dual-lead roles, The Alto Knights is brimming with talent and has the chops to tell a riveting story of a dark and dangerous period in New York history.
Set largely during the late 1950s, The Alto Knights dramatises the relationship between Frank Costello and Vito Genovese and the power struggle that brought the Mafia to its knees. The film is anchored by De Niro’s dual performance as both Costello and Genovese and his portrayal of these two very different men is what makes The Alto Knights a success.
Elsewhere, The Alto Knights feels slow, plodding and sometimes bloated with long meandering sections that fail to pay off cinematically. However, whenever De Niro appears, the film lifts. The Alto Knights isn’t a perfect piece of cinema, but it is a thoroughly enjoyable tale of mobsters, wise guys and the history of organised crime.
The Alto Knights Review
The film opens with Genovese’s botched hit on Costella in the lobby of his apartment building. Genovese wants Costello out of the way so he can reclaim what he believes is rightfully his and become the Boss of Bosses. Costello is old, tired and ready to be done with the world of organised crime so opts to step aside for Genovese instead of seeking retribution.
These opening scenes and the behaviour of these two characters set the scene for just how different they truly are and how differently they view the world and their place in it. De Niro does an incredible job if inhabiting these characters from their physicality to their voices, even down to the way they speak and the manner in which they address one another. It’s a pretty neat magic trick that on more than one occasion, I very nearly forget that I was looking at two Robert De Niro’s on-screen together.
After the shooting, the story hops around between different periods as De Niro, as Costello, recounts the story of these men in voiceover, while reminiscing.
According to The Alto Knights, which is named for a social club frequented by Genovese and Costello in their youth, these two men grew up together on the wrong side of the tracks. They came up in the world at a time when opportunities for immigrants were rare and they were forced to make their way. Costello turned to bootlegging during prohibition while Genovese was a standover man and eventually committed double homicide, drawing the attention and ire of the NYPD. In a bid to avoid prosecution, Genovese flees the US and returns to Italy to hide out until he can safely return.
In his stead, he leaves Costello in charge, temporarily. Unfortunately for Genovese, while he’s in Italy WWII breaks out and he’s stuck in Europe for many years. During this time and thanks to Costello’s calm demeanour, cultivation of political friendships and stewardship of the Mafia, it is a time of relative peace and prosperity. Until Vito comes home again.
The tension and narrative force in The Alto Knights is the push and pull between Genovese and Costello and all the players on either side of the divide working to line their own pockets. Much of the action takes place during conversations where made men say a lot with very few, well-chosen words. This is a dialogue-driven film and while there are certainly some genuine moments of action, The Alto Knights is a movie about sit-downs and the hidden meanings words can have between old friends turned rivals.
The Alto Knights is a sumptuous visual feast making full use of its period setting to great effect. Everything shown on screen has been lovingly selected and chosen for maximum impact and to let the audience know this was a very different time. The costumes and hair are flawless and the set dressing and design transport you back to what it must have been like during the 50s. The same goes for the sound design and music. Not a note is out of place and the use of music of the time to underline and highlight certain scenes and sequences is a beautiful touch.
However, regardless of everything else going on, The Alto Knights is De Niro’s picture. He holds everything together and keeps the train on the tracks. When the pacing fumbles or the film sags in the middle, De Niro is there to get things going again. Watching him act opposite himself is a real joy and while it doesn’t live up to seeing him and Al Pacino face off in that diner in Heat, it’s a close second.
Supported by a great cast, and a spectacular turn for Debra Messing as Costello’s wife Bobbie, De Niro shows us why he’s still one of the very best even at 81 years old. Levinson’s direction is to be applauded too. He shows great restraint and lets scenes breathe allowing them to reveal themselves to the audience. Occasionally this creates the slower-pace and plodding nature I mentioned earlier, but for the most part, he works with the actors and their dialogue in really showing and not telling.
Fans of the gangster genre are going to enjoy The Alto Knights terrifically, especially for De Niro’s powerhouse performance as two men on a collision course with each other.
Leo Stevenson attended a screening of The Alto Knights as a guest of Warner Bros.
