The Alto Knights: Film Review
Thirty-five years after their collaborations on mob classics Goodfellas and Casino, actor Robert De Niro and writer Nicholas Pileggi reunite for a new Mafia movie The Alto Knights.
Inspired by a true story, The Alto Knights depicts the power struggle between former friends and Mafia bosses Frank Costello and Vito Genovese (both played by De Niro). Their conflict takes a turn when Genovese orders a hit on Costello. After he survives, Costello plots a way to protect himself and his loved ones from his rival and retire from the Mafia.
The USP for this film is double De Niro, but unfortunately, this decision doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Genovese and Costello are not related and they don’t look much alike so it feels like more of a stunt than something that serves the plot. Also, De Niro doesn’t make his two characters distinct enough – it feels like he’s playing them the same, although one is more calm and collected and the other is a jealous hothead. He lets the prosthetics (which aren’t great) do a lot of the heavy lifting and barely does anything with his voice, his mannerisms or the way he holds himself to distinguish between the two. It’s a stark contrast to Robert Pattinson in Mickey 17!
De Niro only acts opposite himself for a couple of scenes and they don’t feel as epic and monumental as they should have. This is the most glaring example but it all feels really underplayed. Although there are a few great moments, it’s not as gripping or engaging as it should have been, given the interesting story. This is a surprise as director Barry Levinson is the man behind films like Rain Man, Good Morning, Vietnam and Wag the Dog (also starring De Niro).
The storytelling choices are bizarre too. Occasionally, Costello pops up on a screen and talks directly to the camera as if he’s retelling his story for a documentary. This would be fine if it was used throughout but it flips back and forth between this format and a traditional narrative. The editing is also wild at times, hitting us with newspaper headlines, old photographs and mini flashbacks at a rapid-fire pace. You just want it to take a breath and calm down so you can get into the rhythm of the film.
I know double De Niro is the main draw but this would have worked better with two different actors. Even still, there’s no escaping the fact that this feels derivative of – and lesser than – De Niro’s earlier gangster films.
In cinemas from Friday 21st March