Film review: ‘THE ALTO KNIGHTS’ by Nick Gardener from ‘Built For Speed’

Anyone making a gangster film these days faces unenviable comparisons with the genre’s classics, The Godfather, Goodfellas and to a lesser extent Casino. The Alto Knights, from director Barry Levinson and writer Nicholas Pileggi (Goodfellas, The Irishman), is destined to be another victim of this comparison. While well-made and well-acted, it’s a straightforward mobster biopic that noticeably lacks the poetic grandeur of The Godfather and the pulsating energy of Goodfellas and Casino and seriously needed more dramatic peaks.

The film recounts the rivalry between one-time close friends, New York mob bosses Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, both played by Robert De Niro. The film’s title refers to the New York social club they established as their power base.  Costello is portrayed here as clever, diplomatic, unassuming and almost folksy while Genovese is depicted as the embittered hothead and troublemaker. When Genovese is forced to flee the US to dodge a murder rap just prior to the Second World War, he hands power over the New York rackets to Costello. After Genovese returns in the 1950’s, the commission of bosses, who have flourished under Costello, aren’t keen to see the volatile Vito back in charge.  The snub sends Genovese on a quest for revenge against Costello.

Through De Niro’s narration as Costello, as well as archival footage and effective recreations of the era, the early part of the film delivers a decent potted history of the mob’s rise during prohibition and their consolidation of power in the 1940’s and 50’s through political payoffs, intimidation and elimination of rivals.  Levinson, however, doesn’t have Martin Scorsese’s flair with a montage, so while Marty would have captured this period with a series of explosive and indelible images, Levinson’s style is more prosaic and even a little lethargic.

A further problem is that the rivalry between Genovese and Costello lacks the necessary menace. It hits an early crescendo with a bungled attempt on Costello’s life but then just drifts along in fairly non-threatening manner for most of the film.  Also, we see little of Costello’s criminal activity.  The film seems at pains to suggest he was an avuncular character keen to escape the criminal world who spent a lot of time at home watching TV with his wife Bobbie (Debra Messing).   The film also favours lengthy dialogue scenes that, while at times insightful and occasionally funny, too often outstay their welcome and become repetitive.

The fact that De Niro plays both lead roles is a mixed blessing.  When it comes to portraying gangsters, he is the undisputed master and he brings his typical charisma to both characters. His calculating Costello vaguely echoes Sam Rothstein in Casino while his Genovese has at least some of the volatility of Joe Pesci’s Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas.  Neither character in this film, however, punches through the screen the way those icons from the Scorsese films did.

By having De Niro play both roles, it appears Levinson wanted to show the connection between the two men as if they were two parts of one person and through their conflict, the destructive divisions wrought in the mafia.  Seeing De Niro talking to De Niro – as technically seamless as it is – feels gimmicky and makes us conscious of the artifice of cinema. The obvious and slightly odd looking facial prosthetics De Niro wears don’t help matters either.

The film features solid if unremarkable supporting performances with Michael Rispoli (who played Jackie Aprile in The Sopranos) the most notable as Costello’s main ally, Murder Incorporated boss Albert Anastasia.

Compared to Coppola and Scorsese’s mafia masterpieces The Alto Knights feels like an upmarket telemovie but its best scenes, where De Niro captures the humanity and the flaws of the rival gangsters, Costello and Genovese, are still compelling.

Nick’s rating: ***

Genre: Drama/ Action/ Crime.

Classification: MA15+

Director(s): Barry Levinson.

Release date: 20th Mar 2025.

Running time: 123 mins.

Reviewer: Nick Gardener can be heard on “Built For Speed” every Friday night from 8-10pm on 88.3 Southern FM.

 

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