When you’re making a gangster movie and you’ve got Robert DeNiro attached and Nicholas Pileggi writing it you should feel fairly confident that the goods should be delivered. The Alto Knights has this one-two punch, with Pileggi being the writer of two other big DeNiro crime films in Goodfellas and Casino, yet it somehow fails to reach anywhere near the same level of captivating storytelling and character building that those two films did and in the end misses the mark like the failed assassination attempt that starts the movie.
The Alto Knights tells the biographical story of two crime bosses, Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, in the 1950s. Both Costello and Genovese are played by DeNiro, so if you’re a fan of his there are some things to enjoy here, as he does deliver on the acting front with what he’s given. Unfortunately, what he’s given just lacks any real depth, pacing or throughline that allows the audience to actually grab on to something to allow them to care about these characters or anything that happens to them.
There seems to have been a stylistic choice made in the way the story would be told, which is to have Costello randomly talking to the audience as though he’s being interviewed or telling a story to them. I’d say it comes off a bit more like an interview, like we’re getting snippets of a documentary Costello is making, only there’s no documentary crew and it’s just him talking to a camera while randomly appearing in different places at his current residence. This choice makes it so that the story jumps fairly often from one place to another, so it feels like we’re never really given a chance to live in a moment with these characters, which destroys any attempt at building real tension despite the fact that they try to do so continuously.
It’s unfortunate because it’s clear that the story of Costello and Genovese is an interesting one and there’s a way it could’ve been told that would have properly built that tension and pulled audiences in. Did DeNiro playing both roles hurt the movie? Not exactly. I mean, in the end it would’ve probably been a better idea to get someone else to play Genovese, but DeNiro playing both parts was likely something they thought would help the movie stand out, which it doesn’t. Every time he’s on screen you just see DeNiro or DeNiro in more makeup/prosthetics instead of being immersed in the world; however, I’d blame that more on the lack of intriguing storytelling over DeNiro ever pulling you out.
That said, in order to be pulled out of an immersive atmosphere you have to first be in one and The Alto Knights seems to pride itself on making sure it doesn’t focus on one subplot or plot point long enough to allow for that. There are numerous times when tension begins to build, the score picks up and we seem to be headed towards something only to have Costello sum it up in a couple of sentences and we move on, or we fade to black and a new scene begins with the tension cut off at the knees.
The lack of a straight narrative makes it so that the film never feels like it has a proper flow. At the start there are old pictures of Costello and Genovese in their youth, we’ve got camera flashes and quick cuts all giving that summary pacing that we’ve seen before in gangster films, and this would work to catch the audience up, but instead we then move on to a failed assassination attempt on Costello which was set up by Genovese and Costello then says he needs to make things right. Then we jump backwards to show how we got to that point before jumping back to see how Costello is looking to make things right. It’s jarring in its attempt to cram information in while also trying to keep things moving forward.
It’s entirely possible to jump around from different points in time while telling a coherent story with rich or at least interesting characters that the audience can get behind, but The Alto Knights fails to do so. There are so many names and minor characters that pop up that while certain faces may be familiar enough to go, “Ah, that’s Vito’s friend,” as a mental note, there’s just nothing that happens that makes anyone outside of Costello, Genovese, Costello’s wife, Bobbi (Debra Messing), and Genovese’s volatile wife, Anna (Kathrine Narducci) memorable in any real fashion – and even those main four don’t really do anything to make you care about what happens to any of them.
Costello is telling this story yet he breezes over various prison stints when his character is supposed to be the one who aims to avoid noticeable crime and plays more like a crime puppet master. One minute he’ll be talking about something happening and the next he’ll say, “And then I did 18 months for this,” and we’re already back into the next random chapter of his story being told as though no real time has passed. Again, it’s just jarring and leaves everything lacking substance. There are also a few random scenes where characters are talking about something trivial like it’s a Tarantino movie, except that instead of these conversations being witty and entertaining they simply feel empty and meaningless, completely disconnected from the story being told and add unnecessary padding to an already long-in-the-tooth two-hour runtime.
To top it all off the third act builds like we’re headed for an intense Ocean’s 11 type finale where some grand plan comes together that helps Costello escape the situation he’s in (because clearly he does, as he’s telling the story.) It’s literally built that way, complete with Genovese saying Costello is always thinking around corners so they have to be wary. And while a plan does come to fruition it does so in one of the most anticlimactic finishes to any gangster film ever. Even if how it plays out is how it went down there has to have been a better way to portray it so that the tension they continuously build up in the final act as we head towards the finale actual warrants being there. It’s just another case of the film attempting to build tension and then deflating it all completely before moving on to Costello talking to the camera once again to quickly wrap things up.
If you’re starving for a new gangster film and you’re a fan of DeNiro then there’s no talking you out of The Alto Knights, as why would you pass it up? The acting is solid enough, with DeNiro carrying the biggest load and Barry Levinson is more than a capable director, so I’d wager you’ll find something to enjoy that at least makes a viewing worthwhile. To everyone else you’re likely better off rewatching Goodfellas or hunting down another mob movie you may have missed throughout the years, as The Alto Knights brings nothing new to the genre, nor does it do justice to what should have been an intriguing tale of two best friends turned mob bosses turned enemies. In short, fuhgeddaboudit.
Blu-ray Video and Audio Review:
This is a solid 1080p/SDR transfer of the film and it’s currently the highest quality home-viewing experience fans will get of the film, as there’s no 4K release on the horizon – and while you can never say never, I’d say it’s a pretty safe bet that there probably never will be. Luckily, the Blu-ray disc shows off the visuals quite nicely, with some nice shadows, deep blacks and a consistent look throughout that does give off the 1950’s vibe that they’re going for. Overall there’s not much to complain about and those who enjoy the film have a quality release to add to their collection.
The audio side is equally strong, with the Dolby Atmos mix blasting through in the moments that require it, while the dialogue rings clean and clear, front and center, as one would hope for. The score is a good one and it does its best to immerse the viewer in the moment and will come at you from all angles with the proper setup. As a whole it’s just a high-quality audio and visual experience that rates higher than the film itself.
Special Features:
This is a barebones release, so it’s just the disc with the movie and a digital copy. I’m somewhat surprised there isn’t even the most generic of behind-the-scenes to showcase DeNiro playing both parts, but the film underperforming probably didn’t help in the studio wanting to put any more time into this release than necessary.
Disclaimer: A review copy of this Blu-ray was sent to me to cover in honest and truthful fashion.
Warner Bros. Pictures Presents The Alto Knights. Directed by: Barry Levinson. Written by: Nicholas Pileggi. Starring: Robert DeNiro, Debra Messing, Kathrine Narducci, Cosmo Jarvis, Michael Rispoli. Running time: 123 Minutes. Rating: R. Released on Blu-ray: May 27, 2025.
About Brendan Campbell
