Film Review - The Alto Knights
Images courtesy of Warner Bros.
For most people, The Alto Knights will be the second mobster film they have seen with a respected well-known actor playing opposite themselves. While Robert De Niro will attract a more familiar demographic to the mobster genre than Tom Hardy did with Legend, the film is sure to entice many fans of Scorsese’s classics to go and see it. This seems to be the general vibe that director Barry Levinson (known for Rain Man, Sleepers, and Good Morning Vietnam) was going for. With both the narrating of the story by the lead actor and the setting of 20th-century Italian mobsters, you would be mistaken if you thought Scorsese was directing. While Levinson does a decent job of portraying the story of Frank Costello and Vito Genovese in a Scorsese style, it seems like more could have been done to make the movie a bit more inspired and exciting.
The feud between Costello and Genovese is perhaps not something that was ever going to be as exciting or intriguing when translated to film as some of the other gang rivalries seen in similar movies. But it felt like more could have been done to engage the audience in the setting of the feud between the two characters, especially given that the story takes place during the 1950s American prohibition era. While it was an interesting concept and story to cover mobsters who got rich by committing the crime of (in the words of Costello/DeNiro) “giving thirsty Americans exactly what they wanted” with barely any interference from authorities, it still feels very much like a missed opportunity to delve into other aspects of life during prohibition.
Speaking of missed opportunities, De Niro does a decent enough job at playing both characters. Given the energy of the character De Niro was trying to channel with Vito Genovese, Genovesecould have absolutely been played by Joe Pesci instead. The extra casting choice could have helped bring a bit more life to the film, as there are times when the dual casting can be a little distracting rather than enhancing the film’s intrigue. If this were an option that was on the table,even with Pesci, the film would have struggled to live up to the highs of De Niro’s and Pesci’s most recent work together in The Irishman.
While it most likely won’t be regarded as a mobster classic when compared to some of Scorsese’s other masterpieces it is trying to channel, The Alto Knights is still a well-enough-made film that fans of the mobster genre will be able to glean some enjoyment from the feature.
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The Alto Knights is screening in cinemas now. For tickets and more info, click here.