The Alto Knights: A Disaster That Should Never Have Been Made

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You couldn’t ask for a better team to revive the gangster genre.

In 1991, director Barry Levinson brought us the movie “Bugsy.” Meanwhile, Nicholas Pileggi teamed up to write the script for “Goodfellas,” which came out in 1990. As for Robert De Niro, his involvement speaks volumes all by itself.

Together, the threesome join forces for “The Alto Knights,” a movie that serves as an encouraging nudge to revisit classics like “Bugsy,” “Goodfellas,” or any Robert De Niro film prior to the “Meet the Fockers” era.

Even “The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle.”

In this reinterpretation, the story, inspired by real-life occurrences, commits a crucial blunder right from the start in its selection of actors, which could have singlehandedly sunk “Alto Knights”. However, it’s important to note that the abysmal script also played a significant role in its downfall.

It’s equally at fault for making “Knights” a surefire Worst of 2025 nominee.

Robert De Niro portrays Frank Costello, a powerful crime figure who eschews carrying firearms and keeps away from the grittier aspects of his occupation. This approach has served him favorably over time; however, his understated rivalry with old buddy Vito Genovese (once more played by De Niro) could disrupt this fragile tranquility.

Wait … De Niro is playing BOTH leads? Are the characters twins? No. Are they brothers. Nope.

So … why? Sit through “The Alto Knights” and you won’t find the answer.

Despite the movie’s best efforts to move past it, there’s an ongoing issue that persists, and it’s one among several grave mistakes made during the intense 120-minute runtime.

Initially, the movie is packed with a mix of detailed background information and Levinson’s dynamic cinematic techniques. This creates an intense experience as we are bombarded with grainy old photos, shaky camerawork, and frequent flashbacks to clips from the 1950s.

It’s unnecessary and leaves us feeling woozy, not engaged.

In simpler terms, the sequence of events in the movie seems disorganized, implying that significant changes or re-editing were made, and they used De Niro’s character as a narrator to help tie the story together again.

The system isn’t consistently reliable, often resulting in a jagged narrative with unexplained plot holes. For instance, the character portrayed by Vito’s wife (Katherine Narducci from “The Sopranos”), seemingly transforms from a loving spouse to an adversary without any on-screen scenes illustrating her transformation.

“Jarring” barely describes it.

Pileggi’s screenplay consistently guides our emotions and thoughts, disregarding the fundamental rule often followed in the business.

In business, it’s crucial to let the audience decide their own feelings and interpretations. However, Pileggi’s screenplay seems to dictate these aspects instead.

Show, don’t tell. Even worse?

The main ideas and personality traits are consistently present, yet they lack complexity or growth. Regrettably, Levinson manages to dilute the intensity of actual gangster feuds.

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The recurring themes and character attributes remain undeveloped, showing little depth. It appears that Levinson has effectively softened the real-life rivalries among mobsters.

The movie boasts convincing production quality, providing a bit of respite, while some cultural nuances hint that the creative minds behind it have a grasp on the world of gangsters.

From my perspective as a cinephile, it’s fascinating to witness the dynamic between these two De Niros, portraying feuding mobsters who share a past but hold contrasting perspectives on their line of work. What unfolds is an intriguing narrative of two aging men, whose shared memories seem scarce compared to their current disconnect. Every now and then, they engage in reminiscent chatter about the good old days, but beyond that, it’s hard to find common ground between them.

Occasionally, “The Alto Knights” functions as a warning about pursuing the American Dream, yet this underlying message often becomes obscured from the outset and fails to regain clarity.

Debra Messing adopts a charming New York accent for her role as Frank’s wife, yet she is not provided with sufficient opportunities and seldom delves into the intricacies of their tumultuous marriage. She yearns to entice him out of the criminal underworld, but his indifference prevents any meaningful progress.

Indeed, right when it seems like they’ve let go, they draw you back in again. However, wouldn’t it be beneficial if Frank could expend some energy in the process?

Secondary characters add color but little depth.

In simpler terms, Michael Rispoli, who was also part of “The Sopranos,” lends a recognizable feel to the movie, but it’s not advantageous to draw parallels between this film and the renowned HBO series, as such comparisons usually don’t favor “Knights.

Just as with movies like “Goodfellas” and “The Godfather,” the creators of “The Alto Knights” were aware of the challenges in revisiting the criminal underworld theme. They seemed to encounter just about every obstacle along the way.

Title Verdict: “The Alto Knights” kicks off with a questionable casting choice, and things unfortunately take a turn for the worse after that.

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2025-03-19 20:03