The Alto Knights, directed by Barry Levinson (Rain Man) and written by Nicholas Pileggi (Casino, GoodFellas), tries to position itself as a crime epic and historical drama, exploring the tensions and rivalries between two of New York’s most prominent mafia figures: Frank Costello and Vito Genovese. The premise, which revolves around the growing rivalry between the notorious crime bosses Frank Costello, played by Robert De Niro, and Vito Genovese, also portrayed by Robert De Niro, brings with it a promise of tension, intrigue, and an emotional exploration of a friendship turned into mortal enemies. However, despite the good intentions and the talent involved, the film fails to deliver what could have been a memorable work, opting to get lost in its own ambitions and falling short of the expectations set.
The narrative, which should stand on the emotional drama of a broken friendship and a power struggle between two crime giants, ultimately falls apart due to a series of poor choices in script construction, editing, and direction. Instead of focusing on what could be a powerful analysis of the psychological and social forces shaping the protagonists, The Alto Knights spreads in various directions and ultimately loses focus, leaving the audience more confused than engaged with the plot. The film tries to be epic, tense, dramatic, and even psychological, but ends up as an incoherent mix of intentions that don’t quite fit together.
The story of The Alto Knights presents a fascinating premise with great potential. Costello and Genovese were allies at the top of the New York mafia empire, but their friendship deteriorated due to jealousy, betrayal, and the thirst for power. This plot offers a rich canvas to explore universal themes such as loyalty, ambition, and the consequences of personal choices in a brutal and unforgiving environment. However, instead of focusing on the complex relationship between these two men and the dynamics of organized crime, the film seems to get lost in an excess of information and subplots, which weakens the dramatic impact of the story.
The film suggests a deep exploration of the transformation of an intimate friendship into a deadly feud, but fails to develop this transition convincingly. Instead, we see scattered moments of tension that are not deepened enough to create the kind of emotional involvement necessary to sustain the complexity of the conflict. It feels as though the film wants to be a psychological analysis of the characters, but never goes beyond the surface, with an excessive focus on the conventions of the crime genre.
The biggest problem with The Alto Knights is that by trying to mix different genres, the film ends up not diving deeply into any of them effectively. The attempt to combine a crime thriller with a historical drama results in an erratic film without a clear focus, failing to balance suspense and drama. There are moments when the film tries to create tension through action scenes and confrontations, but these sequences often fail to make a significant impact due to their confusing pace and lack of depth in the characters.
By trying to incorporate thriller elements, the film fails to consistently convey impending danger. The scenes that should be tense and exciting are often dragged down by a script that seems unable to generate a true sense of urgency or danger. This happens mainly because the characters, who are the driving force of the narrative, aren’t developed enough for the betrayals and twists to truly resonate with the audience on a visceral level. Instead of being a complex psychological battle filled with suspense, the interactions between the mobsters often feel like predictable and mundane encounters.
Moreover, the film tries to use psychological tension as a means of deepening the internal conflict between the characters, but again fails by not exploring the motivations of Costello and Genovese in any meaningful way. There’s an attempt to present a game of manipulation, where each one tries to sabotage the other, but the actions aren’t grounded enough to create real tension. The twists, which should be the climactic moments of tension, end up feeling underwhelming because the film hasn’t built a strong enough context for the audience to feel the weight of these turns.
One of the positive aspects of The Alto Knights is undoubtedly its production design. The film accurately recreates 1950s and 1960s New York, immersing the audience in the city’s dark and decaying streets. The costumes, sets, and overall atmosphere are detailed and authentic, which helps establish the era’s tone and immerse the audience in the world of the mafia. However, this design effort and atmosphere creation get lost when the film fails to balance its visual grandeur with a robust narrative.
The cinematography, though well-executed in technical terms, also suffers from the lack of focus in the narrative. While the visuals are striking, with beautiful shots and camera movements attempting to amplify the tension, they ultimately feel empty because there’s no strong plot or emotion to support them. The production design offers an interesting visual landscape, but without an engaging script, the images lack the power to connect the audience to the story or the characters.
The real failure of The Alto Knights lies in its script. The film tries to tackle complex psychological themes but fails to give depth to its characters, leaving them shallow and one-dimensional. The script clings to overly explanatory dialogue and action scenes that, while competent, lack substance. The interactions between the mobsters are often predictable, and the moments of betrayal lack the emotional weight necessary to impact the viewer. The editing also harms the film’s pacing. The cuts are abrupt, and the narrative structure seems to want to explore multiple storylines and subplots, but fails to tie everything together satisfactorily. At times, the film feels like it’s trying to be more than it really is, which reflects in the lack of fluidity between the different elements of the story.
The editing work often feels disorganized and directionless, with transitions that don’t make sense and scenes that don’t connect effectively. This, of course, harms the viewer’s experience, who finds themselves lost among the various moments and subplots that appear without true cohesion.
The decision for Robert De Niro to play both Frank Costello and Vito Genovese is an ambitious and, at times, intriguing one, considering these two characters are the pillars of the plot. Each brings a distinct personality and journey within the mafia universe, which presents a formidable challenge, even for an actor of De Niro’s calibre. While his ability to portray figures of power and emotional complexity is widely recognized, this choice ends up being somewhat contradictory in the context of the film, which is both a strength and a weakness.
Despite all the challenges presented by De Niro’s decision to play both protagonists, it’s impossible to deny that his performance is the film’s greatest asset. His ability to bring two of the mafia’s biggest names to life, with all the historical and psychological weight that implies, is an impressive feat. De Niro manages to turn the script and direction’s shortcomings into moments of great brilliance, and this is something worth recognizing.
If the film were able to offer a more cohesive script and direction that could truly harness De Niro’s talent effectively, we might have witnessed a mafia film worthy of standing alongside the genre’s classics, like The Godfather or Goodfellas. However, even with De Niro’s great performance, the confusion and lack of focus in the narrative leave the film falling short of its potential.
The Alto Knights is a cinematic work that loses itself in its attempt to be everything at once. By trying to be an engaging crime thriller, an intense psychological drama, and a historical portrayal of the mafia, the film ends up failing to be effective in any of these aspects. Even with excellent production design and Robert De Niro’s magnetic presence, the film fails to create a cohesive and emotionally impactful story. The script and editing fail to deliver a solid narrative, while the attempt to balance so many distinct elements results in a scattered and confused film. Instead of a mafia epic, The Alto Knights becomes a big missed opportunity, a film that tried to be much more than it needed to be and, in the end, delivered nothing substantial. For those expecting an effective portrayal of the mafia and its complexities, this film will undoubtedly be a huge disappointment, especially coming from big names in cinema.
The Alto Knights releases in theatres on March 21.
