StarcadeJun 3, 2025

The Alto Knights (2025)

Story of two friends, Frank and Vito, who grew up together and were in the mafia. Vito was in charge and was the more temperamental of the two. He had to leave the country due to troubles and left his friend Frank in charge. Frank operated everything with a low profile. He didn't even carry a gun, due to a prior weapons charge. When Vito eventually returns, Frank doesn't give up his power so easily.

It's a true story of untrusting friends.

What's initially jarring is De Niro plays both Frank and Vito, even though they're unrelated. I wasn't sure this was an ideal casting choice, but as the characters developed, it felt as if they were two different people. Kudos to De Niro for pulling off great performances.

I found the story intriguing

Directed by Barry Levinson

Stars Robert De Niro, Debra Messing, Cosmo Jarvis, Kathrine Narducci, and Michael Rispoli

#Movies

Show threadsgt1372

@Starcade Saw trailers for #AltoKnights at my local AMC & was thinking about paying to see it but it didn't last long enough at the theater for me to do that.

It wasn't panned but reviews were lukewarm & it did poorly at the box office & has lost a lot of $ so far.

It's already available on DVD but I think I'll wait to see it until they start streaming it for free. 🤷‍♂️

Jun 3, 2025 at 1:41amWeb
Show threadStarcadeJun 3, 2025

@sgt1372

The biggest issue for me was De Niro playing a dual role. They really should have cast another actor, but after as while, I let it go, and just enjoyed. De Niro shines as Vito, whereas Frank is a more subdued and the larger of the two acting parts. Frank also is the narrator of the story.

As with most gangster films, people do get whacked, including an attempt at the very beginning of the film which sets the story in motion.

It's not a showy film. There is a lot of talking. Some may find it boring. As I wasn't familiar with the story, I found it fascinating. There are court room scenes, and people go to jail. Barry Levinson, who can be hit and miss, does a decent job here. The dialogue and accents rang true for me. You also get a sense of structure for the mafia. There are also some historical references. I didn't realize that Nicholas Pileggi wrote the screenplay. It's a well made film that unfortunately underperformed at the box office.