by Samuel Nichols, Contributing Writer
Robert De Niro is a national treasure. Goodfellas, The Godfather Part II, and Killers of the Flower Moon. Decades apart are the aforementioned performances. Without question, the man hasn’t lost fastball. He’s gone back to the well of gangster movies more than a few times, so I knew what I was in for with The Alto Knights. Hoping for something above the median, I walked into the theater. Disappointed, I walked out.
Taking on two lead roles, De Niro plays mob bosses and childhood friends Frank Costello and Vito Genovese. Vito is the hardhead and idealist. Nothing stops him, and no one can hold him down. Frank is professor. He’s careful and each action is measured. Their friendship disintegrates after conflict arises over who should be in charge of their criminal empire. Moves upon moves take place as trusts are broken and lives are ruined.
Given our hero De Niro has two roles, and he does very well in one of those parts, this is technically A good performance by him. While he’s efficient as Frank, De Niro is way more in his element as Vito. The more volatile nature of the character gives the octogenarian more to do. With outbursts of rage and driven desires for revenge on those who have wronged him, I’d rather see more of Vito. Now Frank is not a poor effort by him, but De Niro has less meat in the bone in the secondary star role. Granted, Vito fits a little more of a gangster stereotype, but the character is better written.
Speaking of stereotype, almost everything else in this movie falls into the mold of a mafia flick. Costumes? Tailor-made grey or black suits with fedoras. Accents and characterization? Italian with a capital I. The aforementioned violence? Point-blank killings with small revolvers. All of it is very familiar and pulled straight from a million memories.
But it’s not all stereotypes. Every now and then something more or unique slips through. A court scene or two reminds us that not every mafia member was in line with the status quo. How a murder charge is handled and blocked by the underworld gives an interesting in depth look to how the mafia protect their own. Perhaps my favorite scene of the whole movie involves a genuine and random discussion between a group of men about the foundations of the Mormon church. It has a unique tone of comedy that is rare in this flick.
But therein lies the problem: Originality is scarce in The Alto Knights. The moments, aspects, and scenes I really enjoyed are few and far between. Too much is covered, and it leaves us searching for diamonds in a sea of rough. If the movie had focused up and locked in on one particular aspect of this vast tale. I wish the movie had found more of these elements to focus on. Perhaps then it could have even made a little awards push with the right marketing.
Rating: It Was Just Okay
The Alto Knights is currently playing in theaters
You can read more from Samuel Nichols, and follow him on Letterboxd