THE ALTO KNIGHTS Reviewed by GREG KING
Director: Barry Levinson
Stars: Robert De Niro, Debra Messing, Cosmo Jarvis, Kathrine Narducci, Michael Rispoli, Wallace Langham.
The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, Goodfellas, Once Upon A Time In America, Casino are amongst the great epic gangster movies from Hollywood in the past fifty years. While The Alto Knights follows in their footsteps it somehow falls short when compared to those classics of the genre.
Written by Nicholas Pileggi (a former journalist who wrote the classic Goodfellas amongst other films) The Alto Knights is based on a true story of two New York based crime bosses in the 50s and it also charts the rise and fall of the Mafia. Originally the film was to be called Wise Guys, but that was deemed to too closely resemble the title of Pileggi’s book on which Goodfellas was based.
Frank Costello and Vito Genovese were two childhood friends now turned deadly enemies in a fight for control of the mob families. During WWII, Vito was exiled to Italy, while Frank took over running the families and controlling most of the crime and vice in New York. Frank however, aware of the changing nature of the world since the end of the war, has presented a facade of a more respectable gangster, serving on the board of charitable foundations, enjoying a visible and active social life and an active and respected member of the local community. But when Vito returns from Italy he is anxious to take back control of his territory. Costello is reluctant to cede any power to Vito, and instead agrees to give him a small slice of the lucrative criminal enterprise. But Vito wants more. He longs for a return to the days of prohibition and bribery of the police and corrupt officials and rubbing out enemies. Genovese embraces the world of drugs, while Costello dislikes that world.
When the film opens Vito breaks one of the cardinal unspoken rules of the mob by authorising a hit on Frank. Costello survives and this triggers a bloody turf war as he tries to find a way to leave the criminal world behind, cripple the Mafia and retire to a more peaceful life. He does this by organising a meeting of all the mob families at a farm in upstate New York and then betraying it to the authorities.
The Alto Knights follows a similar template and structure as Goodfellas, with its extensive voice over narration giving us insights into the history of the two men and this underworld. The drama is also punctuated with sudden bursts of violence. But The Alto Knights lacks the same clarity, propulsive narrative and tension that Goodfellas had, and it seems more cliched.
Oscar winning director Barry Levinson (Rain Man, etc) is a journeyman filmmaker and he fails to elevate The Alto Knights into the pantheon of great gangster movies. His pacing is uneven, and the film is dialogue heavy. Levinson and his editor Douglas Crise incorporate some archival footage, photographs, and even music into the material to lend authenticity to the film and to immerse us into this violent world. Neil Spisak’s production design is superb and steeps us in the aesthetics of the 50s. Cinematographer Dante Spinotti’s crisp widescreen lensing brings the 50s settings to life. The film’s title comes from a real-life New York bar and cafe that was a hang out joint for mobsters like Lucky Luciano back in the day.
But most surprising is that the two lead roles here are both played by Robert De Niro, whose storied career has featured numerous turns as mobsters and gangsters. It’s stunt casting of the highest order. De Niro brings plenty of shade and subtle nuances to the dual role, conveying their different personalities – Costello is pragmatic and calm and reasoning while Genovese is more volatile with a hair-trigger temper and ruthlessly ambitious. With the help of make-up and prosthetics he creates the different appearance of the two characters. The visual effects that allow his two characters to interact opposite each other in several scenes are also superb. De Niro’s Costello provides the voice over narration as he reflects back on his life as a gangster during this volatile period.
Debra Messing (best known for her work in the sitcom Will And Grace), cast against type, also strong as Frank’s loyal and supportive wife Lauretta “Bobby” Geigerman. Cosmo Jarvis, recently seen in the Australian produced prison drama Inside, has a key role as Vincent Gigante, the mobster who botches the hit on Frank at the start of the film.
But ultimately The Alto Knights lacks the energy and cinematic flair that a filmmaker of the calibre of Martin Scorsese would have brought to the material.
★★★
