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Robert De Niro stars opposite himself in The Alto Knights, a mafia drama based on a true story. It follows the power struggle between Frank Costello (De Niro), the kingpin of New York’s organised crime syndicate; and Vito Genovese (also De Niro), an embittered boss and childhood friend of Frank’s. When Vito orders a hit on Frank, the latter begins to manoeuvre the world around him to protect himself.
Told in a style that apes mafia films of the past, the film rolls along without too much complaint, but never achieving the kind of tension that you would expect. Told through Frank’s overbearing narration, aside from a few bloody hits there’s little to raise the pulse as both characters spend much of their time in restaurants and bars talking about what they’re going to do, rather than doing it. Barry Levinson, famous in the 80s and 90s for films like Diner, tells a story without any teeth that hopes a healthy helping of Mafia speak will gloss over the dreary plot.
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The selling point of the film is De Niro versus himself, and there are a couple of moments that are impressive as Vito and Frank talk over each other. The gimmick, however, limits the amount of chemistry these two men can have. Had an actor of equal standing been at the table with De Niro, there might have been more of a sense of a bond. As it is, the most impressive thing on offer is the seamless mirror effect.
Aside from the star, Debra Messing gives a spirited effort as Bobbie, Frank’s wife who wants him to get out of the game; as well as Kathrine Narducci as Vito’s fiery wife Anna. Both do well to build chemistry with their substantially older co-star, and go some way to adding some texture to their characters.
The input of Goodfellas writer Nicholas Pileggi only serves to further the feeling that The Alto Knights won’t be remembered among the greats of crime movies, or even as a standout in De Niro’s career. Diverting in parts, but ultimately a film that you wish was much better than it is.
