Recently I signed up for a membership to Tribeca, the company behind the Tribeca Film Festival that was founded by Robert De Niro, among others. Members are given the opportunity to attend screenings and events in NYC. When the invite came through for the premiere of The Alto Knights with Robert De Niro in attendance to introduce the film, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity (even though I didn’t have much interest in the film itself). I thought it would be just a screening of the movie, but it turned out to be the full blown premiere. Red carpet and all. I’ve worked premieres before for my job but realized I’ve never actually been a guest at one. (Actually, scratch that. I went to the premiere of Kit Kittredge: An American Girl in NYC when I was maybe 11 and the afterparty was at the American Girl Doll Place and I met Abigail Breslin who played Kit in the movie. And then later I came home and threw up popcorn in the middle of the night. TMI?) It wasn’t that different from working it other than I had the option to take free snacks and popcorn and I got to stay to watch the movie. Oh, and I didn’t have to work so there was no pressure! It was probably also the first time I’ve ever not worn full sweats or pajamas to the movie theater. The invite said “business attire is encouraged” so I just tried to look presentable in a sweater dress and boots but there were people there in full ball gowns. Like, you know you guys aren’t walking the red carpet, right? The film was being shown in the IMAX theater at the Lincoln Square AMC. The last time I was in that theater was when I saw the Eras Tour Movie (one of the only films I would willingly see in IMAX). It’s enormous and very new and nice. After sitting in my seat for an hour, the director, Barry Levinson, came out to introduce the film with producer Irving Winkler and cast members Robert De Niro, Debra Messing, and Kathrine Narducci. I thought maybe they would all speak or do a little Q&A or something but Barry kind of just spoke briefly about the movie while everyone else stood next to him and then it was showtime!

The Alto Knights is based on the true story of the rivalry between Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, two of America’s most notorious gangsters and both played by Robert De Niro in the movie. Originally the two grew up as friends, but as they became more and more embroiled in the mob, their relationship changed, eventually leading to Vito attempting to murder Frank, the incident that begins the film. Frank is miraculously unharmed and the movie is narrated by him in the future, recounting the power struggle between the men over the years. Many years. The Alto Knights is a heavily detailed historical telling that spans multiple decades. It includes tons of archival footage and old photographs, much of which is doctored to include the cast, that only adds to the historical feel. Add in the direct-to-camera exposition dumps from older Frank and it borders on mockumentary. I’m a sucker for a mob movie, but this one was genuinely boring. The characters felt like parodies of a Scorsese movie but the action was nowhere near as fun or violent. One of my favorite podcasts, The Big Picture, referred to it as “Garbage Scorsese”. Most of the movie was people having conversations about the balances of power in their crew. The dialogue in these conversations is very repetitive and has both too much detail and not enough nuance. The climax of the film starts to get exciting because you can feel it building to something. Maybe (hopefully) a crazy showdown? But no. It just fizzles out to an underwhelming resolution. IndieWire wrote, “It’s rare to see a film in which not a single interesting thing happens over the course of its entire running time.” That made me laugh.

The movie has all the ingredients to be great. It comes from Nicholas Pileggi, the screenwriter behind Goodfellas, Barry Levinson, director of Diner, The Natural, Good Morning, Vietnam, Bugsy, and Rain Man alongside dozens of television episodes and 5 Oscar nominations, and acting legend Robert De Niro. No one can question the amount of talent involved in the making of The Alto Knights. That being said… not to be ageist but I feel like it’s important to point out that Nicholas Pileggi is 92, Barry Levinson is 82, and Robert De Niro is 81. I’m not saying that people can’t still be talented and good at their craft at that age, but are they at the peak of their powers? Probably not. Are they maybe out of touch with what general filmgoing audiences are interested in right now? There’s a decent chance. Honestly, I shouldn’t include Robert De Niro in that generalization. He has always been great and continues to be great. He blew me away in 2023’s Killers of the Flower Moon and was definitely the best part of this movie. Still recognizable but fully transformed under prosthetics and makeup for his dual role, De Niro is able to play both sides of himself. Costello was more level-headed and reserved, preferring to do most of his work from behind the scenes. Genovese was power-hungry and a loose cannon, always looking for his way back to the top. Levinson said of the characters, “you’ve got two totally different people — they’re not like twins or something. And one is the volatile monster that you see, and the other is almost like a corporate mafioso character… quieter, more deliberate.” De Niro brings gravitas to Costello and charm and humor to Genovese. It does beg the question if having De Niro play both main roles was an intentional commentary on the connection between these men or just a bit of stunt casting. The movie doesn’t attempt to make a clear point on this.

Overall, I enjoyed the experience. I hope I get to do it again. As for the movie itself I’ll say this: If you’re in the mood for a mob movie, there are better ones. If you’re in the mood for a mob movie starring Robert De Niro, there are still better ones. So do with that what you will.

2025 Count: 22 movies, 13 seasons of television, 3 specials