Movie Review: The Alto Knights

In simpler terms, the recently released film “The Alto Knights,” directed by Barry Levinson, features Robert De Niro portraying dual roles as mob bosses Frank Costello and Vito Genovese. Instead of following a traditional narrative structure, it appears more like a documentary with no clear sequential storyline.

This poorly-reviewed movie brings to mind “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1,” written and directed by Kevin Costner from last year (with no news of a Chapter 2 yet). Both share significant issues, as scenes, plotlines, and characters are thrown together haphazardly, lacking any sense of continuity that’s crucial for viewers to follow along. To try compensating for this confusion, De Niro’s character, Frank Costello, breaks the fourth wall at various points throughout the story, attempting to clarify past events for a bewildered audience. Unfortunately, after about five such scenes, the movie falls flat, leaving everyone watching eagerly hoping that the two-hour runtime will swiftly come to an end.

It’s astonishing that such a poorly-made film could have come from a talented director like Barry Levinson, and an actor of his caliber, making its creation all the more perplexing.

This movie’s Rotten Tomatoes score, which is 38%, seems spot-on to me, and I wouldn’t advise watching it.

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2025-03-28 01:49