Movie · 2025 · Crime, Drama, History · 2h 2m · R · English
Curator score: 1.0/10 (67.2K ratings)
The most dangerous enemy is an old friend.
Overview
Two of New York's most notorious organized crime bosses, Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, vie for control of the city's streets. Once the best of friends, petty jealousies and a series of betrayals place them on a deadly collision course that will reshape the Mafia (and America) forever.
Ratings
Curator score: 1.0/10
IMDb: 5.9/10
Letterboxd: 2.73/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 40%
Metacritic: 47
TMDB: 6.2/10
Director
Barry Levinson
Production
Winkler Films, Domain Entertainment
Cast
Robert De Niro, Debra Messing, Cosmo Jarvis, Kathrine Narducci, Michael Rispoli, Michael Adler, Ed Amatrudo, Joe Bacino, Anthony J. Gallo, Wallace Langham, Louis Mustillo, Frank Piccirillo, Matt Servitto, Robert Uricola, Belmont Cameli, Carrie Lazar, James Ciccone, Bob Glouberman, Jeffrey Grover, Jean Zarzour
Where to watch
Max
Curator Review
Verdict
A familiar mob saga with a strong cast and historical setting, but the consensus points to sluggish pacing, muddled storytelling, and little dramatic payoff. Unless you’re a completionist for gangster films or especially curious about the dual-role gimmick, this looks more like a tired retread than a must-see crime drama.
Best for
die-hard mafia movie completists
viewers interested in late-era Robert De Niro performances
fans of historical crime stories who don’t mind a slow burn
Skip if
you want a fresh take on organized crime
you’re looking for sharp pacing or big set pieces
you’re already weary of prestige mob dramas
Overview
The Alto Knights arrives with the kind of premise that should practically sell itself: two legendary mob bosses, a New York crime war, and Robert De Niro in a dual role. In practice, it plays like a reheated greatest-hits package from the gangster genre, leaning on familiar beats without finding much new to say about power, loyalty, or betrayal.
Worth noting
Barry Levinson’s film seems most interested in historical texture and old-school mob atmosphere, but the reviews suggest that texture never coheres into momentum. The result is a movie that feels overfamiliar and oddly inert, with the central gimmick doing more heavy lifting than the script or staging.
Bottom line
For viewers who love crime epics, there may be some value in seeing a studio-scale mob picture still being made at all. But for most audiences, this looks like a case where the pedigree is stronger than the payoff, and the runtime is better spent revisiting the classics it echoes.
Top Letterboxd reviews
EJ Franklin (2.5★) · 2047 likes
Am I talkin to me?
SilentDawn (1.5★) · 1135 likes
25
The average age of the cast and crew is roughly 84 years old. Paced as if the movie is expecting you to fall asleep to it at some point. Senior citizen core. Howled at the big climactic scene where a bunch of the mob guys waddle back to their cars after the cops discover their secret meeting.
theo (2.5★) · 938 likes
“you talkin’ to me?”
“i’m the only one here, so i must be talkin’ to me”
davidehrlich (1.5★) · 725 likes
It’s rare to see a film in which not a single interesting thing happens over the course of its entire running time. Not only is that true of Barry Levinson’s “The Alto Knights,” but this tired-as-hell mafia story — which wouldn’t merit so much as a footnote in the history of mob cinema if not for the gimmick of casting Robert De Niro as real-life crime boss Vito Genovese and his best frenemy Frank Costello — seems totally at peace… more It’s rare to see a film in which not a single interesting thing happens over the course of its entire running time. Not only is that true of Barry Levinson’s “The Alto Knights,” but this tired-as-hell mafia story — which wouldn’t merit so much as a footnote in the history of mob cinema if not for the gimmick of casting Robert De Niro as real-life crime boss Vito Genovese and his best frenemy Frank Costello — seems totally at peace… more
Lenny (1.5★) · 628 likes
The average age of all the people involved in this film is 127.