TheAlto Knightstrailer reveals Robert De Niro playing real competing mob bosses inGoodfellaswriter Nicholas Pileggi’s new movie. Penned by Pileggi, who wrote the non-fiction bookWiseguyand adapted it alongside Martin Scorsese intoGoodfellas(which also starred De Niro as a gangster), the upcomingAlto Knightsis directed by Barry Levinson and stars De Niro in a dual role as the 1950s mob bosses Vito Genovese and Frank Costello.Alto Knights' castalso includes Debra Messing, Cosmo Jarvis, Kathrine Narducci, and Michael Rispoli in supporting roles.
Now,Warner Bros. Pictureshas premiered thefirst official trailer forAlto Knights. The trailer features De Niro in a dual role as Vito Genovese and Frank Costello as they compete for control of New York during the 1950s. Once close allies, their friendship unravels due to simmering jealousies and a string of betrayals, leading the former to order a hit on the latter, who survives but is wounded in the attempt and ultimately decides to retire from the Mafia. Watch the trailer below:
What The Alto Knights Trailer Means For The Movie
Why Is Robert De Niro Playing Dual Roles?
The biggest takeaway fromThe Alto Knightstrailer is Robert De Niro starring in dual roles as Vito Genovese and Frank Costello, which appears to bean inexplicable decision. In the 2015 filmLegend, for instance, Tom Hardy starred in a dual role as the English gangsters Reggie and Ron Kray because they were identical twin brothers, so it made sense for the same actor to play both characters. Genovese and Costello weren’t related, and they didn’t even look very much alike, so it’s unclear why De Niro is playing them both inThe Alto Knights.
Robert De Niro’s Dual Role In Upcoming Gangster Movie Has 1 Major Scorsese Connection
Robert De Niro’s new gangster movie will feature him playing two real-life Italian mob bosses and has one key link to Scorsese’s mafia masterpieces.
Though the decision seems inexplicable now, perhaps the reasoning will become apparent at a later point.De Niro is certainly no stranger to mob movies, having starred in Martin Scorsese’sMean Streets, Francis Ford Coppola'sThe Godfather Part II, Scorsese’sGoodfellas, and more. De Niro and director Barry Levinson previously collaborated onWag the Dog,Sleeper,The Wizard of Lies, andWhat Just Happened. Levinson also has some experience with mob movies, having directed 1991’sBugsy, which also featured Frank Costello and Vito Genovese as characters, played by separate actors, of course.
Our Take On The Alto Knights Trailer
It Feels Like A Blast From The Past
The Alto Knights, a period mob movie fronted by two Hollywood veterans, Robert De Niro and Barry Levinson, feels like a blast from the past, and not just because of its 1950s setting.The existence of the film itself feels like a throwback, with De Niro returning to the genre that made him a household name, and Levinson returning to the spotlight after being a prestigious Hollywood player in decades past. The film’s throwback quality makes sense since it’s been in the works since the 1970s.The Alto Knightshas all the makings of a classic mob movie, but how it fares in the current landscape, remains to be seen.
Alto Knights
Cast
Alto Knights is a biographical gangster movie directed by Barry Levinson. The premise revolves around Vito Genovese and Frank Costello, two Italian-American mob bosses. After Costello is nearly killed by an assassination attempt, he decides to retire from the mafia. Robert DeNiro stars alongside Debra Messing, Katherine Marducci, and Cosmo Jarvis.
