Barry Levinson and the screenwriter of "Goodfellas" revisit the world of American gangsters, exposing the dispute that brought organized crime to light.
If you're going to criticize the king, you better not miss this one.
That aphorism, attributed to everyone from Ralph Waldo Emerson to Omar in "The Wire," could be one of the unspoken creeds of La Cosa Nostra in "The Alto Knights," a dense but ferociously compelling gathering of some of the heavyweights of the contemporary gangster genre: "Goodfellas" screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi; "Bugsy" director Barry Levinson; and acting icon Robert De Niro, in a dual role. This last trick creates a novel hook, surpassing the Pacino-De Niro encounter in "Heat" by introducing a De Niro lookalike as Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, gangland friends turned rivals, whom he embodies under heavy makeup.
Director: Barry Levinson
Writer: Nicholas Pileggi
Stars: Robert De Niro, Cosmo Jarvis, Debra Messing
The film opens abruptly in 1959, with a botched execution in the lobby of Frank's New York apartment building: a tense and effective scene that shows Levinson acting like a veteran. (Not to dwell on something already done, but after the shocking botched performance of Francis Ford Coppola's "Megalopolis," it's a relief to see a director of his age mastering his craft.) The rest is told from a distant future, as Frank isn't dead and intends revenge. The bullet miraculously hits his scalp and curls around his head, and although Frank recognizes the gunman as one of Vito's thugs (Cosmo Jarvis as "The Chin"), he respects the code and says nothing to the police.
It's Vito who has broken one of the cardinal rules: never strike another boss again. And while revenge would be expected and appropriate for such a mistake, Frank has no interest in escalating the violence. With his eyes set on retirement, he prefers to simmer his revenge—the results of which ultimately forced the American government and press to acknowledge the Mafia's existence—in a shocking true story that's hard to believe Hollywood hasn't dramatized until now.
“The Alto Knights” spans several decades, as Pileggi's detailed script flashes back to explain how a group of amoral immigrants exploited Prohibition, which Frank wryly describes as a policy no one wanted to follow and that the authorities were reluctant to enforce. Working for Charlie “Lucky” Luciano, they started at the bottom but rose to the Commission, the top brass of Cosa Nostra.
When Levinson first flashes back to Frank and Vito's early days, the production enhances the believability by presenting vintage black-and-white footage, retouched to include the cast. In this sense, "The Alto Knights" evokes other gangster films—some starring De Niro, such as "Once Upon a Time in America" and "The Godfather Part II"—about the turbulent origins of future bosses. For a time, Frank and Vito were almost like brothers, though the latter always had a more irascible temper, which explains why the Sicilian-born Vito fled the country to evade a murder charge, signing over his share of the business to Frank in his absence.
The chronology can be confusing at first, especially as the audience becomes accustomed to distinguishing between Frank and Vito. The former has a long, prosthetic nose and no mole, while Vito sports a square jaw and dark glasses; Although they appear at such different stages of the duo's lives that it's difficult to distinguish which character De Niro is playing in each scene. This becomes easier as the film progresses, as the actor creates two distinct characters, similar (though more subtly delineated) to the Kray twins played by Tom Hardy in "Legend."
Elegantly dressed and ostentatiously ensconced in a Central Park penthouse, Frank has dedicated his career to the pursuit of legitimacy, presenting himself as a "professional player" to corrupt politicians and police officers who appreciate his support. He lines their pockets, and they turn a blind eye, but that doesn't make him one of them. Frank is presented here as the honorable one, as reflected in his decades-long marriage (Debra Messing plays his Jewish wife, Bobbie). The couple is presented as monogamous and supportive, a refreshing rarity in mob movies.
Meanwhile, the spirit of the impulsive Vito remains closer to the streets. He openly resents Frank's efforts to abandon his roots, but he's angrier at his old friend for not giving him a bigger slice of the pie when he returns from abroad, ruling lower Manhattan with blood and fire. Few screenwriters seem to know the world of organized crime better than Pileggi, and while he glosses over certain motivations, he more than makes up for it by embellishing his sprawling saga with incredible and unforgettable details.
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