- The Alto Knights drew just over $3m
- Reviews have been disappointing for Barry Levinson’s gangster epic
- De Niro plays both lead roles in the heavily criticised film
The Alto Knights may have reunited Robert De Niro with the work of Nicholas Pileggi, but the result is not the second coming of Goodfellas.
The gangster epic, directed by Barry Levinson (Rain Man, The Natural) stars De Niro in both leading roles, as rival mafia bosses Vito Genovese and Frank Costello. The film was originally titled Wise Guys and had been in the works since the ’70s. However, multiple major studios passed on the idea.
Judging by the box office performance and subsequent reviews coming out of The Alto Knights opening weekend, perhaps the project should have remained in development hell forever more.
Against a budget of $45 million, De Niro’s misguided double act grossed just $3.1 million during opening weekend, finishing in sixth place overall. Reviews didn’t see the film fare any better either, scoring a lowly 37% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Michael O’Sullivan at The Washington Post said of the picture, in a 1.5/4 review, “The film’s climax nevertheless fails to raise much of a heartbeat in this boglike slog through a momentous moment in murderous mob history.”
Elsewhere, Gregory Nussen of Deadline Hollywood was equally scathing, saying, “It’s almost like the 92-year-old Nicholas Pileggi forgot he wrote the all-timers Goodfellas and Casino but then was asked to kind of, sort of, regurgitate it.”
Meanwhile, David Fear at Rolling Stone wrote, “Take away the “De Niro Con: The Movie” bona fides, and you’ve got nothing but a fancy “Discovery” special. Forget about it”, while Peter Travers at ABC News was equally critical, saying, “Even a double dose of the great Robert De Niro taking on the grandpa roles of feuding mob bosses Vito Genovese and Frank Costello, can’t lift this gimmicky, grating, draggy attempt to join the pantheon of classic gangster cinema. It’s a losing battle.”
It’s not all cement boots and sleeping with fishes for De Niro’s latest venture into the world of organised crime, however, with Glenn Kenny of the New York Times giving the film a favourable review, saying, “While it’s inevitable that some, maybe many, viewers will find the dual role a distraction, those who hunger for De Niro in mobster mode will get more than their fill.”
Elizabeth Weitzman at Time Out, similarly, gave the film some words of praise, writing, “Comparisons won’t serve anyone well. But if you take it on its own terms—as an eccentric but entertaining curio–there’s still plenty of fun to be had.” Justin Chang at the New Yorker also seemed to have fun with The Alto Knights, with his review stating, “Unfair as it would be to compare ‘The Alto Knights’ to ‘The Irishman’, some of Scorsese’s mournful grandeur does cling to Levinson’s film by association. In both films, it’s De Niro’s Frankness that keeps you watching.”
