THE ALTO KNIGHTS

THE ALTO KNIGHTS follows the story of Frank Costello, an aging mob boss reflecting on his career, and the incidents that caused him to retire. The movie opens with Frank getting shot in the head, though much of the movie builds back up to this moment, providing context for why it happened.

Frank and his best friend Vito Genovese entered the Mafia at the same time. They both quickly moved through the ranks and even at a young age have the opportunity to be a part of the leadership of organized crime. Though they had their run-ins with the police, for the most part they learn how to stay clean, and become friendly with those in power, keeping their business out of any serious trouble. This, however, is not enough to save Vito after he was involved in a double homicide, which causes him to flee the country and move to Italy for 15 years. In the meantime, Frank takes over as the boss of their neighborhood and eventually serves as the head of the entire New York mob.

When Vito finally returns from Italy, he expects to be immediately reinstated at the top, but the mobsters are not inclined to immediately give him back this position given how powerful Frank has gotten with the outside world. Instead, Frank gives him a neighborhood to run, but Vito proves to be trouble when he starts bringing in business through the international drug trade.

Though Frank disapproves of Vito getting involved in this business and foresees it leading to his demise, he’s unable to stop Vita and his ever increasing power. Vito begins roping in the support of other mob bosses, and by doing so puts more and more pressure on Frank to relinquish his position. Frank, however, continues to feel secure in his position, both because of his past with the other mob bosses and because of his friendships with both law enforcement and politicians.

To prove Frank doesn’t have the power he thinks he has, Vito calls for a hit on Frank, leading to him getting shot in the head at the start of the movie. Frank survives getting shot in the head and vows he won’t allow Vito to get away with it. To do so, Frank calls a meeting of all the mob bosses, where he plans to give his leadership title over to Vito, allowing him to take full control of the mob. Frank, however, doesn’t show up to the meeting and sends the police their way instead. This sting eventually allows the police to prosecute these men, leading to a nationwide downfall of the mob, with Vito at the center of it all. Meanwhile, Frank is able to walk away a free man and live out the rest of his days in luxury.

THE ALTO KNIGHTS has some entertaining moments and a strong performance from Robert De Niro, who plays both Frank and Vito. Furthermore, the time period is well established and believable both through the time period and actions of the characters. However, with so many strong mob movies having been made in the past, the movie often feels lackluster and slow-paced in comparison.

THE ALTO KNIGHTS doesn’t strongly push back against the strong pagan attitude of the gangsters it depicts. The characters all follow an immoral system that was established by them and is constantly changing as they see fit. It allows them the freedom to engage in dozens of illegal and wrongful acts including murder, bribery, theft, lying, extortion, etc. Ultimately, the movie seems to side with Frank’s more businesslike approach to being a gangster. So, it never really pushes back against his immoral choice of profession. Along with this troubling attitude, THE ALTO KNIGHTS features excessive foul language, with at least 127 profanities and obscenities, extreme violence, and some homosexual references. So, THE ALTO KMOGHTS is ultimately abhorrent.