Barry Levinson's film 'The Alto Knights' features Robert De Niro as crime boss Vito Genovese in a lackluster mafia narrative. The protagonist, Frank Costello, recounts his life in a way that conveys his resignation and embarrassment over his past, which feels irrelevant. Despite being a potentially compelling character, the film meanders and offers nothing new or exciting to an already saturated genre. It's a drawn-out reflection on retirement from crime, ultimately failing to engage audiences with its repetitive storytelling and uninspired direction.
From the moment it starts, Levinson's first theatrical feature since 2015's 'Rock the Kasbah' is comfortably entombed in the same deep sense of resignation that inspires its main character to get out of the game.
As if he were deeply embarrassed by the disconnect between how much bloodshed he survived, and how little it all mattered in the end.
'The Alto Knights' is steeped in Frank Costello's mindset to a tedious extreme; it's the last shot of 'The Irishman' stretched out to 123 dramatically inert minutes.
Retiring is never as easy as it seems, showcasing the inherent struggles of moving away from a life of crime.
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