A FEW DISCONNECTED NOTES ON THE ALTO KNIGHTS

 Undoubtedly not to everyone’s taste, but I saw today The Alto Knights about the devolving relationship between gangsters Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, the latter vying for control of Lucky Luciano’s “family” after he was deported to Italy.

De Niro imo is terrific playing both guys even though I was always conscious it was him, which took away from my fuller absorption.

Imo, it’s very good movie, but my love of this kind of stuff affects my objectivity.

Here is my succession of posts about it on X:

1. The Alto Knights is a good, solid if niche film. 

De Niro’s acting is impressive. 

People can dislike it or him in it.

But if it’s due to his stridency against Trump, then they  hopelessly confuse apples and oranges due to ideological occlusion. 

They’re infected by ideology.

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2. On thinking about it, it’s better than good. It’s very good—in the shadow of great—with superb contrasts, obvious and subtle. For some it’s slow and ponderous. They miss that it’s about old men, albeit gangsters. The representation of them is artful. Not slow or ponderous at all.

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3. Historical note: the film has Genovese giving up being family boss to Costello on fleeing to Italy. 

That’s not right. 

See note below.

Generally be aware: the film takes some liberties with actuality. 

And to clarify the note: Vito fled to Italy AFTER Frank was chosen.

AI: “Historical Note: Yes, your understanding is correct. Frank Costello became the boss of the Luciano crime family (later known as the Genovese family) not as a successor to Vito Genovese, but rather as the chosen successor of Charles "Lucky" Luciano. When Luciano was deported to Italy in 1946, he selected Costello to lead the family, bypassing Genovese, who had fled to Italy in 1937 to avoid prosecution. Costello ruled as boss until 1957 when Genovese, having returned and consolidated power, orchestrated an assassination attempt on Costello, forcing him into retirement. Genovese then took control of the family.”

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4. One virtue of The Alto Knights—it doesn’t glorify gangsters like The Godfather Part I, Casino and Goodfellas tend to. Here the thugs are thugs and dumb, with some nuance in Costello. So this film leans toward The Irishman and even more so to Donnie Brasco where the thugs are violent, remorseless and pathetic.

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Postscript: Add to note 3, Genovese and Costello were NOT boyhood friends. They first met, apparently, some time in early 1930s.