The last time I saw the Rolling Stones in concert was in June of 2019 at Soldier Field as part of their No Filter Tour, and the great thing about it was they were THE ROLLING STONES — as vibrant and brilliant and soul-stirring as they’ve ever been. The same could be said for the performances by the now 81-year-old Robert De Niro in last month’s Netflix limited series “Zero Day” and in the feature film “The Alto Knights,” which has De Niro creating two distinct characters in a dual role. In both the TV series and the movie, De Niro isn’t doing some glorified cameo or final-curtain cutesy grandpa role; he’s in his full Bobby D glory, reminding us once again why he’s in the upper stratosphere of great actors of this or any other era.
“The Alto Knights” is at times curiously muted for a crime drama and doesn’t match the greatness of previous De Niro gangster films such as “Mean Streets,” “Once Upon a Time in America,” “Goodfellas,” “Casino” and “The Irishman.” Still, with a heavyweight résumé that includes not only De Niro but director Barry Levinson (“Rain Man,” “Bugsy,” “Wag the Dog”) and screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi (co-writer of “Goodfellas” and “Casino”), this is a substantial and well-filmed period piece about 20th century New York crime bosses whose fortunes were dipped in blood — and whose feuds were petty and violent and led to their undoing.
De Niro plays Luciano crime family boss Frank Costello as a pragmatic businessman who by the 1950s was a well-known figure in New York society, hosting high-profile charitable endeavors, always with his wife Bobbie (Debra Messing) by his side. Through tricks of makeup and hair and what appears to be a bit of digital wizardry, De Niro’s co-lead in the film is … Robert De Niro, as Costello’s lifelong friend Vito Genovese.
A long-simmering feud between the two led to Genovese ordering the bumbling sociopath Vincent Gigante (Cosmo Jarvis from “Shōgun”) to gun down Costello. After the hit is botched, “The Alto Knights” becomes an extended serio-comic set piece, with seamless editing that allows for De Niro as Costello and De Niro as Genovese to occasionally sit across from one another as they try — and fail — to resolve their differences.
Kathrine Narducci gives a firecracker of a performance as Genovese’s wife, Anna, who ran gay nightclubs in New York and eventually testified against Genovese in open court, to the delight of the press. Michael Rispoli is a standout as Albert Anastasia, a crime boss who is fiercely loyal to Costello.
Nearly all of the major events depicted in “The Alto Knights” (named after the social club where Genovese held court) are based on recorded history, whether it’s the attempted hit on Costello, the disputes between Costello and Genovese, or the Apalachin Meeting in upstate New York between mob leaders from across the United States that was raided by New York State Police — the same meeting that serves as the opening sequence, narrated by De Niro, in “Analyze This.”
De Niro infuses Costello with a kind of avuncular charm, while Genovese has the fiery temper and paranoid fury to match Jake La Motta in “Raging Bull.” It’s a privilege to witness one of the best actors of all time, still at the top of his game.