Quentin Tarantino has started writing for the theatre. Steven Spielberghas expressed his concerns about the future of cinema. Yet director Barry Levinson is back with an old-fashioned bang. The Alto Knights, with Robert De Niro in a dual role, is a very old-fashioned, typical gangster movie that is an absolute treat. The film is a cinematic gem that definitely needs attention.
Written by Nicholas Pileggi, this rather snappily cut mob movie on the historical fallout between two childhood friends-turned-mobsters, Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, is a documentary-style fiction that keeps you engaged because of the cheeky wit. Barry Levinson, known for his brilliant sense of humour, almost mocks the gangster genre and its characters. He turns the genre into a tongue-in-cheek comedy. Therefore, all the cross references to Scorsese and Coppola become even more delightful since the tension or violence gets replaced with a certain Brechtian alienation and you simply laugh at the system and are not shocked at all.
Robert De Niro is getting "as good as he gets" with age. His Frank Costello is an outstanding mimicry of his own performance as a gangster. His Vito Genovese is a total rip-off of Joe Pesci. It’s absolutely awesome to watch his comic timing, his menace, his absolute command over any situation; every scene makes both the uniquely different characters come alive. You completely forget whatever differences of make-up and watch De Niro superbly imitate De Niro with relish.
His unflinchingly cool, brooding, smooth-talking, devil-in-disguise Costello, who is also the narrator of the tale, is a terrific parody of his Jimmy Conway in Goodfellas. His vulgar, perpetually volatile, bragging Vito, hiding behind tinted glasses, is yet another parody of his great friend and co-star Joe Pesci’s Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas. Even Vito’s voice and enunciations sound like Pesci. Perhaps ageing helps him to "look back in laughter" at his own work in Scorsese movies. The concept of a double role is a big stunt and De Niro pulls off the stunt with sheer brilliance.
One has to give a nod to Cosmo Jarvis playing the idiotic brute Vincent Gigante, who is Vito’s foot soldier and hired killer. He also seems like an overweight, clownish version of James Caan as Sonny in The Godfather.
Director Levinson seems to be giving a back-handed tribute to Scorsese. If we look back, both Goodfellas and The Alto Knights were initially titled as Wise Guys. I completely disagree with most critics who claim that the film is a rehash. Rather, its strength lies in its witty gibe at the Hollywood gangster genre.
Yet, do not jump to the conclusion that The Alto Knights is a spoof or pure fun. Levinson packs it with enough simmering tension, and stills of real footage. The script, perhaps improvised, is littered with extremely smart dialogue sequences.
The opening scene is a sheer blast from the past. Frank Costello gets out of a yellow cab and is about to enter the walnut-coloured elevator of a high-rise. He wears a typical fedora and sleek suit. He catches a glint of Gigante with a gun and is shot in the head. The mirror is cracked and the split images signify that the battle is actually between split images of De Niro.
The most exciting sequence is when all the fat mob bosses are driving down in their immaculate Cadillacs and Chevrolets from all over the country to attend a clandestine meet at Apalachin, where Frank will hand over the empire control to Vito. We know that Frank has set up a conspiracy to catch them off guard and have them arrested, while he would escape by betraying them in court and retire at leisure. The fact that the sequence begins with a series of quick cuts of the various car number plates is a highly deceptive foreboding of the climax, where they are caught because of their registered number plates. The entire tense sequence is interspersed with Vito’s hilarious argument with the driver regarding something inconsequential. As their stupid argument gets violent, with Frank delaying his arrival, the sequence becomes an excellent piece of cinema.
The brutal execution of the politically corrupt senator Charles Toby, played with finesse by Michael Adler, in the barber shop just before he tries to flee to Cuba, is again a terrific reminder of The Godfather.
The court scene where Frank refuses to take the Fifth Amendment, with Vito screaming at the live telecast on TV, is as cynical and hilarious as can be. The court sequence where Vito’s wildly erratic wife Anna, superbly played by Kathrine Narducci, sues Vito for stealing from her is brilliantly written. Almost all the scenes between the sulking, scheming Frank and his snooty, sophisticated wife are a treat to watch. The first face-off between Frank and Vito in a restaurant is funny as much as it is menacing.
Despite the crazy wit and humour, The Alto Knights is actually a highly political take on mob war that changes the fate of mob history. The lush retro setting and design, brilliantly shot by Dante Spinotti, serve as the ideal bed for the corruption inherent in the gangster as well as the political world.
Throughout the film, Frank is seen flipping the slide projector and narrating. It’s almost as if he is giving you a presentation on the corruption. The aftereffect is thereby rather bitter. Perhaps The Alto Knights is not as great as Rain Man, Good Morning Vietnam, or Wag The Dog, but it definitely stands up to any other classic gangster movie. I severely recommend it to those who are fed up with big-budget AI-driven, Marvel movies... who still care about essential cinema, terrific acting, the good old humour and all that is finally political.
