The Alto Knights (2025)

Nicholas Pileggi takes the figures of two Italian-American gangsters, Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, to write this film, a story based on real events in a moment in the history of America and New York that is both tense and rich for cinematic creation.

For his part, the renowned Barry Levinson takes the reins of direction to make it a classic gangster film.

Thus, the film includes constant references to other well-known works of the genre in an exercise of remembrance. This offers a looseness when it comes to entertain the followers of this type of arguments, but inevitably makes it lose freshness in the absence of something new to tell.

With a steady pace, lightened by small breaks of black and white photographic montages, the film progresses among the characteristic political intricacies, gang plots and unexpected twists and turns.

Although it is true that, with all this, the film does not stumble with an excess of bloody scenes or excessive violence and is more restrained.

The cinematography, the setting of this luxurious New York in contrast with the streets of the working class neighborhoods, is outstanding.

The luxuries of the mafia and all that aura that always surrounds their meetings, premises and houses when they are carried out well, are an absolute visual delight, and in this aspect so powerful marks a barbaric importance for the public to enjoy the story, getting to enter fully into that environment that offers us the tape.

Robert De Niro is doing a magnificent job in this film. Very interesting is the style in which he works, and how two such different characters are carried out by him, is key to make this work what it is, and in that aspect, his interpretation is an absolute barbaric enjoyment.

The women in the film do well and there were moments that reminded me of Casino, especially with Genovese's wife and the quarrels they both have.