DVD Corner

The Alto Knights Blu-ray Review

“The Alto Knights” is much better than the reviews suggest.  

Written by Nicholas Pileggi, “The Alto Knights” is a true story based crime-drama about Italian-American crime bosses Frank Costello and Vito Genovese. In their youth, the two grew up together and were close friends in New York. That all changed when Vito returned from Italy (where he stayed to dodge a murder charge). When Vito returns to New York, he hopes to take a leadership position again as Frank took over duties in his absence. Frank has managed to etch out a thriving crime business, but Vito wants to do things his way and dip into the drug trade. The two friends find themselves drifting apart and begin to feud. The friends really become enemies when the paranoid Vito puts a hit out on Frank. Frank manages to survive and wants to step away from the crime business. In order to do that in a safe fashion, he has to plot something major. 

Unfairly maligned by critics, “The Alto Knights” is a rewarding gangster film/biodrama. As a longtime fan of director Barry Levinson (dating back to his debut with the fantastic “Diner”), it was a treat to see the director back in action after a decade off. Yes, ‘Alto’ may bear resemblance to gangster films of the past (especially “Goodfellas” and “The Godfather”), but, in typical Levinson fashion, this is an engrossing character piece about friends turned enemies Frank and Vito. The real life story about these two is endlessly fascinating (especially seeing how it all ended). Within this framework, we also get to learn about Frank and Vito’s wives and the crime boss families/hierarchy which becomes a critical component of the story.

What really resonated with me the most is that ‘Alto’ feels like a refreshing throwback. This is a true adult drama period piece in a sea of CGI blockbusters. The production values are absolutely first rate here with the costumes, sets, make-up, and cars. It’s the kind of Hollywood production we don’t see enough of these days. 

Much of the conversation about this film has been devoted to Robert DeNiro and deservedly so. This is easily one of his best performances of the past decade (in dual roles no less). Seeing DeNiro play 2 polar opposite personas is a cinematic delight. He clearly had a blast playing the more Joe Pesci esque Vito.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 2.39:1 1080p. How does it look? Expect a pristine hi-def print. 

Audio Track: Dolby Atmos. How does it sound? This is a layered track that handles all of the audio exceptionally well. 

The lone extra is a Digital copy.

May 21, 2025 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Barry Levinson, Gangster Movie, Robert De Niro, The Alto Knights Blu-ray Review, True Story