De Niro's double role can't save "The Alto Knights" flop
It was not a good weekend for movies in American theatres. Not only did Disney's high-budget production "Snow White" suffer a defeat, but also Robert De Niro's opus magnum, the gangster drama "The Alto Knights."
We wrote about Disney's movie lately. As a reminder, "Snow White" cost over 358 million CAD, and during its premiere weekend, it made only 61 million CAD in the United States, marking the worst result for a live-action version of a Disney animated production in history. The second major premiere of the week was the film featuring Robert De Niro, "The Alto Knights." Both titles are already being shown in Canadian theatres, so you can form your own opinion about them.
Both premieres of the week met the same fate, albeit on a slightly different scale. The productions received poor reviews from critics and much better ones from audiences, though still far from excellent. In the case of "The Alto Knights," the situation is more complex and interesting because most people highly praise the role of cinema legend Robert De Niro, even in such a critical review: "A mindless script and poor editing make this failed drama seem like a parody of great De Niro movies."
In "The Alto Knights," Robert De Niro takes on a dual role as real-life gangsters – Frank Costello and Vito Genovese. The story is about two mafia bosses competing for influence in New York. Once best friends, due to jealousy and betrayal, they became each other's greatest enemies.
The director of "The Alto Knights" is Barry Levinson, an Oscar winner for "Rain Man," but also the creator of the remarkable drama "Bugsy." Meanwhile, the screenplay is by Nicholas Pileggi, author of "Goodfellas," "Casino," and "City Hall." You'd be hard-pressed to find better credentials for a gangster film, and yet… "It's shocking how they could mess up such a story," write disappointed critics, though not all. Some highly praise the movie.
"Levinson, who can find warmth and humor in most circumstances, is naturally drawn toward Frank’s gentility. If the film feels a little juiceless as a result, its restraint seems of a piece with Frank’s own caution. Unfair as it would be to compare "The Alto Knights" to "The Irishman," some of Scorsese’s mournful grandeur—the mounting sense of futility, the bitter awareness of time’s passage—does cling to Levinson’s film by association. In both films, it’s De Niro’s Frankness that keeps you watching. Just when you think you’re out, he pulls you back in," wrote Justin Chang from "The New Yorker."
In American theatres, interest in the film with Robert De Niro is very low. During the opening weekend, the film earned only 4.5 million CAD (only sixth place on the box office list). "The Alto Knights" cost 64 million CAD. The losses will be substantial.
