LIKES:
The Atmosphere
The Setting
The Music
The Realism
The Makeup
The Historical Presence
The Acting
Summary:
The Alto Knights looks at Frank Costello's life and gives us a deep dive into the history of the famous mobster in American History. Levinson's vision comes to life in fantastic visuals, Hollywood's resources once again bringing history back in multiple aspects. The amazing classic cars of the times with their custom license plates, the grittiness of the city as the old-time shops and trades return to the present times, and the various technologies are pulled out of storage to give us the news. Such attention to detail is stunning, especially the fashions of many of the background characters, which help give you the immersion feel. Alongside the music, another collection of classics that are utilized at the perfect times to add that element of enjoyment or humor. It's a very atmospheric movie that I find quite amazing, adding such majesty to a story where such prowess is needed. The Alto Knights is very much a biography, and the realism this movie takes is very much an incredible part of the story to help give more gravity toward Costello's actions and the "friends" that he ran the city with. I loved the character development components of the two key characters, their lives coinciding alongside the changing times, and how the family dynamics intensified. Such intense family drama is the tip of the iceberg of the actions that went down in this battle for supremacy of the city. If you like seeing such a strategy for political power, you are going to really like the portrayals they capture in this film.
Past the story/presentation, the movie's other two qualities are makeup and acting, which I want to comment on as the strengths. The makeup is incredible for how DeNiro is transformed into the character, each version holding enough of the actor but holding realistic nudges to give him some differences and portray the older characters. Yet, it's Messing I was surprised to see transformed into the character she was, only her eyes shining through for me to pick her out of the lineup. The rest of the group gets a decent design that may not be the most life-changing technique but does accomplish transforming them into dead lookalikes of the characters referenced in the paper. As for the acting, this is the component I think is the strongest aspect of the Knights. This movie is loaded with heavy-duty grit, vigor, and crossing levels most won't cross and it takes acting of high caliber to bring it to life. DeNiro is much of the film, the focal point of the movie that plays well off of his two roles and brings that gravity such a character requires. Calm and collected at times like a boss, DeNiro knows how to bring power when he needs to be threatening, especially in the other role he plays which is the more aggressive mobster. Messing is stunning in this role, her dramatic themes well-toned as she partakes in the moral compass aspect of Frank's life as she handles the fallout from the power play. The rest of the cast feels a welcomed representation of real-life mobsters, perhaps a bit stereotypical but feeling believable from what I saw today.
DISLIKES:
The Pace
The Lack of Suspense/Movie Magic
Limited Action/Mob War
A Few Characters Need More Time
Can Be Hard To Watch
Summary
When it comes to the dislikes of this movie, it starts with the pace. The Alto Knights is the kind of slow that feels like it magnifies the run time by a multiple of four. If you aren't ready for a historical walk, the movie is going to be very boring as the elements mentioned above steer it purely from the entertainment that a Crime movie often promises. This film feels very much like a biographical drama more than anything else, the presentation as a recollection of memories and a story creative but catered to be less exhilarating than some other mobster movies we've seen. Pileggi's scrip is much smarter, relying more on knowing your competition and playing this metaphorical chess game to get the one up on people. Yet, the movie didn't have me gripping for anything safe with all the foreshadowing they were doing. In addition, the characters need more time at times, more involvement and a little bit of that movie magic to spice things up, add that intensity, and give me a little more encouragement to invest. In addition, the movie is very hard to watch because of the aggressive choices they took with this movie to give it authenticity. The Alto Knights are loaded with abrasive words that are unapologetic in their intensity and will be very offensive. It reflects the times well, but it's very offensive and excessive to the point of being exhausting and not fun. Add the violence, which when laced with that realism, is very gory and lacks censorship to hide the merciless acts from sight. Should such darkness not be your cup of tea, avoid this film by all means until you are ready to try such antics.
The VERDICT:
The Alto Knights is a strong display of history that gives you a snippet of the lifestyle of the rise of the mob in America. A character-centric tale to peel back the layers of a crime lord, it's a wonderful biographical film with a great presentation due to the visual effects, settings, and makeup/costumes that immerse you into the stories. It is a real and raw movie, with performances bringing things to full strength and creating personas that are big, bold, and brutal that I think older generations will enjoy. Amidst all this realism, is a movie that is less entertaining and exciting in the traditional sense. One needs to pay attention to the dialogue, enjoy the strategic alliances, and be ready for those kinds of drops than the usual gunplay crime movies can have. In addition, the aggressive language and antics are going to be hard to watch for those with sensitive stomachs alongside those who don't want a film highlighting the illegal antics of the mob. A definite candidate for an Oscar film, The Alto Knights is going to be worthy of a theater going for historical buffs, but for most should be one to view at home with plenty of pauses. My scores for the film are:
Biography/Crime/Drama/History: 7.5
Movie Overall: 6.0.
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