The Alto Knights

In 1930s New York, Vito Genovese and Frank Costello were two of the most feared mob bosses, and the war between them - bloody and long-lasting - is historic. Not least because they were inseparable childhood friends, who grew up together, and were thought to be reigning gangster kingpins together, side-by-side, until Genovese's paranoia took over and he ordered the assassination of his best friend.

Given the dramatic qualities of a personal, dense, and fascinating story like this, the fact that it hasn't been made into a film before is as strange to me as how a lavish Frank Sinatra biopic has never being made either. But now it's here, The Alto Knights, which tells the whole story of the war between Geno and Costello, via acting in a double effort as Robert De Niro portrays both men.

The director is none other than Barry Levinson (Rain Man and Sleepers) and the producer behind it all is Irvin Winkler, who over the years has been behind productions such as Goodfellas, Raging Bull, and Rocky. It's a star-studded production team, in other words, and there's more experience in this specific genre than you can count. Despite this, this film is numbingly dull and largely pointless.

The story of former BFF criminals Vito and Frank feels undercooked here in a way that seems a tad absurd. It feels like Levinson is guessing, focusing on long conversations about Frank's dog, or about his wife instead of trying to create tension and drama around the core of the rivalry and the mafia war that was going on. It's not helped by the fact that De Niro is so uninspired in both roles and honestly looks like he's having a hard time staying awake for long periods.

The Alto Knights might have worked as a miniseries, instead, with two actors instead of one in the lead roles, both of whom star with some commitment, energy, and drive. As it is, this stands out as the worst mafia action film in years, and a movie that I have had trouble staying awake while watching...