Robert De Niro is considered one of the greatest actors of all time, and his co-star in his latest movie, The Alto Knights, is also one of the greatest movie stars of all time: Robert De Niro. The Oscar-winning actor is playing two roles in the 2025 new movie, which focuses on two real-life gangsters that changed the course of the mafia in America forever.
Of course, De Niro is no stranger to mafia movies, having starred in The Godfather Part II, Goodfellas, Casino and The Irishman, to name a few. In this movie, he is reteaming with a number of people he worked with on those movies, including the screenwriter and producer, as well as a director that he has a long collaboration with (no, not Martin Scorsese).
Get those details and everything else you need to know about The Alto Knights below.
The Alto Knights release date
The Alto Knights is now playing exclusively in movie theaters in the US and UK. Here are all the details on how to watch The Alto Knights.
The Alto Knights cast
As mentioned, De Niro is playing two roles in The Alto Knights, real-life New York mob bosses Frank Costello and Vito Genovese.
Joining De Niro in the ensemble cast of The Alto Knights are Debra Messing (Will & Grace), Cosmo Jarvis (Shogun), Kathrine Narducci (Godfather of Harlem), Michael Rispoli (The Offer), Michael Adler (A Million Miles Away), Ed Amatrudo (Till), Joe Bacino (Kick-Ass), Anthony J. Gallo (The Irishman), Wallace Langham (Perry Mason season 2), Louis Mustillo (Cooper’s Bar), Frank Piccirillo (movie debut), Matt Servitto (Billions) and Robert Uricola (Raging Bull).
The Alto Knights plot
An original screenplay by Nicholas Pileggi, who wrote Goodfellas and Casino, here is the official synopsis for The Alto Knights:
“The film follows two of New York’s most notorious organized crime bosses, Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, as they vie for control of the city’s streets. Once the best of friends, petty jealousies and a series of betrayals place them on a deadly collision course that will reshape the Mafia (and America) forever.”
The Alto Knights trailer
Watch De Niro act opposite himself in The Alto Knights trailer directly below:
Also watch this exclusive clip where Robert De Niro acts opposite himself:
The Alto Knights reviews
Read WTW's The Alto Knights review for our own thoughts on the gangster movie, but also see what other critics are saying about the movie on Rotten Tomatoes.
Barry Levison movies
Serving as The Alto Knights director is Oscar-winning director Barry Levinson. He won his Oscar for Best Director for Rain Man, but has earned six Oscar nominations total over the course of his career. Levinson and De Niro have worked together four times in their careers, on Sleepers, Wag the Dog, What Just Happened and The Wizard of Lies. The latter is a TV movie, as TV is where Levinson has done a lot of his work in recent years, including with notable titles like Paterno, The Survivor and Dopesick.
But here is a look at all of the feature film directing credits that Levison has in his career:
- Diner (1982)
- The Natural (1984)
- Young Sherlock Holmes (1985)
- Tin Men (1987)
- Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
- Rain Man (1988)
- Avalon (1990)
- Bugsy (1991)
- Toys (1992)
- Jimmy Hollywood (1994)
- Disclosure (1994)
- Sleepers (1996)
- Wag the Dog (1997)
- Sphere (1998)
- Liberty Heights (1999)
- An Everlasting Piece (2000)
- Bandits (2001)
- Envy (2004)
- Man of the Year (2006)
- What Just Happened (2008)
- PoliWood (2009)
- The Bay (2012)
- The Humbling (2014)
- Rock the Kasbah (2015)
The Alto Knights behind the scenes
Levison is also serving as a producer on The Alto Knights, alongside Irwin Winkler (Rocky, Goodfellas), Jason Sosnoff, Charles Winkler and David Winkler; Mike Drake is the movie’s executive producer.
The Alto Knights was one of the movies impacted by the 2023 writer and actor strikes in Hollywood, as it was originally planned for a November 2024 release, but was ultimately moved to its new March 2025 release date.
