Robert De Niro has been a consistent presence in mob movies for the past five decades. One of his first Mafia movies was 1973’s Mean Streets, which marked De Niro’s first of several collaborations with Martin Scorsese and is considered by many to be one of the greatest gangster movies ever made. The following year, De Niro played a younger Vito Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather Part II, and won an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, his first of eight Oscar nominations over his illustrious career.

Over the years, De Niro has collaborated with Scorsese on many more mob movies, including Goodfellas and Casino, both of which were co-written by Nicholas Pileggi based on his nonfiction books, and frequently rank among the greatest Mafia movies ever made. Other mob movies that De Niro has starred in over the years include Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America, Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables, A Bronx Tale (which he also directed), and most recently, Scorsese’s The Irishman. Now, De Niro stars in a new Mafia movie.

The Alto Knights Debuts With A Disappointing Rotten Tomatoes Score

Robert De Niro’s New Mob Movie Releases Soon

The Alto Knights has debuted with a disappointing Rotten Tomatoes score. Directed by Oscar-winner Barry Levinson, with a script written by Nicholas Pileggi, the crime drama stars Robert De Niro in a dual role as 1950s mob bosses Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, and follows the conflict between the two after the former survives a hit ordered by the latter. The Alto Knights cast also includes Debra Messing, Cosmo Jarvis, Kathrine Narducci, Michael Rispoli, James Ciccone, and Matt Servitto in supporting roles.

Now, ahead of its theatrical release, The Alto Knights has debuted with a disappointing 41% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie has 37 reviews at the time of writing, so the score could fluctuate as more are published. Once it is released in theaters, its audience score should also begin to take shape.

What The Alto Knights’ Rotten Tomatoes Score Means For the Movie

What Are The Reviews Saying?

The Alto Knights‘ Rotten Tomatoes score means that reviews are mixed for Robert De Niro’s new mob movie, with many expressing disappointment. For instance, in ScreenRant‘s The Alto Knights review, Mary Kessel writes, “If you’re looking for Robert De Niro’s next great role, this tired gangster movie is sure to disappoint… Fans of De Niro and the gangster movie will have fun with this addition to the genre, but they won’t find anything new in its well-tread story.”

Otherwise, reviews paint The Alto Knights as a divisive crime drama that does showcase a strong performance from De Niro in a dual role. However, critics are split on whether it’s a worthy mob epic or a tired rehash of better films, with some praising its craftsmanship and nostalgia while others find it uninspired, gimmicky, and lacking fresh ideas. The mixed critical response is likely due to the fact that De Niro has starred in some of the greatest mob movies ever made. If anyone goes into The Alto Knights expecting that, they are sure to be disappointed.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes