The Alto Knights explores the rivalry between Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, and the ending is complicated, with intertwined real-life events and dramatic exaggerations. Barry Levinson is the filmmaker behind classic movies like Rain Man and Good Morning, Vietnam, and though he’s been less prominent in recent years, he’s continued to work on projects with long-time collaborators like Robert De Niro. De Niro leads The Alto Knights cast as both mob boss characters: Costello and Vito Genovese.

The movie begins with Vito Genovese’s failed hit attempt on Frank Costello and eventually circles back around to the aftermath after providing context. Frank intends to forgive Vito, surrender his position, and leave the mafia life for good. He doesn’t want to risk his life because he doesn’t feel dedicated to his line of work anymore, so he tries to retire. Vito doesn’t believe that Frank will retire, so he continues to pursue the conflict. Vito is then present at an event called the Apalachin meeting, leading to a real-life raid that saw 60 national bosses detained and indicted.

Frank Costello’s Plan To Defeat Vito Genovese Explained

Frank Turned To The Law To Cover His Tracks

After the murder of Albert Anastasia at a barber shop, Frank Costello realizes that Vito Genovese is not going to let him walk away from the life. Vito’s volatile behavior and constant bloodlust have led him to be paranoid, even of the more mild-mannered Frank Costello. As Frank explains, Vito anticipates other people’s actions by imagining them doing things that he would do, so he believes Frank will attempt to do something vicious out of vengeance for the botched ᴀssᴀssination attempt on him. The movie doesn’t depict Frank seeking retribution, but it’s also told with a bias toward his perspective.

Frank’s retaliation against Vito is arguably more taboo, at least for a member of the mafia. Like Frank says, he needs a way to get back at Vito that can’t be traced back to him. If he were to kill Vito, he might have the support of other bosses, but it risks starting a war that drags him in deeper. Frank’s plan involves a law enforcement tip, leading to the mafia being exposed on a wider scale, allowing for players like Vito Genovese to be incarcerated later on due to the newfound acknowledgment of the mob as a national organization.

Did Frank Costello Really Tip Off The Police?

There’s No Proof That This Actually Happened

One of the major questions surrounding the ending of The Alto Knights is whether Frank Costello actually tipped off the police about the Apalachin meeting. Of course, being caught doing so would be life-threatening for Costello, but there’s no proof that this ever actually happened. According to Time’s interview with The Alto Knights and Goodfellas screenwriter Tony DeStefano, “We don’t know for a fact that Costello made that trip. He was not at that meeting…But it makes for a good film.” The move reportedly leans into a theory, but there’s nothing concrete to back it.

The Alto Knights sees Frank Costello comically stopping for multiple rounds of coffee and a brief apple-picking trip, doing whatever he can to avoid reaching Apalachin before the police caught wind of what was occurring. For the purposes of the movie, he’s almost bizarrely indiscreet that he’s planning something, leading to suspicions from his driver. This is not how this played out in real life.

Why Vito Genovese Felt Betrayed By Frank Costello

Vito Expected Power To Be Returned To Him After Coming Back From Italy

The rivalry between Vito Genovese and Frank Costello began due to an event roughly two decades before the happenings of The Alto Knights. In 1937, Vito Genovese was forced to flee to Italy, transferring his power to long-time friend Frank Costello. After returning to America and a short time in custody, Vito returned to the life in 1946, but Frank Costello was unwilling to return power to him. This is explained fairly accurately in the movie, though the real-life events involved a third player, Charles “Lucky” Luciano, who wasn’t in the film and who distrusted Vito.

After several years of tentatively maintaining his position as underboss, Vito decided to move against Frank Costello, with Vincent Gigante ordered to carry out the hit on May 2, 1957. In real life, Frank successfully stepped down from his position after surviving the gunsH๏τ, and Vito took control of the family later that year. This led to the Apalachin meeting in November 1957.

What Really Happened At The Apalachin Meeting

Dozens Of Mafia Boss Arrests Were Made

The Apalachin meeting was arranged by Vito Genovese as a way to consolidate his power as the new Luciano crime family boss. Cuba, which was mentioned in the film by Vito as a prospective business operation for Frank, was actually one of the main topics discussed at the real-life meeting, as well as topics of narcotics, which had long been an ideological difference for Vito and Frank.

Hosted by Pennsylvian boss Joseph Barbara, local police caught wind of his son’s activity, reserving local H๏τel rooms and ordering a sizable quanтιтy of meat from a nearby butcher. Like in the film, police discovered the cars and began marking down license plates, causing the mobsters to panic and flee the scene. At the meeting, twenty of the mafia bosses in attendance were charged with “conspiring to obstruct justice by lying about the nature of the underworld meeting” and were later found guilty in January 1959.

The Real Meaning Of The Alto Knights Ending Explained

The Alto Knights Is About Duality

Robert De Niro’s best movies include mafia film classics like Goodfellas, The Godfather Part II, and The Untouchables. He’s no stranger to this genre, having practically defined the cultural depiction of Italian-American mobsters. The Alto Knights’ reviews haven’t been as kind as some of his classics, but the portrayals offered by the legendary actor offer a level of prestige that most movies don’t have. The fact that De Niro plays both characters is crucial to the movie’s themes.

The Alto Knights isn’t just a story about mobsters; it’s a story about two men who grew up in the same environment but turned out as enemies. It’s about duality. Frank Costello and Vito Genovese are totally different people, but they share innate elements, and there are aspects of themselves in each other. The тιтle of The Alto Knights refers to a shared location of their childhood, but it’s also a reminder of the yin-yang these characters form. Frank thinks he has Vito’s psychology figured out, but his final scheme demonstrates just how much they really have in common.

Sources: Time