The Alto Knights depicts a chapter in the life of Vito Genovese, but there’s more to the notorious mobster’s life afterward. The film, directed by Rain Man’s Barry Levinson, is centered around the conflict between Genovese and fellow mafia boss Frank Costello. Legendary actor Robert De Niro, whose best movies include The Godfather Part II and Goodfellas, plays both characters, exploring the duality of the two rivals and childhood friends. Vito Genovese is easily the more volatile and dangerous of the two, or at least that’s how he’s depicted in the film.

As explained in the film, Vito Genovese was the boss of the Luciano crime family prior to Frank Costello. After being forced to exile himself to Italy to avoid problems with the law, Genovese pᴀssed on the leadership of the family to Costello. This ultimately created a rift between them when, on Genovese’s return to the mafia life in 1946, Costello was unwilling to return power to him. The Alto Knights’ story is about Genovese’s botched hit attempt on Costello and the subsequent events, but there are still years of Genovese’s life afterward.

Vito Genovese Was Sent To Prison For 15 Years In 1959

Vito’s Incarceration Is A Story Of Betrayals As Well

The Alto Knights ending features the events of the Apalachin meeting, a summit held by Vito Genovese to consolidate his power after taking over the family. While the movie depicts Frank betraying the mafia by tipping off the police, there’s no evidence that this actually happened in real life. However, the police did come down on the mob at the Apalachin meeting, and it’s true that this was the moment that forced the government to accept that the mafia was an international syndicate. At this moment, Vito Genovese evaded arrest while many of his colleagues were detained.

The law ended up catching up to Vito Genovese in 1959 when he was convicted in New York of conspiracy to violate federal narcotics laws. He was then sentenced to fifteen years in a low-security prison in Atlanta. This wasn’t Genovese’s first time incarcerated, and as is generally the case with stories about mob bosses, he still allegedly managed to make moves from behind bars. Given how the film depicts Genovese, it’s no surprise that he would want to continue pulling strings no matter his living arrangements.

Vito Genovese Is Believed To Be Behind Several Murders While In Prison

Vito Was Linked To Four Mob Murders While In Prison

Many of the behind-the-scenes affairs of the mafia, even those that transpired decades ago, are still foggy on the details. We don’t know for sure what Vito Genovese did while in prison, but there’s a general belief that he was behind the murders of multiple New York mafia members during this time. Again, in character with the movie’s depiction. The first instance was in September 1959, with the target being Anthony Carfano. Carfano was reportedly upset about the attempted hit on Frank Costello and decided not to attend the Apalachin meeting. In return, Genovese decided to kill him.

Vito Genovese’s incarceration has been one of constant speculation, as there’s some belief it was orchestrated by other mafia members. Genovese apparently believed Anthony Strollo to be one of those involved in the scheme. Strollo his house for a walk and was never seen again, with his body never discovered. In 1962, Vito Genovese reportedly ordered a $100,000 hit on a fellow inmate named Joseph Valachi for being an informer. Valachi then killed a man, believing him to be his ᴀssᴀssin, and received a life sentence. Ernest Rupolo was Vito Genovese’s next presumed kill in 1964.

Vito Genovese Died In 1969, 12 Years After The Alto Knight’s Story

Vito Died Of A Heart Attack Over A Decade After The Apalachin Meeting

As shown in The Alto Knights epilogue, Vito Genovese died in 1969 from a heart attack, with Frank Costello outliving him by four years and dying in 1973. Vito had enemies while in prison, continuing to live a dangerous life in his final years. Later on, in 1981, Vincent “Chin” Gigante, the man who attempted to ᴀssᴀssinate Frank Costello in the movie, became the boss of the Genovese crime family. The family still exists today, reportedly run by Liborio Salvatore “Barney” Bellomo.

Reviews for The Alto Knights might not have been splendid or on par with Robert De Niro’s most famous mobster movies, but it does paint Vito Genovese as an interesting character. Though the movie is biased toward Frank Costello’s perspective, Genovese is undoubtedly the more lively and entertaining performance, with The Alto Knights highlighting his apтιтude for conflict and violence.