Upcoming movie Alto Knights (2025): Story, plot and cast

Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama, History

Release Date: March 21, 2025

Director: Barry Levinson

Writer: Nicholas Pileggi

Production Companies: Warner Bros., Winkler Films

Filming Locations: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Story

In his exploration of the complex world of organized crime in America during the mid-20th century, Alto Knights focuses on the tumultuous relationship between Vito Genovese and Frank Costello, two significant Italian-American criminal figures. The film depicts the fierce rivalry between these mob figures against a background of shifting power dynamics, leading up to Genovese’s dramatic 1957 attempt to assassinate Costello. Power, revenge, and survival in the brutal world of organized crime are some of the themes explored in this film as the two men navigate betrayal, loyalty, and the intricate web of their criminal empires. The movie shows how Costello eventually left the mob despite the attempt on his life, shedding light on the dangerous game of survival in the criminal underworld.

Plot Summary

Vito Genovese (Robert De Niro) and Frank Costello (Cosmo Jarvis) are the titans of their respective crime families in the 1950s underworld of New York City. The film begins with the simmering tension between these two men, whose personal animosity fosters a risky game of cat and mouse and whose operations clash violently.

The narrative builds to Genovese’s spectacular 1957 assassination attempt. The attempted murder is a crucial incident that rocks the criminal community and ripples through their friends and relatives. The film examines the beginnings of their conflict, the effects on their families, and the internal politics that resulted in such drastic measures through a series of flashbacks and intense dramatizations.

The film shows the personal and professional costs of their rivalry against the backdrop of the busy city and the complex world of organized crime. The story unfolds with high stakes negotiations, shifting allegiances, and the constant threat of violence as Costello escapes the attack and withdraws from the mob. The movie ends with a contemplation of the fallout from their deeds and the final struggle for survival and atonement.

Cast

Robert De Niro as Vito Genovese

Cosmo Jarvis as Frank Costello

Debra Messing as Kathrine Narducci

Matt Servitto as George Wolf

Belmont Cameli as Frankie Boy

Louis Mustillo as Joe Bonanno

Carrie Lazar as LT. Trooper

Bryant Carroll as Local Reporter #1

Joseph Moreland as Juror

Bob Glouberman as Victor Riesel

Ed Amatrudo as Rudolph Halley

Jean Claude Leuyer as Assassin

James Ciccone as Carlo Gambino

Dennis Craig Hensley as The Majestic Doorman

Steven Terry Walker as Judge (Angry) (credit only)

Michael Adler as Senator Tobey

Jeffrey Grover as Judge Liebowitz