Does Robert De Niro play two mob bosses in The Alto Knights? Details explored

In the upcoming film The Alto Knights (2025), Robert De Niro will be seen playing two mob bosses in the movie. Directed by Barry Levinson, The Alto Knights is a crime drama centering the two infamous historical Italian-American gangsters - Vito Genovese and Frank Costello, both essayed by Robert De Niro.

One of the most celebrated actors in film history of all time Robert De Niro, is iconic for his noteworthy portrayals of gangsters in highly noted films such as Mean Streets (1973), The Godfather Part II (1974), etc., this time shall again step into the shoes of portraying iconic crime lords, by joining hands with the writer Nicholas Pileggi in The Alto Knights, who had previously written the two other revered films of Robert De Niro in the crime genre- Goodfellas (1990), Casino (1995) and The Irishman (2019).

Robert De Niro plays two mob bosses in The Alto Knights

Robert De Niro in The Alto Knights | Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Directed by the Academy Award-winning Barry Levinson, who is noted for his previously critically acclaimed Rain Man (1988), Diner (1982), The Natural (1984), and many more, is once again collaborating with Robert De Niro this time with The Alto Knights, as they had previously worked together in the political satire films Wag The Dog (1997) and What Just Happened (2008), along with Sleepers (1996) and The Wizard of Lies (2017), both of which are in the genre of crime.

About Robert De Niro starring in both the roles of Vito Genovese and Frank Costello in The Alto Knights, director Barry Levinson, while speaking in The Adam Jones Podcast, shares:

“It’s amazing. He’s such an astounding actor. It was literally like two different people, like I was working with two different actors."

The captivating frame of watching two different Robert De Niro's sitting across each other in the trailer of The Alto Knights is certainly bound to spark excitement among the audience, who have been cherishing Robert De Niro's work for decades.

What do we know about the plot of The Alto Knights?

The Alto Knights follows the plot of the two historical archnemesis mob bosses Vito Genovese and Frank Costello, and explores how their relationship goes back several years back when they worked together for the notorious gangster Lucky Luciano, and how their relationship changes from being friends to sworn enemies.

Vito Genovese, having previously partook in the Castellammarese War, all began when he started working with Lucky Luciano and helped him establish himself in the powerful mafia world of America. However, due to several turn of events, Vito's position as the head gets threatened with Frank Costello's appointment as their head instead, which leads to the raging animosity between Genovese and Costello.

Director Barry Levinson further defines the relationship between the two bosses Vito Genovese and Frank Costello:

“best friends who become mortal enemies.”

Who all do we see along with Robert De Niro in The Alto Knights?

Along with Robert De Niro, we have Cosmo Jarvis from the most recent Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning TV series Shōgun (2024), along with a promising cast including: