The Alto Knights: Who were the real-life Genovese Crime Family? Details explored 

The Alto Knights tells the story of two mob bosses who are at loggerheads. Nicholas Pileggi (who also wrote Goodfellas) wrote the biographical crime drama, which Barry Levinson directed. It was released on March 21, 2025.

Here's the official synopsis:

Two of New York City's most notorious organized crime bosses vie for control of the city's streets. Once best friends, petty jealousies and a series of betrayals set them on a deadly collision course.

One of the crime families featured in the film is the Genovese. So let's explore and find out the real-life story of the aforementioned crime family that operated in the US.

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Who were the real-life Genovese Crime Family as shown in The Alto Knights?

The Alto Knights stars Robert De Niro in the dual role of mob bosses, Vito Genovese and Frank Costello. They were associated with the Genovese crime family that dominated the American Mafia scene in the mid-20th century. In real life, both were rivals as they operated in New York City.

Also known as the Westside, the Genovese was founded by Charles Luciano aka Lucky who headed the organization between 1931 and 1957. This was also the time when Vito Genovese was his underboss.

The US government had put a blanket prohibition on selling or manufacturing alcohol which became a fertile ground for many mafias to emerge in the 1930s. Genovese as well as Costello would smuggle alcohol into their country from places like Canada and Europe.

In The Alto Knights, we see Genovese increasingly becoming jealous as Costello gets his hands into gambling and other businesses to make money. Genovese also orders a hit against Costello which fails.

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The eventual fate of the mob bosses in The Alto Knights

Vito Genovese was caught while he was trafficking heroin in the year 1959. A decade later, he died inside the prison due to heart-related problems. Unlike Genovese, Costello did not die behind bars but managed to spend his time at home. He died in 1973.

In The Alto Knights, both these roles are played by De Niro, and the infamous "Apalachin Meeting" takes place which leads to the arrest of Genovese. It was a meeting of several mobsters on November 14, 1957, in New York. Costello managed to evade as he was unable to reach the venue as he constantly stopped at stores and shops near the road.

Over the years, the Genovese has seen several people leading the organization. Between the years of 1981 and 2005, it was headed by Vincent Gigante aka The Chin. After his death in 2005, the leadership has been in flux.

Meanwhile, The Alto Knights is produced by Levinson, Jason Sosnoff, David Winkler, Charles Winkler, and Irwin Winkler. Warner Bros. Pictures released the film on March 21, 2025.

Levinson gave an interview to Variety where he spoke about how the two characters came about for the film. He said,

"Originally, it was a Frank Costello piece, but ultimately we developed two characters. And Irwin Winkler said to me one day, he said, “What do you think about the idea of Bob playing both?” I said, “Well, that’s intriguing.” I mean, we’re talking about one of the greatest actors ever in film. It’d be interesting to talk with Bob and see what he thinks. We had that conversation and Bob liked the challenge of doing two totally different characters."

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