Robert De Nirohas starred in some of the greatest Mafia movies of all time. One of his earliest roles in the genre was in 1973’sMean Streets, his first collaboration with Martin Scorsese, which is widely regarded as one of the greatest gangster films ever made. The following year,Robert De Niro portrayeda young Vito Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola’sThe Godfather Part II, a performance that earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor – his first of eight Oscar nominations throughout his distinguished career.
Over the years, De Niro has teamed up with Scorsese on several other iconic mob movies, includingGoodfellasandCasino, both co-written by Nicholas Pileggi based on his nonfiction books.Goodfellasis especially regarded as one of the greatest gangster films ever made. His other notable contributions to the genre include starring in Brian De Palma’sThe Untouchables,A Bronx Tale(which De Niro also directed), and reuniting with Scorsese forThe Irishmanin 2019. However,De Niro’s new Mafia movie has been a critical and commercial disaster.
The Alto Knights Has Critics & Audiences Divided On Rotten Tomatoes
Robert De Niro’s New Mafia Movie Released On March 21
The Alto Knightsis dividing critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Directed by the Oscar-winning Barry Levinson and penned by Pileggi,the new movie stars De Niro in a dual role as 1950s Mafia bosses Vito Genovese and Frank Costelloand chronicles the conflict that erupts after the former orders a failed hit on the latter.The Alto Knightscastalso includes Debra Messing, Cosmo Jarvis, Kathrine Narducci, Michael Rispoli, James Ciccone, and Matt Servitto in supporting roles.
The Alto Knights Ending Explained: Who Wins Between Frank & Vito?
The Alto Knights features a complicated ending of back-and-forth bloodshed and some major twists. Here’s our breakdown of what happened.
Now, following its theatrical release on March 21, De Niro’s new Mafia movie is dividing critics and audiences.The Alto Knightshas a 38% score from critics coupled with a 70% audience scoreonRotten Tomatoes. The movie has 101 reviews and 250+ verified ratings at the time of writing, so those scores are subject to change over time.
What The Alto Knights' Rotten Tomatoes Scores Mean For The Movie
What Are Critics & Audiences Saying?
The Alto Knightshas received largely negative reviews from critics, who consider it a competent but tired rehash of mob movie clichés. For instance, inScreenRant’sreview ofThe Alto Knights, Mary Kessel writes,“If you’re looking for Robert De Niro’s next great role, this tired gangster movie is sure to disappoint… Fans of De Niro and the gangster movie will have fun with this addition to the genre, but they won’t find anything new in its well-tread story.”
Audiences apparently feel differently aboutThe Alto Knights, with many of the user-submitted reviews on Rotten Tomatoes praising De Niro’s dual performance, the film’s historical accuracy, and engaging storytelling. However, some still found the pacing to be slow, De Niro’s dual role distracting, and the plot lacking direction. While the audience reception has been better than critics, it’s not like audiences are showing up forThe Alto Knights, as the movie made only $3 million in its opening weekend against its $50 million budget, one of the most disastrous debuts of 2025 so far.
