Robert De Niro Goes to War Against Himself in ‘The Alto Knights’ Trailer

Robert De Niro is starring as the Mafia boss in a mob drama. Sounds about right. But this time, he’s playing both lead roles: Vito Genovese and Frank Costello. De Niro will double his acting expertise in The Alto Knights, a crime drama inspired by the true story behind Costello and Genovese’s deadly rivalry.

The film’s newly released trailer finds Genovese and Costello in a dimly lit restaurant, talking over their different approaches to organized crime. Costello informs Genovese, “You’re not where I am. I give to charities, I pay my taxes.” But Genovese makes sure to remind Costello that his cushy life as consigliere is all thanks to Vito’s dirty work. “I put you where you are today,” he says. Boom. The stage is set for the high-stakes, blood-thirsty story of how Genovese ordered a hit on Costello in the late Fifties in order to take the New York throne from him.

Between barbershops, bullets, and betrayal, The Alto Knights trailer provides flashes of the infamous mob story. Katherine Narducci, Debra Messing, and Cosmo Jarvis also make an appearance, as they star alongside De Niro. Directed by Barry Levinson, the film is set for a spring release on March 21.

The Alto Knights was created by veterans of the mob drama genre. The script was written by none other than Oscar-nominated Nicholas Pileggi, who famously wrote the 1985 story of Henry Hill in his non-fiction book Wiseguy, and later co-wrote the book’s film adaptation, Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas. Oscar winner Irwin Winkler, who also produced Goodfellas, produced the film.