Actor Robert De Niro plays two roles in mobster movie The Alto Knights

LONDON – Acclaimed actor Robert De Niro plays not one, but two, lead characters in the biographical crime drama The Alto Knights.

Based on true events, the film is set in 1950s New York, with the two-time Oscar winner portraying rival Italian-American mafia bosses Frank Costello and Vito Genovese.

At times adapting a documentary film-style approach, The Alto Knights recounts the old friends’ shared past, the events leading to their rift and a failed assassination attempt on Costello. Their power struggle plays out in tense scenes, some of which see Costello and Genovese clash face to face.

The Alto Knights is directed by American film-maker Barry Levinson, whose best-known works include Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Rain Man (1988) and Wag The Dog (1997). It is written by American screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi, known for crime dramas Goodfellas (1990) and Casino (1995).

The movie is produced by De Niro’s long-time collaborator Irwin Winkler, and the actor said working with the trio convinced him to return to the mobster genre.

“I wasn’t planning on going back to it, but when Winkler sent me the script, I said, ‘Let me consider’,” De Niro said at the film’s London premiere on March 13.

“When we were talking about who’d play the other part – they wanted me for Costello – he (Winkler) said, ‘Well, what about if you play the other part?’

“I said, ‘That’s an even better reason to do this, if I do it,” the 81-year-old actor added.

Winkler, 93, said he could not think of anyone else better suited for the roles.

“We didn’t do it with any visual effects. It was all really make-up and just him,” he added. “Even after seeing the film so many times, I see two different characters. I don’t see one man playing them.”

De Niro, who was de-aged in the epic gangster film The Irishman (2019), enlisted a co-star to act out scenes featuring both of his characters in The Alto Knights.

“I settled on one guy I thought would be good. He played the Gambino part and he learnt both parts. So, I did it with him and he was a tremendous help,” he said.

The Alto Knights also stars Will & Grace (1998 to 2006, 2017 to 2020) actress Debra Messing, 56, as Costello’s wife Bobbie, while Shogun (2024 to present) actor Cosmo Jarvis portrays gangster Vincent Gigante.

Asked if the experience had inspired him to challenge himself further, De Niro, who has several new film projects lined up, said: “Now, I’m just trying to keep up with everything I’m doing.”

The Alto Knights begins its global cinematic roll-out on March 19. REUTERS