Robert De Niro Faces Robert De Niro In Trailer For Barry Levinson Gangster Movie Alto Knights

Robert De Niro has played some of the most (in)eminent gangsters in movie history. Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II, Al Capone in The Untouchables, James Conway in Goodfellas, Sam ‘Ace’ Rothstein in Casino… the list goes on. And after his monumental turn as Frank Sheeran in The Irishman, a movie many felt was a farewell to the mob movie genre from those who’d made its greatest hits, you’d be forgiven for thinking De Niro was done playing wise guys. Enter Barry Levinson. Enter Goodfellas scribe Nicholas Pileggi. Enter Alto Knights. Not only is De Niro back on the organised crime beat in the Rain Man filmmaker’s dramatisation of the feud between crime family heads Vito Genovese and Frank Costello in 50s America — he’s playing both of the mobsters himself! Yes, the time of Robert Deux Niro is nigh… and you can check out the first trailer for the film below:

As far as trailers go, Alto Knights‘ has pretty much everything you could’ve hoped for. Slick cars. Smoking guns. Crosses and double-crosses. Thick Italian American accents. And, most importantly, Robert De Niro walking into a bar, meeting Robert De Niro, and then the deux De Niros talking shop as former brothers-in-arms Genovese and Costello’s strained friendship heads towards the epochal moment that Vito ordered a hit on Frank in 1957. Far from merely a gimmick, it looks like the two Bobs in Levinson’s film are set to augment a wealthy exploration of the dualism inherent to those who have lived, worked, and died in the American Mafia. In the guise of Vito Genovese and Frank Costello, you have a fascinating real-life embodiment of the constant tension between loyalty and duty, fraternity and rivalry, the notion of honour and the realities of power that lies at the heart of the criminal underworld. And, yes, getting two Robert De Niros for the price of one is pretty damn nippy, too, we can’t deny.

Here’s the succinct synopsis for Levinson’s film, formerly titled Wise Guys: “Alto Knights follows two of New York’s most notorious organized crime bosses, Frank Costello (De Niro) and Vito Genovese (De Niro), as they vie for control of the city’s streets. Once the best of friends, petty jealousies and a series of betrayals place them on a deadly collision course that will reshape the Mafia (and America) forever.” Among the ensemble joining De Niro and, er, De Niro for this one are Debra Messing, Cosmo Jarvis, and Kathrine Narducci.

Alto Knights is due to hit cinemas in the UK and Ireland on 21 March. Now there’s an offer we can’t refuse.