Robert De Niro stars in his latest film, “The Alto Knights,” where he plays two roles. He portrays Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, two of New York’s most notorious organized crime bosses. The movie was shot entirely in Cincinnati and features many familiar locations.
New for IndieWire, my conversation with Barry Levinson about directing two De Niros in THE ALTO KNIGHTS: https://t.co/c95CZC9dWZ
— Jim Hemphill (@JimmyHemphill) March 18, 2025
Kudos to the one and only @petersob13 for reminding me that one of the final sequences in the De Niro-starring "The Alto Knights" covers the same real-life event fictionalized in the first scene in the De Niro-starring "Analyze This."https://t.co/L8ReterIWX
— Richard Roeper (@RichardERoeper) March 19, 2025
“There were close to 50 locations used in this film all around Cincinnati,” said Kristen Schlotman, Film Cincinnati President & CEO. Iconic sites like Eden Park and the Netherland Hilton make appearances. “You’ll see Little Italy over by Arnold’s, and we took over that block.
You’ll see some of the older historic ballrooms around Cincinnati,” Schlotman added. Having a film like this, shot entirely in Cincinnati, brings significant exposure to the area. “Certainly, when you have a name like De Niro, people want to get out,” said Schlotman.
De Niro shouldn’t be in both roles. Someone needed to say no. https://t.co/KZB2fRC2MH
— Chris Bumbray (@cbumbray) March 19, 2025
“To have people like that here and understand how supported they are while they’re making a film and how they have such a great time while they’re here, I think that word of mouth goes outward and helps us recruit more projects.”
Schlotman mentioned that more than 500 local actors and crew members were involved in the film, which was shot in 2023.
de Niro’s dual roles in ‘Knights’
That includes first-timers like Dave Gottschlich.
“We were part of De Niro’s main mob crew, and we were in various shots,” said Gottschlich. Lou Rivera made his first appearance in a movie as well. “I’m one of the mobsters, just at the end of the picnic, kind of like a bodyguard,” Rivera shared.
Jerome Agean also played a mobster in the movie and has appeared in other films, including “Nutcrackers,” featuring Ben Stiller. “There’s a sequence towards the end of the film where everybody’s getting pinched, and we’re all making a break for it and jumping in our various cars,” said Agean. Rivera gave a glimpse of what audiences can expect from the film.
“Definitely inside of what the mobsters were like, and of course, power—the battle for power,” Rivera explained. “The Alto Knights” will be released in theaters nationwide on Friday. The film is directed by Barry Levinson and written by Nicholas Pileggi.
It co-stars Debra Messing and Kathrine Narducci.
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