Barry Levinson’s The Alto Knights (2025) is a sprawling crime drama that resurrects the gritty legacy of classic mafia storytelling. Set in the volatile mid-century underworld, the film centers around the bitter fallout between Frank Costello (played by Robert De Niro) and Vito Genovese—once childhood friends, now mortal enemies. Co-starring Debra Messing, Cosmo Jarvis, and Kathrine Narducci, the film is a slow-burning epic filled with betrayal, ego, and shifting loyalties. With Levinson’s assured direction and Nicholas Pileggi’s screenplay (based on real-life events), the movie captures the cost of power and the tragic beauty of brotherhood turned sour.
If you’re drawn to movies like The Alto Knights—stories that dive deep into the psychology of gangsters, the structure of organized crime, and the humanity behind the violence—here are six gripping films that belong in your watchlist.
1. The Irishman (2019)
The Irishman is perhaps the closest spiritual companion to The Alto Knights. It tells the story of Frank Sheeran, a World War II veteran who becomes a hitman for the Bufalino crime family, navigating the long, bloody road of power and silence that eventually leads to isolation and regret. Like Frank Costello in The Alto Knights, Sheeran is a man torn between personal loyalties and mob obligations.
What makes this film stand out—apart from Scorsese’s meticulous craftsmanship—is its unflinching look at aging mobsters who can no longer escape the consequences of their lives. Both films feature De Niro in roles that explore the disintegration of trust between close allies, making The Irishman essential viewing for fans of movies like The Alto Knights.
2. American Gangster (2007)
American Gangster dives into the life of Frank Lucas, a Harlem drug lord who rises to power by cutting out middlemen and importing heroin directly from Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. It’s a tale of calculated ambition, corruption, and a protagonist who views respect as currency—an idea central to both Lucas and Vito Genovese in The Alto Knights.
Like Frank and Vito, Lucas has a very clear vision of his empire and will not tolerate betrayal. The dynamic between Lucas and detective Richie Roberts mirrors the internal-external pressure faced by Frank Costello when the law begins to close in. For those craving morally complex characters and the downfall of criminal empires, American Gangster is a top-tier example of movies like The Alto Knights.
3. Casino (1995)
Set against the glitz of 1970s Las Vegas, Casino is a story of power, excess, and betrayal within the mob’s grip on the gambling industry. De Niro plays Sam “Ace” Rothstein, a casino executive whose empire begins to unravel due to personal flaws and violent friends.
The parallels with The Alto Knights are striking. Like Frank Costello, Ace is a man trying to maintain control without descending into chaos. The theme of loyalty shattered by ego and ambition runs through both films. Where The Alto Knights deals with organized crime in New York, Casino shows its reach in Vegas, making it one of the most geographically and thematically expansive movies like The Alto Knights.
4. Donnie Brasco (1997)
In Donnie Brasco, an FBI agent (Depp) goes undercover to infiltrate the mafia, forming a complicated friendship with low-level hitman Lefty Ruggiero (Pacino). As the lines between his real and undercover life blur, the emotional stakes rise, leading to devastating consequences.
While The Alto Knights explores the collapse of a deep friendship turned into bitter rivalry, Donnie Brasco shows how proximity and trust can be a double-edged sword in the world of organized crime. The emotional core of both films rests on fractured male relationships, making this a compelling watch for anyone drawn to movies like The Alto Knights.
5. Public Enemies (2009)
Public Enemies chronicles the last months of John Dillinger’s life as the infamous bank robber tries to outsmart J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI. The film leans into the mythology of American outlaws, highlighting the press-fueled charisma of criminals and the emergence of federal law enforcement.
The presence of J. Edgar Hoover in both films connects them historically and thematically. The Alto Knights ends with Hoover finally accepting the reach of organized crime, something Public Enemies depicts in the making. Both films show how myth, power, and the state’s rising surveillance crush the golden age of mob bosses. This makes Public Enemies a natural recommendation for fans of The Alto Knights.
6. The Untouchables (1987)
The Untouchables dramatizes Eliot Ness’s attempt to take down Al Capone in Prohibition-era Chicago. With De Niro once again playing a larger-than-life crime boss, the film uses bold visual style and action-heavy storytelling to show how a few good men broke a crime empire.
If you were intrigued by how The Alto Knights depicted real events like the police crackdown on the mob during a pivotal meeting, The Untouchables will feel familiar. Both films thrive on the tension between criminal enterprise and legal justice, and their climactic raids reflect the fragility of the so-called untouchable underworld.
