Take 8: Alto Knights

I often joke that I suffer from mild narcolepsy. And then you put me in a dark room with comfortable chairs- - - it’s a wrap!

Case in point, this week’s film, Alto Knights. Before the movie even started, I felt the sleep creeping up on me. I was in an out for the entire movie, barely making it through the first couple of scenes and waking up just as the credits started running. Missing so much of the movie I was confused about a lot of the plot, but I know the parts I saw, I did enjoy. A lot.

So I did something of a first: I went back the next day for a second go at it (thank goodness for accumulating movie credits, Cinemark!) My instincts were right. I absolutely loved this movie!

I can’t say that I am much for mob movies but I like Robert De Niro as a person and the concept of him playing two completely different characters who aren’ti in any way related was interesting.

I may have said this in other blogs, but I love a good period piece. The majority of the film takes place circa 1957, but there are also plenty of black and white flashbacks to when the characters were young which mean the 1920s . The interspersing of clips and reenactments were absolute eye candy for me. I don’t think I have ever seen this type of story told using this method and it really worked for me.

The acting was top notch. De Niro really was two different people one I really liked, Frank Costell, and Vito Genovese, who I really wanted to throttle. But EVERYONE brought their A-game. Turns out, Debra Messing was in it, a fact I completely overlooked during viewing #1 because there was no Grace Adler in sight. And a shout out to Katherine Narducci who was unknown to me prior to this movie but who played probaby my favorite character, Anna Geonvese- - - this woman has a gift for uttering some of the funniest profanities I have every heard. She could teach a masterclass on how to drop an f-bomb for maximum effect.

I read that as of yesterday, this movie, which was based on true events , was, at least as of Saturday evening, considered a bomb which would be a true crime, because it’s sooooooo good!

My score: 10 - can’t recommend it highly enough!

And that does it for this week. See you next Sunday, unless you end up swimming with the fishes…