Honestly, if you told me five years ago that we’d see Robert De Niro playing two different people in the same scene, fighting himself for control of the New York mob, I’d have said you’ve been watching too much Marvel. But here we are in early 2026, and the dust is finally settling on what has been one of the most bizarre, polarizing, and frankly ballsy chapters in his late-stage career. We're talking about The Alto Knights.
The film hit theaters in March 2025 after enough delays to make a saint lose patience. Since then, it’s lived three different lives: a box office dud, a critical punching bag, and now, a genuine streaming obsession. People are discovering it on Max and Netflix, and the conversation has shifted from "Is this even good?" to "Wait, how did they actually pull this off?"
The Double De Niro Gamble in The Alto Knights
Basically, the movie is a 1950s period piece that pits two real-life legendary mob bosses against each other: Vito Genovese and Frank Costello. The twist? De Niro plays both. It isn't just a cameo or a trick of the light. He’s the lead. Twice.
Director Barry Levinson, who gave us Rain Man and Wag the Dog, teamed up with Nicholas Pileggi for this one. If that name sounds familiar, it should. Pileggi wrote Wise Guy and Casino Love and Honor in Las Vegas—the books that became Goodfellas and Casino. This was supposed to be the ultimate homecoming for the genre.
But when it launched, the reaction was... let's say "mixed" to be polite.
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Critics felt the dual-role gimmick was distracting. You've got De Niro as the slick, diplomatic Costello, and then you've got him as the hulking, paranoid Genovese. It’s a lot of De Niro. Some people found the CGI used to make him look younger or different a bit "uncanny valley," sort of like The Irishman but on a tighter budget. Yet, looking at it now, there's a weird charm to it. It feels like an old-school theater performance where the lead actor just wants to chew all the scenery in the building.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Plot
A lot of folks go into a Robert De Niro new movie expecting Heat or The Godfather Part II. They want high-octane hits and operatic tragedy. The Alto Knights is much more of a slow-burn character study. It’s about the "petty jealousies," as the production notes put it, that lead to the 1957 assassination attempt on Costello.
It’s not just about the shooting. It’s about the wives—Debra Messing as Bobbie Costello and Kathrine Narducci as Anna Genovese—who are arguably the most interesting people in the room. They see the train wreck coming way before the men do.
If you’re looking for a body count, you might be disappointed. If you’re looking for a masterclass in how a 80-plus-year-old icon explores the duality of power, it’s actually kind of fascinating.
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From The Big Screen to Small Screen Thrills
While everyone was arguing about the mob movie, De Niro quietly dropped his first-ever lead TV role in Zero Day on Netflix. It’s a political thriller where he plays George Mullen, a former U.S. President called back to lead a commission after a catastrophic cyberattack.
Think of it as the antithesis to The Alto Knights.
In one, he’s a criminal kingpin; in the other, he’s the "last bipartisan leader" trying to save the world from digital collapse. The cast in Zero Day is insane: Angela Bassett as the current President, Jesse Plemons as a fixer, and Lizzy Caplan as his daughter. It’s tense. It’s paranoid. It feels way too real given the state of the world in 2026.
What’s Next for Bobby D?
He isn't slowing down.
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There's been a lot of chatter about The Whisper Man, a Netflix adaptation of the Alex North novel. De Niro is playing a retired police detective helping his son solve a kidnapping that mirrors a decades-old serial killer case. It’s in post-production right as we speak, and the word from the Russo Brothers (who are producing) is that it’s dark. Like, Seven dark.
Then there's Shutout with Jenna Ortega. They play pool hustlers. It sounds like a weird pairing on paper, but after seeing him play against himself in The Alto Knights, I’m pretty sure the man can build chemistry with a brick wall if he needs to.
Why This Era of De Niro Matters
Look, we have to be real here. De Niro is in his 80s. He doesn't need the money. He doesn't need the fame. He’s doing these projects because he clearly still finds something to love in the "work."
Whether it’s a dual-role mob flick that bombs at the box office or a prestige Netflix series about the end of the internet, he’s still taking risks. Most actors his age are doing insurance commercials or playing the "grumpy grandpa" in Hallmark movies. De Niro is still trying to figure out how to be two people at once.
Actionable Takeaways for Movie Night
If you're planning to catch up on the Robert De Niro new movie craze, here is the best way to handle it:
- Watch The Alto Knights on a good screen. The cinematography by Dante Spinotti is gorgeous, even if the CGI faces occasionally look a little soft. Don't watch it on your phone.
- Double-feature it with Zero Day. It’s the best way to see the range he still has. Going from a 1950s mobster to a modern-day President is a trip.
- Keep an eye on The Whisper Man. If you like the "Old Man Detective" trope, this is likely going to be his big 2026 highlight.
- Check out the "De Niro Is An Icon" exhibit. If you happen to be in New York, the Tribeca Festival is running a massive immersive experience through June. It’s got over 300 items from his personal archives—including his annotated scripts.
The guy is a living legend, and even his "failures" are more interesting than most actors' successes. Stop worrying about the Rotten Tomatoes score and just enjoy the fact that we still get to see him work.