Cincinnati makes another big screen appearance this weekend when The Alto Knights, Robert De Niro’s mob movie shot here two years ago, opens in theaters nationwide.
Directed by Barry Levinson, the two-hour film will be screened in most Greater Cincinnati theaters starting Thursday evening, March 20.
Two-time Oscar winner De Niro, 81, plays the dual roles of rival Italian American crime bosses Vito Genovese and Frank Costello in New York City in the late 1950s. The Warner Bros. trailer boasts that The Alto Knights was “inspired by the true story of the mob boss who brought the downfall of the American Mafia.”
The trailer released in January shows scenes shot at the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, Eden Park, and businesses near Main and Eighth streets Downtown. The film was called The Wise Guys when announced in October 2022.
The cast includes Debra Messing (Will & Grace), Kathrine Narducci (who appeared with De Niro in The Irishman) Matt Servitto (Billions, The Sopranos), Cosmo Jarvis (Shogun, Lady Macbeth), Michael Rispoli (Billions), Michael Adler (Peppermint), Ed Amatrudo (Till, Nashville), Anthony J. Gallo (The Irishman), Wallace Langham (Ford v Ferrari, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation), Louis Mustillo (Cooper’s Bar, Mike & Molly), and Robert Uricola (Raging Bull).
De Niro won his Academy Awards for Raging Bull and The Godfather Part II. Levinson won his only Academy Award for directing Rain Main in Cincinnati in 1988. Four Oscars for Rain Man put Cincinnati on Hollywood’s radar and lead to the creation of the Cincinnati Film Commission, now Film Cincinnati.
The Alto Knights will be screened for an invitation-only audience Wednesday, March 19, for those who worked on the film by Film Cincinnati. On Thursday night, the film will open at all area AMC and Cinemark theaters; Springdale Showcase; Kenwood Theatre, The Esquire Theatre, RJ Cinema Distillery Taproom, Regal theaters in Deerfield Township and Wilder; CMX CineBistro at Liberty Center; and Piece Point Cinema.
In January and February of 2023, Arnolds Bar & Grill on East Eighth Street closed for a month to be converted into C.C. Benito's Bakery & Grocery for the film. A storefront next door was the exterior of Ascoli’s Italian Restaurant & Bar. Across East Eighth were fake storefronts for Benny's Market and Vance's Clothing Shop.
Perkinson Legal at Main and Eighth was transformed into Benedetto's Famous Fine Italian Restaurant. A storefront in the 800 block of Main Street was used for a hardware store.
After the success of Rain Man, Cincinnati has been used as a stand-in for New York City in Lost In Yonkers, A Rage in Harlem, City of Hope, The Public Eye and more recently in Shirley and Carol.
Warner Bros. says “the film 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.”
The studio is promoting the film as “from the hitmakers behind Goodfellas, Bugsy and The Irishman.” The Alto Knights was written by Oscar nominee Nicholas Pileggi (Goodfellas) and produced by Oscar winner Irwin Winkler (Goodfellas, Rocky).
