WARWICK SHOWCASE

THE ALTO KNIGHTS

* * *

(Mafia Crime Drama)

Robert DeNiro plays both Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, boyhood pals who become rivals in the Mafia hierarchy.

The makeup is first class, although the voices sound the same. All the Mafia characters sound the same. And they all use the F word in every sentence.

Lots of talk and little action in this crime drama, as Genovese orders a failed hit on Costello, who wants to retire and move to Florida.

The story is told through the eyes of Costello, using flashbacks and actual TV news footage to show their past histories.

We witness the Kefauver Senate hearings and the gathering of Mafia heads from all over the country in upstate New York where the state police finally get the goods on the racketeers and begin to penetrate the mob organization.

“The Alto Knights” makes for a good period piece, as the fifties is depicted with classic cars, music, hairdos, clothing and black and white TVs.

It makes for an interesting look inside the Mafia, if not all that exciting.

Adolescence

NETFLIX

ADOLESCENCE

* * * ½

(Psychological Crime Story)

Remember director Robert Altman’s unique approach to making movies? He would film the story in one continuous stream, moving from one scene to another without stopping the camera.

That method is used by the director of “Adolescence” and works well in this psychological take of a young British boy who is accused of murder.

We see the effect the accusation has on the boy, his parents, his schoolmates, his neighbors and his appointed psychiatrist.

While the short series moves a bit too slowly, it is a fascinating story that will leave you with much to ponder.