Robert De Niro's new gangster movie The Alto Knights has been called "boring" and "passionless" by critics in first reviews.
Directed by Barry Levinson, the film follows the story of notorious New York crime bosses Vito Genovese and Frank Costello, both played by 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," reads the synopsis.
Ahead of its release in cinemas tomorrow, the film, which co-stars Debra Messing and Kathrine Narducci, has received low scores from critics.
With a 35% rating on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing, some critics have blasted DeNiro's performance as the two main characters, while others commended the actor, saying he "held his own".
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Here's a look at what the critics have to say:
The Wrap
"It’s not 'so bad it’s good.' It’s 'so bad it’s bad.' It’s the boring, sloppy, meandering kind of bad, not the kind that makes headlines, not the kind that gets turned into memes."
Independent
"Pileggi's screenplay and Levinson's scattershot direction, like De Niro, make little out of the clash of ideologies at the film's center."
Boston Globe
"When we’re not being fed warmed-over narration and editing tricks that remind us of the Scorsese-directed examples, we’re trapped with a visibly disinterested De Niro. He barely gives one performance, let alone two."
The Hollywood Reporter
"He’s more than capable of handling the daunting assignment — he’s De Niro, after all — but the net effect is ultimately so gimmicky that it saps the movie of its intended seriousness."
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Guardian
"There is a kind of solidity and force to the film in its opening act, but its interest dwindles and we get little in the way of either ambition or moment-by-moment humour."
Variety
"If there was any doubt as to De Niro’s greatness, it’s laid to rest in these face-to-face confrontations. No star could’ve held his own quite so effectively against De Niro."
Empire
"It all feels like handsomely crafted Scorsese-lite, but enjoyably so, like sinking into a shabby but much-loved armchair."
The Alto Knights will be released in cinemas on March 21.
Reporter, Digital Spy
Harriet is a freelance news writer specialising in TV and movies at Digital Spy.
A horror enthusiast, she joined Digital Spy after working on her own horror website, reviewing films and focusing largely on feminism in the genre.
In her spare time, Harriet paints and produces mixed-media art. She graduated from the University of Kingston with a BA in fine art, where she specialised in painting. She also has an MA in journalism from Birkbeck University.
