‘THE ALTO KNIGHTS’: Martin Scorsese’s 2019 film “The Irishman,” starring longtime collaborator Robert De Niro, was a reflection on (or perhaps even a eulogy for) the kind of gangster film that the pair made famous, like Scorsese saying farewell to the genre, ruminating on what it means to tell stories about men of violence. But if you thought De Niro was out, he’s back in for one last job (for now), reuniting with another frequent collaborator, director Barry Levinson, for the mob movie “The Alto Knights,” scripted by “Goodfellas” and “Casino” screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi. But there’s a catch, a gimmick even, as De Niro stars opposite himself, playing both Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, the notorious Italian American mafiosi. But as much as “The Alto Knights” is a meta-commentary on mob movies — specifically De Niro mob movies — it’s also just a classic Mafia film that fans of the genre can enjoy. “The Alto Knights” doesn’t quite reach the emotional and existential heights of “The Irishman,” but it has a similar tone, looking back on a long career of (cinematic) violence. There’s an observation at the end that this was the only way for immigrants in the 20th century to grasp at the American dream, an idea that churns within all American gangster movies. This curio of a film could have gone deeper into what it means to be a gangster, but its core themes resonate all the same. 2:00. 2 1/2 stars. — Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service

‘BLACK BAG’: Move over Mr. and Mrs. Smith, there’s a new sexy spy couple steaming up the silver screen, courtesy of Steven Soderbergh. Say hello to George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) and Kathryn St. Jean (Cate Blanchett). In this thrillingly twisty romantic drama inspired by John le Carré, their chemistry might be cerebral, but it is no less carnal. “Black Bag” is the story of how married spies stay married, which involves a lot of trust, a lot of mutual surveillance, and a “till death do us part” level of loyalty that extends beyond the job. “That’s hot,” gasps underling Clarissa Dubose (Marisa Abela), who has found herself entrenched in George and Kathryn’s strange web of deceit and devotion. “Black Bag” opens and closes with a high-stakes dinner party game, in which we witness how George carefully extracts the truth from his targets, and how incestuously interwoven their little group of colleagues and collaborators has become, in both matters of the heart and matters of international terrorism plots. “Black Bag” may be rooted in the mind, but it is inextricably connected to the heart, especially in matters of love and trust, betrayal and murder. That’s what makes a Soderbergh genre exercise such a deliciously satisfying cinematic morsel: It is pure fun, but also deeply layered with larger existential themes, making for a delightful romantic spy drama that cannot be missed. 1:33. 4 stars. — Katie Walsh

‘MICKEY 17’: Set 29 years from now, writer-director Bong Joon Ho’s “Mickey 17” imagines a world beyond ours because Earth isn’t worth the trouble anymore. Failed politician Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo) gains a new lease on his career by leading a cultlike space colonization mission to the icy planet Niflheim. And there they are: Niflheim’s mysterious, oversized, toothy bugs, the native life forms of indeterminate hostility, nicknamed “creepers” by the visiting humans. The human at the center of “Mickey 17” is Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson), a genial sad-sack who has volunteered for the mission because loan sharks are trying to kill him on Earth, along with his dubious friend (Steven Yeun). As an Expendable, Mickey takes the single lowest rung on the job ladder. He’s a human guinea pig on a “Groundhog Day” sort of work schedule: In the interest of science, Expendables are exposed to various lethal threats, poison gas or radiation, etc. Mickey dies many times, and then is reborn. A new body, just like Mickey’s old one, comes out of a reprinting machine, with all his memories and features intact. The technology making this possible, along with some unauthorized cloning, has caused a bit of a fuss back on Earth — but off-Earth? Not a problem. No federal oversight to worry about. The equipment on the spaceship may be a little wonky — in one of the film’s better running gags, the human reprinter machine clearly needs some oiling, and makes noises like a 2003-era Hewlett Packard paper printer — but for Mickey, it’s a living. Dying, but a living. 2:17. 2 1/2 stars. — Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

‘NOVOCAINE’: It hurts seeing “Novocaine” squander a promising setup, with an unusually effective depiction of a romance in its first-date stage. The movie’s star, Jack Quaid, plays Nate, who has lived a cautious, hermetic life given his condition known as congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis. CIPA, as we learn from “Novocaine’s” somewhat fanciful idea of the particulars, has the enormous downside of messing with his awareness if he happens to injure himself and not see or feel the effects in time to prevent serious trouble. He’s hardly immortal. So Nathan lays low out of habit, dating little and gaming much. (Jacob Batalon gets an enjoyable turn as Nate’s online fellow gamer.) At the San Diego credit union where Nate works as junior manager, co- worker Sherry, played by Amber Midthunder, seems at least half as sweet on him as Nate feels about her. This may be grade inflation, since nobody seems to write first-date sequences with anything like a human pulse anymore, but “Novocaine” does a deft job with their budding attraction. It takes its time, establishes a few things and finds ways to make Nate and Sherry likable. By the end of “Novocaine,” it’s as if the filmmakers — who have talent and who are now off and running in a commercial sense — forgot how their movie started: with Quaid and Midthunder getting the material and the screen time needed to hook an audience’s interest, before the jocular sadism commenced in earnest. 1:50. 2 stars. — Michael Phillips

‘SNOW WHITE’: “Snow White” is the latest in Disney’s subset of animated musicals turned into live- action remakes. It is far from a disaster. It’s one of the better ones, in fact. There’s little bloat; we’re talking about a 100-minute movie, minus the end credits. Director Marc Webb moves it along, with a rock-solid lead, very well sung, courtesy of Rachel Zegler. Here’s the biggest change from the animated version: Snow White has been activated as a character driving the action. This will not be for everyone. But there’s little value in hanging onto the antiquated conception of princess as operetta drip, opposite a cardboard prince. As for the online whining about casting a Latina as Snow White: It’s a depressing variation on the pushback from some regressive quarters regarding Halle Bailey as Ariel in the “Little Mermaid” adaptation two years ago. Two words: Spare me. I found “Snow White,” more interesting than nearly all Disney do-overs. On the heels of “Wicked,” this marks the second screen musical in recent months to warn children and their elders against blind acquiescence to a totalitarian ruler. Heigh-ho! 1:49. 2 1/2 stars. — Michael Phillips

RATINGS: The movies listed are rated according to the following key: 4 stars, excellent; 3 stars, good; 2 stars, fair; 1 star, poor.