Customer Reviews

Bugsy

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The story about Bugsy Siegel is well documented in this motion picture, although not historically accurate in details, but it doesn't matter as the character and the story of Bugsy comes across very well. The notorious gangster who is credited with bringing high-class gaming to Las Vegas, is played by Warren Beatty. We think it's Beatty's best role so far ... he really plays very good, and so does Annette Bening as Virginia Hill. Siegel was a dreamer, a visionary and a ladies' man no doubt. The movie is inspiring about pursuing your vision, but it is also a warning against wrong affiliations. The set and styling (cars, clothes, etc.) are just great and they look absolutely authentic. The script is also very well written, the cinematogrpahy is excellent, and the soundtrack fits perfectly, and it's certainly one of the best gangster movies ever made.

Bugsy Siegel: mobster lunatic visionary, poet, prophet, a mercurial monster and marketing supergenius, a living contradiction, a man known to fly into a wild rage if a stranger called him "Bugsy" to his face, who simultaneously encouraged his Nom De Guerre among his friends, his enemies, and his publicists.

Bugsy Siegel, who revelled in his gangster image, even had screen-tests shot of himself with a Tommy-gun looking hard and "blazing" away at the screen---this hardboiled felon worked slavishly at English diction to erase traces of his Brooklyn brogue.

A suave wildman and visionary who made water---and money---flow in the middle of the desert, and even volunteered his services to put a bullet through Mussolini's heart. '

Now: to crawl over the crater-pocked landscape of cinematic exposition here would be a bore and a waste, compared to the embarrassment of riches that is Barry Levinson's masterpiece "Bugsy", a flick that will go down with "Scarface", "The Godfather", "Goodfellas", and "Heat" as one of the greatest gangster classics of all time. This is a gorgeous, sumptuous, lush, seductive movie. Watch it.

You're in competent hands here, Gangster. Check that Tommy-gun and let's add up the bar tab on this piece of work---you remember things from "Bugsy", forever, seared into memory because that's just how good this movie is:

*Bugsy (Warren Beatty, at an effortless best) catching the scent of a woman and waking up with her hours later, setting the stage;

*Bugsy kicking the tar out of a mobster who lewdly insults new gangster moll Virginia Hill (played winsomely by an insanely delectable Annette Bening), kicking the thug into yesteryear---and still checking his hair in the glass;

*Bugsy, eyes covered in cucumber-slices, lounging in terry-cloth with crony mobster Mickey Cohen (the incomparable Harvey Keitel, underplaying it masterfully) by the pool;

*Cohen and Bugsy, framed against the bleak Nevada desert, suits crisp, sky searing cobalt blue, plotting a gambling Sin-iverse, Virginia Hill stealing off to LA in a steely dorsal-finned Cadillac;

*Bugsy and a pauncy, childish, confused Harry Greenberg (Elliott Gould, packing lots of flesh) going for a 'ride';

*Bugsy, eyes cloaked in stylish tech-noir shades, fulminating against Meyer Lansky's (Ben Kingsley, in fine form) accountants, who serve as the vanguard of the Mob protest against the Flamingo's ever-skyrocketing cost overruns, the sand, the silt, the callousness;

*Bugsy forcing a mobster to crawl on the floor of his office, barking like a dog---and Virginia Hill, realizing the blood of a cruel monster that flows through her mercurial lover's veins, passionately kissing his hand---

*Virginia Hill and Bugsy parting, at the biplane. This is a scene seared in my memory: a classic, like the "We'll always have Paris" Bogey line. Fog. Mist. Merciless Weather. The Mob, moving in for the Kill.

Bugsy Siegel was a shark in human skin, the American Dream made flesh. He deserved a great cinematic biography: Levinson delivers in spades. Watch this one, it's for the Ages: if you don't love it, you don't have a pulse.

JSG

The sets, costumes, cars, clothes, hairstyles, and music were perfectly chosen to take you back to Los Angeles in the 40's. Nuff said.

The dialogue was absolutely brilliant and Ms. Benning's performance is reminiscent of the glamour, style, and crassness that i'm sure was characteristic of many of the Hollywood actresses of the day. I remember thinking when I saw her... Now that's a movie star! And her delivery of many of the classic one liners was fabulous. Unfortunately I couldn't repeat the vulgarity online but it was classic.

Barry Levinson's direction is as always fabulous. His use of camera angles, lighting, depth of field, setup, and overlays was perfect. The scene where Ms Benning first comes over to Bugsy's house was beyond perfectly shot. I would also highly recommend Avalon and Mr Levinson's television work Homicide for quality viewing.

Warren Beatty's performance as Bugsy Siegel was masterful. It's hard to imagine that someone as complex as apparently Bugsy was could be personified so flawlessly. Bugsy was a man of many passions. How one man could be so brutal yet compassionate, stylish yet crude, brilliant but foolish, selfish yet concerned is amazing. And Beatty brings all those elements to his portrayal of Bugsy. An incredibly complex individual.

Just check it out. You won't be disappointed. One of my 10 favorite films of all time!

There is a Scene in the movie-where, Bugsy's, Mob buddies drop in at the wrong time (" Ben, We should't have barged in on you like this-enjoy the birthday party for little Millicent"). The candles are lit,the tab kept for the flirting mistress on the west coast, just taken a beating from a fellow mobster, blood trickling at the angle of the mouth-Wife Esta (Wendy Phillips) walks in "you think we shoud get a divorce?". The haunting background music of Maestro Ennio Morricone ampliflies to the misery of unfolding life ahead. The actor is not Marlon Brando-but Warren Beatty, it is not Coppola-but Levinson,This is not Godfather-but BUGSY,a Celluloid Classic,Probabably the Best Casting ever for a Movie after Godfather.Forget about Joe Esterhaus, William Goldman, The name is James Toback-this is the one of the wittiest fast-paced diaglog ever in a movie. I donot have time to watch junk movies. Some of my own selection for good Movies happens to be: Shashank Redemption,Casino,Ben Hur, The The Commandments,Cleopatra, Sound of Music, Evita,Selena,The World of Suzie Wong, The Hand that rocks the Cradle,Casablanca,Gone with the Wind,God Father,Good Fellas and now Bugsy.These are not movies you rent, you buy them and Cherish them like a flawless Diamonds.

A power-house performance by Warren Beatty is the pilar to this character-driven gangster epic. The story and characters are fascinating and great production values turn it into eye candy. Warren Beatty gives one of the best performances of his career as 'Bugsy' Siegel, he makes him a multi-layered complex character that changes from a nice guy to an absolutely ruthless person with such ease that we wonder if it's the same actor. Annette Bening is also great in support and the real-life chemistry between them (they married off-screen) also helps. An outstanding supporting cast includes Harvey Keitel, Ben Kingsley, Joe Mantegna and Elliot Gould. Attentive direction by Barry Levinson and a nice script keep you entertained as the movie flows. Great acting and entertaining. From a scale of 1-10 I give this film an 8!

Definitely in the bottom five. The screen play strains to include the well-known historical points of its subject into the film in the most ham-fisted and contrived ways in an attempt to build a feature film length linear story. It fails heroically. The skeleton story is padded out with fabricated hokum, Hollywood star turns by Warren Beatty in possibly his most annoying performance ever, and gratuitous violence galore. If ever there was a must-miss it's this pile of garbage.

'Bugsy' tells the story of mobster/visionary Benjamin (don't call him Bugsy, at least not to his face) Seigel. Sure he was a killer; but he also was a family man, a lover, a multi-tasker, a man of exquisite fashion sense, and a visionary. His vision, you ask? He had an epiphany in the desert and envisioned Las Vegas, and built The Flamingo Hotel and Casino, which got the roulette ball rollin'. Perhaps his role in the creation of Las Vegas was exaggerated for dramatic effect, but Warren Beatty turns in a very compelling performance, supported by an excellent cast. The scenes between Beatty and Bening, his current wife, generate high voltage sparks, contrary to the rule about casting a married couple as lovers since they are so familiar with one another. 'Eyes Wide Shut,' anyone? Either 'Bugsy' was shot before the two actually got together, or it flies in the face of The Coolidge Effect. The Beatty/Bening match up is like a prize fight, something that is right at home in Las Vegas. Here is where they first meet:

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"Bugsy" Siegel: Got a light?
Virginia: The way you were looking at me, I thought you were going to ask for something more interesting.
"Bugsy" Siegel: Like what?
Virginia: Use your imagination.
"Bugsy" Siegel: I'm using it.
Virginia: ...Let me know when you're finished.
=====================================

Another scene that reveals the complexity of Seigel's character, as portrayed by Warren Beatty, is when he negotiates cost over runs at his home while simultaneously trying to preside over his daughter's birthday party, wearing a white baker's hat and jacket. Can you say multi-tasking? It is quite a feat of juggling, despite the fact that he drops the main ball, and the scene of him sitting dejected in front of his daughter's cake with the candles melted down to wax puddles speaks volumes.

Here we have a cold blooded killer who will choose silk ties and designer shirts for a bookie just before he shoots him. Always seeking to improve, he practices his diction relentlessly:

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"Bugsy" Siegel: Twenty dwarves took turns doing handstands on the carpet.
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Can you say Self Improvement? Bugsy was certainly not your average gangster, and 'Bugsy' the film is not your average gangster movie. Great performances from Beatty, Bening, and the rest of the stellar cast, 'Bugsy' is a most worthwhile use of your film watching time.

Barry Levinson ... Director of Bugsy (1991)
Warren Beatty ... Ben 'Bugsy' Siegel
Annette Bening ... Virginia Hill
Harvey Keitel ... Mickey Cohen
Ben Kingsley ... Meyer Lansky
Elliott Gould ... Harry Greenberg
Joe Mantegna ... George Raft
Bebe Neuwirth ... Countess di Frasso
Bill Graham ... Charlie Luciano
Peggy Lee ... sang "WHY DON'T YOU DO RIGHT? (GET ME SOME MONEY TOO)"


Diner (1982) .... Directed by Barry Levinson
Bulworth (1998) .... Sen. Jay Billington Bulworth was portrayed by Warren Beatty
The Grifters (1990) .... Annette Bening was Myra Langtry
Bad Lieutenant (1992) .... Harvey Keitel was The Lieutenant, and he was very, very, very, very bad.
Gandhi (1982) .... Ben Kingsley played Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
American History X (1998) .... Elliott Gould was Murray
Alice (1990) .... Joe Mantegna was Joe the Saxophonist
Tadpole (2002) .... Bebe Neuwirth was Diane Lodder
Apocalypse Now (1979) .... Bill Graham was the Agent

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Virginia: Do you always talk this much before you do it?
"Bugsy" Siegel: I only talk this much before I kill someone.
[they kiss]
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"Bugsy," 1991, a biographical crime drama nominated for ten Academy Awards, sure looks and sounds like a gangster film. It was nominated for Best Film in 1991, received the most Oscar nominations that year, in fact, and actually won two Oscars. (It lost Best Picture to "Silence of the Lambs," as Warren Beatty, who co-produced and turned in one of his strongest performances as the title character, lost Best Actor to Anthony Hopkins in "Silence.") Anyway, it earned another seven miscellaneous awards, and was nominated for twenty more: it's widely considered one of the best movies of the 1990's. As written by James Toback, directed by Barry Levinson, and scored by Ennio Morricone, it's highly evocative of its era, and neonoir Los Angeles.

Warren Beatty fully inhabits the title role: Benjamin Siegel, famous 1930's/'40's Jewish mobster, whom you didn't dare call Bugsy to his face. The man was handsome enough ( played by Beatty, after all), to dream of a Hollywood career for himself after taking up LA residence. He was unbalanced enough to imagine he could organize a plot to kill Italian World War II Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini from LA, and dreamer enough to create Las Vegas from the desert, but not organized enough to bring it in on budget, which proved his undoing. His rage, and violence when aroused, were also plenty scary enough.

Beatty is ably supported, as to the underworld, by Harvey Keitel, turning in a meaty, Oscar-nominated performance as feared Jewish LA mobster Mickey Cohen; and Ben Kingsley, doing his incomparable menacing best as Jewish underworld figure Meyer Lansky. Elliott Gould adds luster to his career as hapless Hary Greenberg, who gambled above his head, and socialized above it too. Joe Mantegna fails to bring much to his role as George Raft, gangster movie star of the 1930's and '40's, who was a known associate of Siegel's. Babe Neuwirth turns up in a small role as an Italian countess, one of the many women Siegel could effortlessly manipulate. The costumes call up the glamour of the age; the cinematography gives us LA at its most noir, all those rainy nights, and in color, too.

And then, the picture introduced to a larger audience Annette Bening, playing the ravishing, potty-mouthed, long-legged Hollywood starlet of easy morals, Virginia Hill, as it introduced Beatty and Bening. (Hill had been nicknamed the flamingo for those long, long legs: Siegel named his Vegas hotel, the city's first, after her: The Flamingo.) Anyone can see these two beautiful people, Beatty and Bening, falling in love onscreen: they would marry offscreen. They are so obviously in love, so hot hot hot, they give the movie an emotional kick not generally found in gangster pictures. They actually create a chick flick at its heart.

I heartily agree w/ the above: "Bugsy" is as good as "The Godfather"...I'm partial to mob films featuring non-italian ethnic groups such as "Once Upon A Time..."(Jewish), "State of Grace"(Irish), "Miller's Crossing"(Irish),etc...Warren Beatty gives an oscar caliber performance as Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, Murder Inc's hot-headed enforcer and prolific lady's man. Beatty's portrayal of Siegel's legendary, volcanic temper tantrums are incredible. Harvey Kietel's portrayal of the brash, West-Coast heist artist Mickey Cohen is a pleasant supprise as well. I think one weakness is that at times Beatty's demeanor comes off a little too "human" (for lack of better word)...the real Bugsy was a sociopath who specialized in "rape and murder", according to a recent biography. At time's it's a bit of a strech between between w.a.s.p.y. Warren Beatty and the real Bugsy: an unrefined street kid from the tenaments of Brooklyn.

I loved this film! It is crime drama at it's best and Warren Beatty's best performance since "Reds".