Bugsy Reviews

A true American classic. A masterpiece, plain and simple. One of the most entertaining and exhilerating gangster films ever made. A bold, stylish and remarkable portrait of a criminal. Director, Barry Levinson crafts an astonshing piece of work that will be remembered for years. It`s slick, thrilling, funny and wildly entertaining. A spectacular movie. A tremendouse all-star cast. Warren Betty is absolutely incrediable, he gives one of the greatest performances of his career, he gives a harsh, violent, charming and senational prtrayel. Annette Bening is wonderful. Bening and Betty set the screen ablaze with their thrilling chemistry. Ben Kingsley is brilliant. Harvey Keitel is excellent. Joe Mantegna is terrific.

Stylistically impressive but overlong portrait of the famous gangster. The supporting roles are filled with great actors doing fine work but the film rests on Beatty's performance and for the most part he delivers. As most biopics do this one plays with the facts but still tells an interesting story that's well directed it just could have used a little pruning.

Warren Beatty as a vain egotistical, self-centered, womanizer? Hmmmm...

Cab Driver: That's Bugsy Siegel's house.
Harry Greenberg: He doesn't like that name.
Cab Driver: Everybody calls him that.
Harry Greenberg: Not to his face, they don't.

A great mob story about the Gangster who created Vegas, made in a style that romanticizes this cold-blooded killer.

Warren Beatty is very good as this charismatic gangster. Although Siegel was a murderer with a short temper, he is also shown to be a dreamer and a generally nice person, who falls in love with west coast living.

The movie involves this mob boss coming to California, where he immediately loves the life there, moves into a big mansion, and tries to make it into show business. Siegel eventually gets involves with the two loves of his life, a movie starlet, Virginia Hill played by Annette Bening, and the idea of building a giant, legitimate casino resort setting in the desert city Las Vegas.

Siegel eventually trade's in his marriage for Hill and uses more money than the mob would have possibly wanted on his big casino plan.

During this time we learn of Siegel's ways, I say Siegel and not Bugsy because he would kill anyone who called him that name. We learn of Siegel's desire for great vanity, which includes fixing his hair, his strive for good grammar, and the fixation he has on why the newspapers portray him so harshly.

The film also boasts an impressive supporting cast including Ben Kingsley as fellow mob boss Meyer Lansky, Harvey Keitel, Joe Mantegna, and Elliot Gould in one of his best and saddest roles.

Director Barry Levinson does a great job handling this film, keeping the tone mostly light-hearted, despite some of Siegel's violent rages. It also looks great thanks to the art direction and costume design. And there's a very good score by Ennio Morricone, which is very fitting.

While the story ends in a tragic way from a certain point of view, it still has many humorous moments, and is very entertaining throughout.

The movie has a great supporting cast as well, providing what is needed. It is very stylish and gives a good perspective of how things were/could have been.

Virginia: Do you always talk this much before you do it?
"Bugsy" Siegel: I only talk this much before I kill someone.
[they kiss]

One of the most underrated gangster films. Warren Beatty is superb in the film's title role.

A great mobster movie/biopic.

This one is aging poorly. If you recall, this was the time when Bening 'roped in' the elusive Beatty. Sure the sparks are here but the Bugsy Siegel story fails in comparison to other gangster biopics.

Warren Beatty gives the finest and most forceful performance of his career as Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, the legendary psychotic playboy gangster who help build Las Vegas. He was a brilliant visionary who carved Las Vegas out of the dry Nevada desert, and built the fabled Flamingo hotel, and later the gambling mecca. Bugsy is the quintessential homicidal sociopath, a man who as charming, manipulative and successful as he is delusional and very dangerous. It will be his over-powering narcissism that ultimately will bring him down, and seal his fate. He has a tempestuous love-hate relationship with Hollywood actress Virginia Hill, who been around the block more than once, she is beautifully played by Beatty's real-life wife Annette Benning. Their scenes together have a real sizzling chemistry. Magnificent direction by Barry Levinson with stunning supporting performances by Harvey Keitel, Ben Kingsley, Elliott Gould, Joe Mantegna, Bebe Neuwirth and Wendy Phillips. Amazing cinematography by Allen Daviau and a solid score by Ennio Morricone. Brilliant production design by Dennis Gassner. A gangster epic that is absorbing, gritty and totally engrossing. Nominated for 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor. Highly Recommended.

While the film is certainly well made with lots of good supporting performances, I think I enjoyed it for a different reason than intended. I've never been a big fan of Warren Beatty as an actor or as a person (he just comes off as a huge dick), but this role is perfect for him. It is almost as if we are watching a biography of Beatty if he were a gangster. He's a selfish crazy womanizer in the film, not much of a stretch but there was this odd enjoyment I go out of it for that reason. The film is also interesting because it serves to basically bridge the gap between the epic Godfather films and the more modern and gritty Goodfellas that was made after this film and it fits nicely between the two approaches to the genre.

I recently ran across Barry Levinson's, Bugsy, and thought I'd check it out due to my curiosity regarding the history behind the origins of the Las Vegas Strip. I can not attest to the authenticity of the story, but I will say that the costumes, sets and props seemed correct for the post-WWII 1940's era. Both Warren Beatty, in the title role, and Annette Bening as Bugsy's mistress, Virginia Hill, played their parts well, even though I did find their constant bickering to be a bit tedious. Harvey Keitel, Ben Kingsley and Joe Mantegna provide solid support.

Great biopic on Bugsy Siegel. When I saw this in the theater I was afraid it was going to be a whitewash and romantasizing of a gangster (look at the poster and I'm sure you can see where that thought came from), but to my surprise this was a real gritty and fact based movie. Good performances all around as well.

Annette Bening was great in this film. It's easy to see haow she "bagged"Warren Beatty after watching this film. the chemistry between them is worth the time.

In my opinion, this movie is worth watching if only for the scene where Bugsy asks Virginia, "Got a light?", and she replies, "The way you were looking at me, I thought you were going to ask for something more interesting." Warren and Annette fell hard for each other during the filming of this movie, a fact that's evident in every scene they share.

Best film of 1991. The acting was amazing by the outstanding cast of Beatty, Bening, Keitel, and Kingsley. The story was great and the direction was amazing.

What a character. Fantastic role for Beatty. Entertaining and original, especially for someone who has little patience for typical "gangster" movies.

Loved the flick...in the end, Siegel had to expect this coming. He wanted to create his own Garden Of Eden like paradise with his casino venture, only makes since that a woman is responsible for his downfall

Bugsy Seigal was a mob boss who had a dream about running a casino called the Flamino out in the Nevada desert, in what would eventually become Las Vegas. Barry Levinson gives Warrne Beaty a bit too much leeway to addlib stuff and make up his own ending (only in Hollywood would they tack on a ridiculous ending), in this surreal interpretation of the life of Bugsy. (He got gunned down while getting a barbershop haircut, not while watching home movies). It's almost as if Beaty wants to be the founder of Las Vegas, not the actor playing the guy who thought of it. This doesn't make it a good movie.

Just watched this on TV--good Mafia flick-Beatty & Bening great together. Would never watch original film, I could tell there was a ton of language.

I have to say when I rented this golden-oldie which so happened to be nominated for Best Picture at the 1991 Osars, I have to say, I wasn't really expecting much. I heard mixed things about it, and the idea of Warren Beatty playing a vicious mobster kind of seemed unbelievable to me (he did a great job in 'Bonnie and Clyde' but that was a little different.) In all honesty, I really found 'Bugsy' to not only be a very entertaining and enjoyable film, but also very well-made and Oscar-worthy one. Warren Beatty gives an unprecedented performance as the tough mafioso, Bugsy Siegel, who first had the idea of putting casinos in Las Vegas. Annette Bening in an equally brilliant performance plays Bugsy's calculating goomar. The supporting cast is very solid with strong performances from Elliot Gould, Joe Mantegna as actor George Raft, and especially Ben Kingsley as the swift and smart mobster with a heart of gold and Harvey Keital as the mean and ruthless killer who becomes partners with Siegel to start up a hotel/casino. Barry Levinson does a great job directing this period piece which is true to the period (the 1940s), and the screenplay isn't half bad either. Beatty, Keital and Kingsley picked up Oscar nods, along with Levinson for Best Director and the wonderful Annette Bening was somehow unfairly snubbed. If you want to see a cool mob picture that takes place in the 40s, why don't you give 'Bugsy' a shot? It's worth it. Grade: B+