LeonLouisRicci Most Critics Loved or at least Liked this Overrated Movie with multiple Oscar Nominations and two Wins, a strong Cast and a good Director. It looks Fantastic and the Period is perfect. It is a Movie that is distant while trying to be very Up-Close and Personal. Warren Beatty's relentlessly Manic Portrayal of the Infamous Mobster is breathless and forced.Things are brought along with a lot of Dialog, most of it sharp and sometimes funny, but most times Bugsy is ranting or spouting in such a deliberate, speedy, and powerful pace that it is exhausting. Especially when He is Sparring with His Lover. The Movie hardly ever slows down and it drains the Life right off the Screen. It is unyielding and lets what could have been a strong Character run amok. There are some good Supporting Roles that are a relief when the spotlight is on them, which isn't often. The Worst though, is Joe Mantegna completely miscast as George Raft. They just let Beatty, in Hyper-Drive steer the thing and it goes off the road more than once.Worth a Watch, but take a deep breath, because once this thing starts it will suck the Oxygen from the room.

MarieGabrielle A good film, while not classic, engages the viewer and makes them care about the characters. Today in 2013, we see VERY little of this. Upon re-watching Bugsy this past weekend (although it already has hundreds of reviews) It is worth my noting that its more than watchable, has some notable performances (Annette Bening looks lovely, although the accent is a bit off). Beatty while some trite family scenes and mistress vs. family man theme are utilized, is good.I avoid all big blockbuster films because: story is what matters. (Maybe not to the demographic that watches trash reality TV) but, I prefer a good film noir with real actors. "Bugsy" delivers an engaging narrative, and plus we have Ben Kingsley as Meyer Lansky (excellent understated performance).Harvey Kietel, Joe Mantegna, and Elliot Gould also as some of the members of Bugsy's "employees". The sets (especially of Beverly Hills home of Virginia Hill) are lush and interesting. The desert , and the scene of Ben Siegel's (Bugsy's) epiphany that casinos in Las Vegas could be a goldmine for the Mafia and its interests. Of note (and humorous) is Meyer Lansky (Kingsley) intoning that "what Ben is telling us is the desert is a good place to trap people into spending their money"...truer words about speculation and profit motive never spoken!.Bening looks lovely as Mistress Virginia Hill, a Chicago mob accessory who had deep roots in the organization, if you read her true biography. Intriguing character for certain. Miss Bening is an excellent actress, she assumes the role without the awkward false performances we see in some other bit part actors (Bebe Neuwirth for example, is miscast as Countess Difrasso, and lacks authenticity. Most TV regulars do, in a big film which requires sublime performance, they seem cartoon like and ruin the scene.Will not spoil the outcome, suffice to say there is adequate suspense, decent performances and an overall narrative that keeps the audience engaged.Warren Beatty himself engenders some empathy for the character of Bugsy (no easy feat), and while he uses looks to accomplish the persona, it still works. Highly recommended. 8/10.

ma-cortes This is an exciting tale of how Bugsy Siegel started Las Vegas . As New York gangster Ben 'Bugsy' Siegel takes a brief business trip to Los Angeles. A violent and tough Siegel (Warren Beatty) doesn't hesitate to kill or maim anyone crossing him . Bugsy meets George Raft (Joe Mantegna) while is making a film (it is ¨Manpower¨ which co-starred Edward G. Robinson) and the scene being shot where George gets into a bar fight and hands a broken chair to an actress really does appear in the actual movie . In L.A. the life , the motion pictures , and most of all a second-range actress named Virginia Hill (Annette Bening) detain him while his wife (Wendy Phillips) wait back home . Then a journey to a run-down gambling joint at a spot in the desert gives him his big idea , the Hotel Flamingo construction .Enjoyable film based on the famous mobster that contains drama , real events , thrills and lots of violence . The picture relies heavily on the relationship between Bugsy and his lover Virginia Hill , and about the luxurious Hotel Flamingo building in Las Vegas . Nice acting from protagonist duo as Warren Beatty playing the sharp-dressing womaniser with a foul temper and Annete Bening as the strong-willed actress . After working on this film, Warren Beatty and Annette Bening were married . They'd met several years before when she auditioned for another Beatty production ; they met again when she was seriously considered for the role of Tess Trueheart in Dick Tracy . This is one of three movies released in 1991 that featured Bugsy Siegel as a character , the other two were ¨The Marrying Man¨ and ¨Mobsters¨ . Good production design by Dennis Gassner , most of the Las Vegas scenes of the Flamingo construction were filmed near Palm Desert and La Quinta, California, where a full-sized replica of the Flamingo was built . Emotive and sensitive musical score by the great Ennio Morricone . Colorful and evocative cinematography by Allen Daviau . The picture was professionally directed by Barry Levinson .The flick was well based on real deeds , these are the followings : During adolescence, Siegel befriended Meyer Lansky (Ben Kingsley) , who was forming a small crew whose criminal activities expanded to include gambling and car theft . In 1930, Lansky and Siegel built close ties to Charles "Lucky" Luciano and Frank Costello (Caridi), both future bosses of the Genovese (Carrara) crime family. Bootlegger Siegel was also associated with Albert "Mad Hatter" Anastasia. Siegel was also heavily involved in bootlegging operations in various cities . During the so-called Castellammarese War in 1930-1931, they fought the gang of Sal Maranzano ; Siegel reputedly had a hand in Maranzano's murder and later in the formation of Murder , Inc . Lansky and Siegel assisted with Luciano's (Bill Graham) brief alliance with Dutch Schultz and killed rival loan sharks Amberg . In 1937, the East Coast mob sent Siegel to California to develop syndicate gambling rackets with Los Angeles mobster Jack Dragna (Richard C Sarafian) . Once in L.A. , Siegel recruited gang boss Mickey Cohen (Harvey Keitel) as his lieutenant. Siegel used syndicate money to set up a national wire service to help the East Coast mob quicken their returns . With the aid of actor friend George Raft (Joe Mantegna) , Siegel gained entry into Hollywood's inner circle . Siegel soon started an affair with Virginia Hill . The Alabama-born Hill lived in a mansion in Beverly Hills that she rented from Metropolitan Opera baritone Lawrence Tibbett . Siegel, Whitey Krakow, and two other gang members killed Harry "Big Greenie" Greenberg (Elliot Gould) . Greenberg had become a police informant, and Louis "Lepke" Buchalter, boss of Murder, Inc., ordered his killing. Siegel was arrested and tried for the Greenberg murder. Whitey Krakower was killed before he could face trial. Siegel was acquitted on the Greenberg murder, but his reputation was in ruins.

bmcd10 Bugsy is a typical gangster/mob movie; it has got the wise guys, the families, the family problems, and a tragic flaw in the protagonist. It is also 2 1/2 hours long, which you should expect with any biopic anyway, but I think it can get a little tedious in some areas. First off, Warren Beatty is brilliant, and there is no question in my mind that it was anything less than perfection. His supporting cast's performances were excellent as well including those of Harvey Keitel, Ben Kingsley, and Annette Bening. The film probably deserved all the Oscar nominations it received, but, with the exceptions of Beatty's performance and a couple technical awards, nothing deserved the Oscar. However, I do not want to give a bad impression of this film because it does deserve some approbation.The story of Bugsy Siegel is indeed a true story. Siegel was a New York Jewish gangster, who moved out to L.A., and one thing led to another and resulted in Bugsy building the Flamingo hotel and casino in the middle of the desert. This is the man who put Las Vegas on the map. Bugsy (by the way, don't call him Bugsy to face) is very insane. Also, Kingsley's character gets to introduce Bugsy's tragic flaw: he doesn't "respect" money. This combination makes one very unique mobster that I can not compare to any other. Just wait for the scene relating to dogs and pigs; I don't want to reveal anymore because this is where Beatty shines. Virginia Hill (Bening) is a cookie cutter actress going steady with one of Siegel's or somebody else's soldiers. Bugsy starts to look fondly on her, and thus starts the romance. There should be no surprise whatsoever since they're married in real life, but Beatty and Bening do have great chemistry on screen. Their relationship brings out a lot of fun in the film. Again, Bugsy is a tragedy. I don't think that's spoiling it since you can learn that somewhere on the Internet, but I do want to let you know what you're getting into. It is a very interesting story with a few laughs and some irony here and there. Barry Levinson made a well-constructed film that flows very nicely and only lacks where I assume the screenplay does. I would not say it is at the caliber of Goodfellas or The Godfather Trilogy, but, all in all, it is a pretty decent movie.I highly recommend that you definitely see it.