Bugsy

Plot synopsis:
The story opens in New York City where Benjamin Siegel, an organized crime boss whose partners are Charlie "Lucky" Luciano and Meyer Lansky, visits the office of one of their lesser partners and kills him for stealing from the organization. Ben does so in full view of the man's workers, knowing his reputation will protect him. Often called "Bugsy" but hating the nickname (and willing to beat or kill someone for using it), Siegel is being sent to Los Angeles to broker a deal with another gangster, Jack Dragna, in an effort to expand their operations.Siegel boards a train after saying goodbye to his wife Esta and their two girls. He's visited by Harry Greenberg, an old friend who is irresponsible with his end of Siegel's organization and asks Siegel for money. Disgusted, Siegel gives Greenberg a large sum and dismisses him to sit under a UV lamp and work on his tan.Arriving in Los Angeles, Siegel is met by another old friend, the actor George Raft, who takes Ben to a studio where the movie Manpower is being shot. On the set, Ben notices a woman, Virginia Hill, who has a job as an extra. Ben is attracted to her immediately and talks to her briefly before she walks off, seemingly uninterested and insulting his ego. George drives Ben back to his hotel through Beverly Hills, pointing out the houses of famous Hollywood people. When George mentions opera singer Lawrence Tibbett, Ben asks George to leave him there. Ben meets with Tibbett himself and mildly coerces Tibbett into selling his house, offering straight cash and settling on an amount several thousand dollars more than Tibbett paid for the house. Tibbett agrees. A few scenes later, Siegel buys a luxury car from a random person on the street.Siegel meets with Dragna and his associates at Dragna's office. Dragna isn't interested in Siegel's offer to expand his own business, much less aid Siegel & his associates. Siegel counters, saying that if Dragna won't do business, he'll have to shoot Siegel himself, and even hands Dragna a pistol. Everyone ends up laughing, however Dragna still points out that Siegel's reputation for being a psychotic hothead precedes him and agrees to the deal. When one of Dragna's associates asks why Dragna didn't shoot Siegel when the had the chance, Dragna tells him that all-out war with Siegel's partners, Luciano & Lansky, isn't worth it.Virginia Hill shows up at Ben's new house and the two begin a torrid love affair. Ben receives a call from Dragna who tells him that his office had been robbed by a small-time gangster, Mickey Cohen. Though no one could see Cohen's face, they knew it was him. Ben asks Raft to have Cohen meet him at a spa. When Cohen arrives, Siegel politely demands the return of the money Cohen stole. Cohen unleashes a torrent of verbal insult and also tells Ben that he'd stolen a lesser amount than Dragna reported. Siegel recognizes that Cohen possesses a larger talent for collecting and enforcement and hires Cohen on the spot after Cohen agrees to give back the money he stole. Cohen also reveals that Virginia has a reputation for being promiscuous in LA, something that Ben jealously takes notice of immediately.At home, Virginia makes an elegant dinner for Ben, who acts aloof, dropping subtle hints about Virginia's past love life. Virginia is insulted and throws an ashtray at Ben, hitting him in the head. The two are still arguing loudly when Cohen shows up with the money. Ben waits for Jack Dragna to arrive a few minutes later and shows him the cash. Ben then tells Dragna that he gave the job of running Siegel's operation in LA to Cohen, a job he'd intended to let Dragna have. Siegel then turns furious, accusing Dragna of stealing the difference in funds from the Cohen holdup for himself. After a moment of Russian Roulette and then making Dragna crawl around and bark like a dog, then oink like a pig, Ben gives Dragna the money, ordering him to return it to the the safe in the office, along with the cash Dragna himself misappropriated. Back in the dining room, Ben begins to indifferently eat the meal Virginia had prepared. Virginia, having eavesdropped on Ben's berating of Dragna, is sexually turned on and the two have sex.Bugsy continues to make plans and snap decisions on everything - he meets a countess whose husband is in immediate contact with Benito Mussolini, and plots to kill the dictator. Bugsy begins bringing Virginia on his trips, but she refuses to fly. In the Nevada desert near the small roadside stop of Las Vegas, Ben checks out a small diner with a few slot machines that does turn a small profit but is too small to keep open. Ben closes the place and the trio heads back to LA. In the desert, after an short argument with Virginia about his family back in New York, Ben has an epiphany. He goes back to the car and tells Cohen and Virginia about it. Virginia is unimpressed and drives off with Ben's car, leaving the two stranded.When Ben goes to his home in New York and tells his mob buddies about a new venture, The Flamingo casino/hotel, which will be located in a state where gambling is permitted, he tries to juggle the search for Virginia, the proposal to his partners, and his daughter Millicent's birthday party. His proposal is successful, but his family life is disintegrating. His business dealings intrude on Millicent's birthday, leaving her upset. Despite a promise to Virginia, he fails to ask his wife Esta for a divorce. Lansky says that he likes Ben's idea about the hotel/casino, though it will need final approval from Luciano. Ben also tells Meyer about his plans to kill Mussolini, an idea that Meyer nixes immediately. Meyer is afraid that the rest of their mob won't take Ben seriously if he talks about the plot.Bugsy returns to Hollywood to convince Virginia of his dream -- he flies into another psychotic episode when he finds her entertaining another man. Ben throws the man through a patio door, ordering him to leave before he kills him. Virginia yells at Ben telling him that the man is her brother Chick. Ben tries to make amends by promising to buy Chick a new Cadillac. Virginia is disgusted at the thought of Ben trying to buy Chick's forgiveness and stalks off. Ben is able to talk to Virginia, telling her that the hotel he's planning to build will be named after her, "The Flamingo".Design begins on the hotel, with Bugsy exhibiting his mania -- he seems unconcerned at first with the ballooning budget when he orders several expensive changes. Harry arrives at Ben's home in LA, having escaped from prosecutors, previously planning on informing on the mob. Bugsy takes Harry for a "drive", and Virginia insists on coming along. Bugsy and Harry get out of the car and Virgina, still in the car, hears a couple of faint gunshots. Only Bugsy returns, muttering his mantra, "Twenty dwarves took turns doing handstands on the carpet." Virginia looks nervous. At a retirement party for one of the partners, Bugsy finds Joey, Virginia's old boyfriend, and beats him almost to death over an insult. Esta finally realizes why Bugsy is spending so much time away, and demands that he ask for a divorce.Construction on the Flamingo begins, and costs skyrocket. Bugsy gets arrested for the murder of Harry Greenberg. He's held without bail, but is afforded many luxuries, like a butler and telephone, where he continues to organize the build. Virginia runs the construction onsite, and travels back to brief Bugsy in jail. Bugsy continues to make rash decisions, and costs escalate. Meyer tries to reason with him, telling him he can help with some of the costs, and Bugsy says he'll sell his shares of the casino, just to get it built. He sells everything he can to raise money.Bugsy is released (Ben had arranged for Mickey Cohen to send the cab driver witness out of town unharmed), and returns to Las Vegas. Cohen tells Bugsy that Virginia has been skimming money from him. One day Virginia sees Ben talking to a young woman about being a coat-check attendant and Virginia interprets his conversation as flirting. She rushes upstairs and the two have a loud argument. Virginia is fed up with Ben's grand scheming and has decided to leave him. During the argument, Ben confronts her about a private bank account she's taken out herself. More furious than ever, Virginia walks out on Ben.The mob meets in Havana, where Charlie Luciano lives in exile, to determine whether Bugsy knew about the skimming and about the inflated cost of the hotel, which is estimated to come in at at total cost of $6 million; Meyer defends him, but knows he'll have to handle Bugsy if the hotel fails.The hotel opens on Christmas, and is a failure. The night is severely stormy, water leaks in through the light fixtures, some of the more famous guests haven't shown up and the power goes out. Ben announces to the crowd that the hotel will be closed for an indeterminate period until it can be reopened.Meyer orders Bugsy to fly back to LA. Before he leaves, he talks to Meyer on the phone, asking Meyer to protect Virginia no matter what happens. He also tells Meyer never to sell his shares in the hotel because the place will one day pay off. Virginia returns before he leaves and gives him back some of the money she skimmed. He refuses to take the money but forgives her. He returns home, and is assassinated in his own living room by snipers. The mob takes over the Flamingo and tells Virginia that Bugsy is dead. Title cards before the final credits state that Virginia returned the money she skimmed to Meyer and committed suicide while living Austria. However, Bugsy's investment generated billions of dollars of revenue, and Las Vegas grew into a massive city.

Tags: revenge, comedy, murder, violence

Review:
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.
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.
Not that I'm a fan of Warren Beatty (I only watched his Dick Tracy movie), but I'm interested in the Hollywood retelling of Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel's story.For the uninitiated, Siegel was a gangster, who loves his family, but is as horny as he can get.
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 .
Combining a moving plot, first-class acting, superb directing, and an award-worthy score, 'Bugsy' rises above both period-piece movies and pointless gangster flicks.The plot of the film follows the events in mobster Benjamin 'Bugsy' Siegel's life that culminated in both the founding of Las Vegas and his own death.
Highly emotional and vastly outstanding film from director Barry Levinson (Oscar-nominated) follows the true start of Las Vegas as a gambling mecca due to the role of the titled character (Warren Beatty in an Oscar-nominated performance and arguably his finest cinematic turn).
One day Beatty takes a long road trip to a small desert town in Nevada called Las Vegas with Bening and West Coast mafia syndicate Harvey Keitel (Oscar-nominated) to check on a nickel-and-dime casino and something happens.
Levinson's and writer James Toback's genius was in the decision to forgo the usual hodgepodge of life events, in favor of making what is essentially a love story.The focus of the film is essentially the tempestuous love affair between Siegel and Virginia Hill, with the secondary plot being the creation of Vegas as we know it today from Benny's vision of the Flamingo.The best acting by far was by Benning.
That part begins about halfway through the 135-minute film when Siegel (Warren Beatty) gets his "vision" about Las Vegas.Too much of this movie is just profane arguing between the nasty "Virginia Hill" (Annette Bening) and Siegel.
Barry Levinson has come up with several other great directions throughout his career ("Rain Man" is a good example), but in "Bugsy" he definitely deserved the golden statute for his excellent work.The performances are also generally good, although here my first objections start to appear: I completely agreed with the idea of casting Keitel as Bugsy's accomplice, and Kingsley as mafia boss; they both fit perfectly in their roles, and their performances were worthy of their respective legends.
In a role perhaps written with Warren Beatty in mind, the title character is presented as a charming, vain, lecherous wannabe actor with a weakness for Hollywood glamour, which if true would make this film his dream come true.
He was a good looking guy and about 7 years younger than his pal George Raft, so it wasn't such a crazy idea.Warren Beatty was 54 when he made this movie and despite the hair dye, he's too old for this part.
An autobiographical feature focused on the LA period of life of notorious gangster Ben "Bugsy" Siegel (Warren Beatty), together with his ill-fated investment into the creation of what would become the Las Vegas gambling empire.
At the time however his input was ridiculed, ultimately leading to his death due to overspending of mafia money (albeit truth be told the role of William Wilkerson is absolutely ignored giving Bugsy the sole credit for building Las Vegas).Warren Beatty also offers his strong presence to further romanticise Bugsy Siegel, mostly through to his dedicated love affair with minor actress Virginia Hill (Annette Bening).
Warren Beatty is impeccable as 1940s New York-based gangster Ben Siegel (don't call him Bugsy!) who infiltrated Hollywood in its golden era, making friends with celebrities, entering into an alliance with adversary Mickey Cohen, dreaming up a glamorous, heroic life for himself while falling madly in love with volatile starlet Virginia Hill.
Annette Bening is a bit uneven as Hill (particularly in a later prison sequence), but Harvey Keitel is an amazingly gentleman-like Cohen, Ben Kingsley a marvelously low-keyed Meyer Lansky, and Elliott Gould sympathetic as stoolie Harry Greenberg.
Supposedly Bugsy Siegel was a big gangster boss with connections but when watching this movie it makes you wonder why and how all.
So as a biopic of the real life gangster Ben 'Bugsy' Siegel this just isn't a really good or insightful movie.The movie still became an acclaimed success though, mainly because gangster movies were popular at that time, which also explains why the movie received no less than 10 Oscar nominations and taking home 2 of them.
The jealousy angle is played up with some vivid scenes between Beatty and Bening that director Barry Levinson controls with just the right amount of passion.BEN KINGSLEY, ELLIOT GOULD (quite effective in an overlooked role as an ill-fated dumb gangster) and HARVEY KEITEL all stand out in solid supporting roles.
Whether or not Beatty got his inspiration for building a gambling casino in the middle of the desert is accurate or not, the story is a gripping one, taking unexpected twists and turns as it moves toward its grim conclusion.Summing up: Overtaken at the Oscars by "Silence of the Lambs," it's a film well worth seeking out if you missed it the first time, as I did..
Bugsy Siegel appeared in two 1991 mob movies, "Bugsy" and "Mobsters", I'm glad I discovered the "lesser" one first, it plugged in my memory names such as Arnold Rothstein, Benjamin Siegel, Lucky Luciano, Frank Costello and Meyer Lansky and made my experience of the better film much easier.And since "The Godfather Part II" and the 'Moe Greene' speech, I knew Barry Levinson's "Bugsy" wasn't just about a gangster, but also the man "of guts and vision".
So the film works like a companion piece to any classic gangster movie and also an unofficial prequel to "Casino", it's also a splendid example of classic film-making elevated by a stellar cast including Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Ben Kingsley, Harvey Keitel and Joe Mantegna.It is also served by an entertaining screenplay with dialogues that convey the biting sharpness of its period and its colorful gallery of players: starlets, grooms, crooners, moles and not-so legitimate businessmen.
And relationships are so integral to the appeal of the film, that it's just impossible to rave about it without mentioning Annette Bening's performance.As Virginia Hill, she's the 'Flamingo' who inspired Bugsy's "vision", she's the trigger of his most brutal reactions when her name is tarnished, or she's the woman who gets turned on by his brutal humiliation of an underboss who skimmed off the top.
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.
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.
Though Bugsy is hardly the real story of Benjamin Siegal, the criminal mastermind who turned Las Vegas into a desert pleasure town, Warren Beatty has captured the essence of the man.
Of course after the film, Bening became Mrs. Wareen Beatty and the off screen romance certainly added to the portrait of the totally obsessed Siegal with Hill.Harvey Keitel plays Mickey Cohen who was Siegal's number one lieutenant and took over eventually the west coast territory for the syndicate and does a good job as the tough as nails street kid who Siegal allies himself with in a gangland power play.
Keitel and Kingsley both were nominated for Best Supporting Actor, but lost to Jack Palance in City Slickers.One character who isn't mentioned much in talking about this film is George Raft as played by Joe Mantegna.
Harvey Keitel and Ben Kingsley are both really good as Mickey Cohen and Meyer Lansky respectively, however, the real standout for me besides Beatty is Annette Bening.
The biopic of noted gangster Benjamin 'Bugsy' Siegel featured recent Oscar winner Barry Levinson in the director's chair and certified star Warren Beatty in the title role.
Focusing mainly on Siegel's relationship with Virginia Hill (Annette Bening) and his role in Las Vegas's rise to prominence, the movie was a success at the box office.The cast is impressive, with Beatty being joined by Ben Kingsley, Harvey Keitel & Elliott Gould in key roles.
Beatty, Kingsley & Keitel all earned Oscar nominations but, to be honest, I didn't find any of their performances particularly outstanding, especially in comparison to their most memorable roles.The film's two Oscar wins were for art direction-set decoration and costume design, which serves to illustrate the movie's attention to period-specific detail.
There may not be enough emphasis on organized crime to satisfy fans of the gangster movie genre but the movie does paint an interesting portrait of Siegel as both a man of action and a dreamer.Ultimately, "Bugsy" has some good points but I think that hindsight has shown that maybe it wasn't quite as commendable as its star power suggested at the time.
It has the makings of a great film.If it isn't quite then it's not from something very terrible or exact; it may be sometimes so slick, so conscious of it as beautiful as the shot is when Siegel and Virginia Hill appear in their big embrace and kiss in silhouette behind the screen it screams *cinematic moment* very loudly, even more than Levinson's previous Rain Man. There is also the conflict that is usually resolved through the gritty-cum-documentary style in Scorsese's films which Levinson sort of reaches, which is how the personal side, of an expression of the characters through the filmmakers' perspective on violence and sch raw emotions, as guilt-free entertainment.But for some precious moments, Bugsy works on its own terms very well, so much so I would recommend the picture just to see such actors going toe-to-toe and putting the trust in one another to go just a little farther in a scene that requires it.
The best thing about this movie is the performances, especially Warren Beatty as Bugsy, he is very good and deserved the Oscar nomination he got for it.
Warren Beatty's always been great (BONNIE & CLYDE his best), but this movie lacks real fire, although it's well cast about a fascinating criminal character.
As Jewish mafioso Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel - who was famous for turning Las Vegas into what it is today - Beatty brings to the screen the same flair that he brought to all his great roles.
The movie also stars Harvey Keitel, Elliott Gould, Ben Kingsley, and Joe Mantegna, all of whom are great in their roles.
Whatever the reason, "Bugsy" never really coalesces into a compelling film, remaining instead an episodic and surface-level telling of Siegel's story.Much to-do was made at the time about the on-screen chemistry between Beatty and Bening, but nothing much comes of it, as her character is woefully underused.
Warren Beatty was a lock for this character as he tends to drift from seriousness to craziness back and forth almost haphazardly as Benny Siegel, a man who indeed was crazy as the nickname Bugsy implies but was in reality a genius who had the ahead of his time dream of a gambling capital of the world called Las Vegas.
In some of the scenes, I am reminded of James Cagney's performance in "Love Me or Leave Me." He can be a romantic lover, devoted father, and murderer with batting an eye, all at the same time.Both Harvey Keitel (Mickey Cohen) and Ben Kingsley as Meyer Lansky received best supporting actor nominations..
Even the more original of the Post Godfather Films would owe a debt to both author Mario PUzzo and the now master screenwriter and Director Parr Excellence, Francis Ford Coppola.SO it is that we have BUGSY (Baltimore Pictures/Dessert Vision/Mulholland Pictures/Tri-Star Pictures, 1991); which was Director Barry Levinson's initial foray into the Gangster Genre; following a good deal of widely varying product such as DINER (1982), THE NATURAL (1984) and YOUNG SHERLOCK (1985).* IN this we have not only the greatest send up of a story of a Jewish American Gangster to date, but also one in which we are treated to a sort of serio-comic on screen representation of the rough and tumble romance of the main characters: Ben Siegel (Warren Beatty)** and Virginia Hill (Annette Benning); who interestingly enough became involved during production, leading to Marriage which still exists today.IN the film's storyline, we see a link between "the Boys" and the Motion Picture Industry; one which owes its being to earlier relationships of gangsters with night spots, both before and after the Prohibition Era. The obsession with fame and glamour had long been a normal part of the gangster culture; what with well known, high ranking hoods having been described as "Movie Stars with Muscle."*** WITH the course of the movie, Director Levinson allows us to take a step back and sort of laugh at such ridiculous behaviour and at the same time, we're able to perform a sort of logical and cultural biopsy on just what makes such a peculiarsome mindset.
We had Mickey Cohen (Harvey Keitel), Meyer Lansky (Ben Kingsley), Harry Greenberg (Elliot Gould), George Raft (Joe Mantenga), Countess Di Frasso (Bebe Newirth) and Count Di Frasso (Gian-Carlo Scandiuzzi).ODDLY enough, there's a movie connection here to THE GODFATHER Saga; for it is generally believed and also somewhat obvious that the real life Ben "Bugsy " Siegel and Meyer Lansky served as models for Mario Puzo's characters of Moe Green and Hyman Roth in THE GODFATHER.NOTE: * Mr. Levinson also followed up these with that greatest of Police TV Dramas, HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET(Baltimore Pictures/NBC TV Network, 1993-99).NOTE: ** Now Schultz, was that Warren or Ned Beatty?
I loved it but it's important to be prepared to deal with its sudden outbreaks of violence.Nobody plays elegant but edgy people better than Warren Beatty and his performance here as Ben "Bugsy" Siegel is a tour de force.
Fantastic film about the life of Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, who was best known for building the framework for Las Vegas.
Based on a screenplay by James Toback, the film tells the story of Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel (Warren Beatty), the infamous American gangster.The plot?
It seems axiomatic that art imitates life and my postscript to that axiom would be "...except that the characters are better looking and the story simplified." If viewers of the film come away with a somewhat inaccurate picture of the man, then so be it.Warren Beatty's portrayal of Siegel as a violent bipolar sociopath is probably not far from the truth.
With the skillful scriptwriting by James Toback and directed by Barry Levinson, and scored by Ennio Morricone, it's apropos to the time period and shows a strong homage to the neonoir era of Los Angeles crime scene of the 1930's and 1940's.Warren Beatty literally lives out the role as Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel a famous mobster who was ruthless in every way possible and no one every dared to call him "Bugsy" to his face.
Beatty is magnetic as Bugsy Siegel, in this beautifully shot period-gangster film.
Bugsy (1991)Top 3 - 1991 Warren Beatty provides a stunning performance as Benjamin Siegel, the gangster who created the Flamingo Hotel and essentially laid the foundations for Las Vegas.
The film follows the life of the enigmatic, volatile yet charming Siegel as he moves to California from NYC and falls in love with Virginia Hill (Annette Bening in another stand-out performance) and embarks on his vision of building an oasis in the desert.Outstanding support from Ben Kingsley, Harvey Keitel, Joe Mantegna and expert direction from Barry Levinson, Bugsy is a superbly made film, extremely enjoyable and one of the best films of 1991.8/10.
Warren Beatty is perfectly cast as real life mobster named Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel known for opening a hotel/casino in Las Vegas called the flamingo.
In the movie every cast member is terrific as the character he/she plays but i have to say that the performance by Annette Bening was a little over the top when she thought that Warren Beatty's character was going out with a woman he just hired for a job at the hotel.
Bugsy is a crime-drama film that tells the story of mobster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel that is based from research material by Dean Jennings' 1967 book We Only Kill Each Other.It stars Warren Beatty in the title role as Bugsy Malone together with Annette Bening, Harvey Keitel and Ben Kingsley.Barry Levinson directs.The movie is a character study of mobster Bugsy Siegel.He arrives in California in the 1940's and gets assigned to oversee the L.A. rackets.