Bugsy (1991)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Barry Levinson

Writers (WGA):

Dean Jennings (book) (research source)
James Toback (written by)

Release Date:

20 December 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Glamour Was The Disguise.

Plot:

The story of how Bugsy Siegel started Las Vegas.

Plot Keywords:

Birthday Party | Nickname | Jealousy | Divorce | Cheating

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 20 nominations

Cast

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
Richard C. Sarafian	...	Jack Dragna (as Richard Sarafian)
Bebe Neuwirth	...	Countess di Frasso
Gian-Carlo Scandiuzzi	...	Count di Frasso
Wendy Phillips	...	Esta Siegel
Stefanie Mason	...	Millicent Siegel
Kimberly McCullough	...	Barbara Siegel
Andy Romano	...	Del Webb
Robert Beltran	...	Alejandro
Bill Graham	...	Charlie Luciano

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language and sensuality.

Runtime:

134 min | USA:149 min (extended edition)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Finland:K-16 (1992) | Finland:K-18 (2006) (extended version) (self applied) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Germany:16 (w) | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

810 Linden Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Baltimore Pictures

Trivia:

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.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: After Siegel (allegedly) murders Greenburg, and as the car containing him and Virginia Hill begins to pull away, you can see in the right rear fender the reflections of two people. One is easy to identify as a human figure, the other looks like someone is possibly hunched over.

Quotes:

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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Double Cross (1994)

Soundtrack:

WAITIN' FOR THE TRAIN TO COME IN

This Could Be the Start of Something Big.

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). The gangster is bad news in the mid-1930s in New York. He takes a business trip to Los Angeles and quickly falls in love with the weather, the surroundings and of course a beautiful woman who is little more than a high-class prostitute (Annette Bening). His wife and kids will just have to take a backseat now to his new-found life. 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. Beatty gets a vision of something, something extraordinary. This is the beginning of an idea to build the kind of gambling facility we think about today. Beatty's dedication and want leads to the creation of The Flamingo, but it comes at an astronomically high personal, economic and spiritual cost. Beatty may lose it all, but then again he may do something truly unforgettable. "Bugsy" is one of those productions that dominates due to its unforgettable elements. This is an amazing love story that is heart-warming, heart-breaking and heart-wrenching all at the same time. Based on actual events, the film-makers took a few liberties in the production but the majority of the running time is pretty accurate as to what actually took place in real life. Supporting actors Ben Kingsley (Oscar-nominated), Joe Mantegna and Elliott Gould all do good work in small, well-calculated roles. "Bugsy" is one of the best films of the 1990s. It stood tall in 1991 as it had more Oscar nominations than any other movie that year. Beatty and Bening's chemistry is exceptional and their love for each other in real life just seems to glisten brightly on the silver screen. An excellent production that should be discussed and praised much more than it is. 5 stars out of 5.