Bugsy (1991)

The story of how Bugsy Siegel started Las Vegas.

Director:

Barry Levinson

Writers:

James Toback, Dean Jennings (book)

Stars:

Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Harvey Keitel

Won 2 Oscars. Another 14 wins & 24 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Warren Beatty	...	Bugsy Siegel
Annette Bening	...	Virginia Hill
Harvey Keitel	...	Mickey Cohen
Ben Kingsley	...	Meyer Lansky
Elliott Gould	...	Harry Greenberg
Joe Mantegna	...	George
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

Storyline

New York gangster Ben 'Bugsy' Siegel takes a brief business trip to Los Angeles. A sharp-dressing womaniser with a foul temper, Siegel doesn't hesitate to kill or maim anyone crossing him. In L.A. the life, the movies, and most of all strong-willed Virginia Hill detain him while his family wait back home. Then a trip to a run-down gambling joint at a spot in the desert known as Las Vegas gives him his big idea.

---

Plot Keywords:

gambling | gangster | temper | film in film | investment | 

---

Taglines:

Glamour Was The Disguise.

---

Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama | History

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language and sensuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 December 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bagzi

Filming Locations:

Indoor Pool, Biltmore Hotel - 506 S. Grand Avenue, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$49,114,016 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

TriStar Pictures, Mulholland Productions, Baltimore Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

136 min 149 min (extended edition)

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR Dolby (as Dolby Stereo)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

While the film suggests that Bugsy Siegel and Virginia Hill first meet on the movie set, they had actually met several years earlier in real life. At the time, Hill was dating Joe Adonis (portrayed as Joey A. by Lewis Van Bergen in this film) when she and Bugsy had an affair, thus explaining the animosity Bugsy and Joey have for one another throughout the film.

---

Goofs

Harry Greenberg was in fact murdered in November 1939, not in 1945 as depicted in this film.

---

Quotes

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

---

Connections

Referenced in Double Cross (1994)

---

Soundtracks

"WHY DON'T YOU DO RIGHT? (GET ME SOME MONEY TOO)"
(1947)
Written by Joe McCoy
Performed by Peggy Lee
Courtesy of Capitol Records
By Arrangement with CEMA Special Markets

User Reviews

Interesting Portrait But Too Profane

Tis is the story of famous gangster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel and beginnings of Las Vegas, Nevada. 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. If this was accurate, why he put up with that woman's constant berating is mind-boggling.

I liked the rest of the cast except for Joe Mantegna, who made a very poor George Raft. Harvey Keitel as L.A. mobster Mickey Cohen is good as is Ben Kingsley, as Meyer Lansky, head of the East Coast mob.

There are tons of f-words in here, which I question. I doubt if that word was used that frequently back in those days. Usually I don't care but it's way overdone here.

It's a nice-looking film but unfortunately the DVD transfer is weak. The colors in here are great and certainly deserve to look better on disc. Another major flaw is they make the two lead characters look like sympathetic figures in the end, which is just plain wrong. The only thing Siegel had going for him was foresight concerning Las Vegas.

In the end, he and Hill reaped what they sowed anyway, if the story is true. Despite the objections I have with it, it's still an interesting biography, I'll say that. I never got bored with this movie.