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Bugsy
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Bugsy (1991) -- The story of how Bugsy Siegel started Las Vegas.

Overview

User Rating:
6.7/10   9,021 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 2% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Barry Levinson
Writers (WGA):
Dean Jennings (book) (research source)
James Toback (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Bugsy on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
20 December 1991 (USA) more
Genre:
Biography | Crime | Drama more
Tagline:
Glamour Was The Disguise.
Plot:
The story of how Bugsy Siegel started Las Vegas. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Won 2 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 20 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(19 articles)
That's not the IMAX I grew up with
 (From Roger Ebert's Blog. 29 May 2009, 2:05 AM, PDT)

SFIFF52 Day 10: James Toback and "Tyson"
 (From JustPressPlay. 3 May 2009, 9:06 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
It's a good movie but a bit too clean and friendly as well. more

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
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for violence, language and sensuality.
Runtime:
136 min | USA:149 min (extended edition)
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby SR
Certification:
Iceland:16 | Finland:K-16 (1992) | Finland:K-18 (2006) (extended version) (self applied) | UK:15 (DVD rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Germany:16 (w) | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Singapore:PG

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Director Trademark: [Barry Levinson]Ralph Tabakin (elevator operator) has appeared in every Levinson picture from Diner (1982) to Liberty Heights (1999). more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: The cars in this film were very authentic except for the 1948 black Lincoln continental in 1944 more
Quotes:
Mickey Cohen: Hey, this conversation is beneath me. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Double Cross (1994) more
Soundtrack:
CANDY more

FAQ

What are the differences between the theatrical version and the Extended Cut?
more
3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful:-
It's a good movie but a bit too clean and friendly as well., 27 May 2008
7/10
Author: Boba_Fett1138 from Groningen, The Netherlands

Well this movie just ain't no "Goodfellas", even though it was definitely inspired by it. It's a pretty good movie on its own right but it just remains a bit too much on the safe and clean side to really regard this as a true great and effective gangster-movie.

For a gangster movie it's just a too friendly one. This is like the light version of "Goodfellas". Supposedly Bugsy Siegel was a big gangster boss with connections but when watching this movie it makes you wonder why and how all. Guess they were just too afraid we would begin to dislike the character once we saw him do a lot of brutal things and killing- and giving orders to kill lots of people, even though this all of course was more closer to the truth as the character that is being portrayed in this movie. This not just goes for the main character but also does around him. It especially also goes for Virginia Hill. Guess director Barry Levinson just wasn't the right guy for a movie such as this. 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. It was made at the same time as movies such as "The Godfather: Part III" and "Goodfellas" got released.

As a movie itself there isn't really much wrong with it. It's a good movie that follows a person that is following his dreams. Bugsy definitely seemed like a complicated and unpredictable character. He had some strange big ideas and really didn't knew how to handle money. It's a good movie and story on its own but as I said before, as a biopic or gangster movie it can't be really seen as a great one. The movie basically suffers from the same problems as "The Aviator"; it's too much in love with its main character and forgets to show the ugly but realistic things about his life.

Also seemed to me that Warren Beatty also didn't really knew how to handle the character. At times he's portraying him as a tough gangster, while at other moments it picks an even sort of like comical approach. Otherwise he plays well in the movie, just because he's such a darn fine actor, who has always starred in far to few pictures. His last movie already dates back again to 2001.

This is also known as the movie in which Warren Beatty and Annette Bening met and they got married 1 year later.

Besides Bening and Beatty the movie also stars acclaimed stars such as Harvey Keitel, Ben Kingsley and Elliott Gould, in variating sizes of roles. It's of course never a punishment to watch any of these actors in any movies.

It's a good movie, as long as you're not expecting a "Goodfellas" type of gangster-flick, even though it features basically the same style and narrative way of storytelling.

7/10

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Bugsy (1991)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Small plot hole in an outstanding film rmervis
The Flamingo wasn't really Bugsy's idea wotherspoon-2
What happened to his kids? Alwood
Did Bugsy Deserve Best Picture ijly
Murderer, Adulterer, why did I like him by the end? hannahp1
does he remind you of the joker? hampersaunter
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