Lansky (1999)

This is the telling of the life of organized crime boss, Meyer Lansky, as remembered by him as a very old man who is moving about the world looking for some country that will take him in ... See full summary »

Director:

John McNaughton

Writers:

Uri Dan (book), Dennis Eisenberg (book)

Stars:

Richard Dreyfuss, Yosef Carmon, Mosko Alkalai

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Dreyfuss	...	Meyer Lansky
Yosef Carmon	...	Rabbi / Caretaker (as Yosi Carmon)
Mosko Alkalai	...	Jewelry Shopkeeper (as Moscu Alcalay)
Fima Noveck	...	Hasid in Grodno
Joshua Praw	...	Meyer Lansky Age 8
Bernard Hiller	...	Max Lansky
Jill Holden	...	Yetta Lansky
Larry Moss	...	Benjamin Lansky
Chris Marquette	...	Jake Lansky Ages 9-11 (as Christopher Marquette)
Ryan Merriman	...	Meyer Lansky Ages 12-14
Benjamin Kimball Smith	...	Irish Gang Leader (as Benjamin K. Smith)
Brian Casey	...	Irish Boy #1
Adam Hendershott	...	Irish Boy #2
Daniel Sagal	...	Irish Boy #3
Anthony Medwetz	...	Benny Siegel Age 11

Storyline

This is the telling of the life of organized crime boss, Meyer Lansky, as remembered by him as a very old man who is moving about the world looking for some country that will take him in since the US courts have put out an extradition order for him to stand trial. It tells of a young man growing up in the Jewish ghettos of America's big cities at the turn of the century and of his bright intelligence which he used for moving into crime. "I'm only a gambler," he claimed, "just like most all Americans." When asked by a reporter to comment on the killings that occurred under his leadership he declined, thereby making this film's thrust that of personalities and relationships rather than of acts of violence or the workings of corrupt deeds.

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Plot Keywords:

character name as title | surname as title | meyer lansky character | bugsy siegel character | arnold rothstein character | 

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Taglines:

The Mind That Organized Crime.

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Genres:

Drama | Crime

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, violence and nudity

Did You Know?

Goofs

In the 49th minute the US Navy plane has no tail number (registration number).

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Soundtracks

Casino Rumba
Written by Dwayne K. Augustine & Bobby Molina
Performed by Dwayne K. Augustine & Bobby Molina

User Reviews

terribly executed biofilm

If done well, this would be a very interesting movie, but as it is, it's very marginal. The shift from his youth days, to his 30's and 1978 gets very confusing. There are times the issue of Meyer Lansky being Jewish is brought up in the film, but later it's simply forgotten. That's the scenes during his childhood and the 1978 scenes. Between that, nothing. All we see in the film is only about Lansky, but it would have been interesting to see what his friends and enemies think and mean about him. I'm losing faith in HBO movies.

The verdict: 1.5 of 5 stars.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 February 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

A bűn királya

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Frederick Zollo Productions, HBO Films, Home Box Office (HBO)

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1