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:

based on book | character name in title | 

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Taglines:

Bugsy Siegal and Lucky Luciano made headlines but one man controlled the game.

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Genres:

Drama | Crime

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, violence and nudity

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

Did You Know?

Goofs

At the end of the film it stated that Lansky was born in 1903. In fact, he was born on July 4th 1902.

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

This is no "Once upon a Time in America"

This film succeeds in portraying Meyer Lansky as a victim in the whole procedure. This has to be rubbish - wasn't he allegedly the brains behind most of the mobster operations and died with millions of dollars of his ill-gotten gains stashed away somewhere in Switzerland? The constant leaping backwards and forwards in time, while expertly handled in "Once Upon a Time in America" was clumsily handled in this film. Dreyfuss, though a good actor, was miscast and therefore seriously out of his depth here: this only served to increase my dissatisfaction with the film. And what did happen to Anna? Why was it assumed that everyone watching the film was as au fait with the story as David Mamet? The only times the film lit up was when either Eric Roberts or Anthony Lapaglia were on the screen. It's a pity it wasn't the story of "Lucky" Luciano. Lapaglia dwarfed Dreyfuss both physically and metaphorically every time they were on screen together. All in all if you like gangster movies fact or fiction, I'd advice you to miss this one.