Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #24562 in DVD
• Released on: 1999-01-26
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 134 minutes

Amazon.com
Bugsy represents an almost miraculous combination of director, writer, and star on a project that represents a career highlight for everyone involved. It's one of the best American gangster movies ever made--as good in its own way as any of the Godfather films--and it's impossible to imagine anyone better than Beatty in the movie's flashy title role. As notorious mobster and Las Vegas visionary "Bugsy" Siegel, Beatty is perfectly cast as a man whose dreams are greater than his ability to realize them--or at least, greater than his ability to stay alive while making those dreams come true. With a glamorous Hollywood mistress (Annette Bening) who shares Bugsy's dream while pursuing her own upwardly mobile agenda, Bugsy seems oblivious to threats when he begins to spend too much of the mob's money on the creation of the Flamingo casino. Meyer Lansky (Ben Kingsley) and Mickey Cohen (Harvey Keitel) will support Bugsy's wild ambition to a point, after which all bets are off, and Bugsy's life hangs in the balance. From the obvious chemistry of Beatty and Bening (who met and later married off-screen) to the sumptuous reproduction of 1940s Hollywood, every detail in this movie feels impeccably right. Beatty is simply mesmerizing as the man who invented Las Vegas but never saw it thrive, moving from infectious idealism to brutal violence in the blink of an eye. Director Barry Levinson is also in peak form here, guiding the stylish story with a subtle balance of admiration and horror; we can catch Bugsy's Vegas fever and root for the gangster's success, but we know he'll get what he deserves. We might wish that Bugsy had lived to see his dream turn into a booming oasis, but the movie doesn't suggest that we should shed any tears. --Jeff Shannon

From The New Yorker
This opulent period gangster movie, written by James Toback and directed by Barry Levinson, is largely a showcase for the old-fashioned star magnetism of Warren Beatty, who plays the legendary Benjamin (Bugsy) Siegel. The screenplay portrays Bugsy as a charming, mercurial psychopath with a rather touching taste for glamour; it concentrates on the last few years of the hero's life, when he became a Hollywood celebrity and built the first hotel-cASINo in Las Vegas. He's a vivid, unpredictable, one-of-a-kind guy, and the filmmakers seem to realize that they can't take their eyes off him for a second. Siegel is a fascinating monster; we don't want to take our eyes off him, either. This is a rich role for Beatty, and he tears into it hungrily. It's the best kind of star performance: Beatty seems entirely himself, but in a new way. He's ferociously, mesmerizingly funny. Annette Bening plays Bugsy's lover, the tough, wily, independent-minded mob courtesan Virginia Hill, and she more than holds her own in her scenes with the star. And the movie is filled with pungent, memorable supporting performances. Ben Kingsley brings a surprisingly dry, elegant sense of comic timing to his portrait of sober Meyer Lansky (one of the hero's partners in the New York mob). Harvey Keitel, as Mickey Cohen, Bugsy's right-hand man in Los Angeles, spits out his profane lines as if they were live firecrackers. Elliott Gould plays the tiny role of Harry Greenberg, an aging, flabby mob schlemiel, and he's absolutely inspired; he plays this dazed character as a Willy Loman who has wandered too far from the old territory. Despite its lavish surface, this is essentially a movie of small, lovingly crafted pleasures. It's smart, swanky fun. Also with Bill Graham (as Lucky Luciano) and Joe Mantegna (as George Raft). Allen Daviau did the glamorous cinematorgaphy. -Terrence Rafferty
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Twenty dwarves took turns doing handstands on the carpet
'Bugsy' tells the story of mobster/visionary Benjamin (don't call him Bugsy, at least not to his face) Seigel. Sure he was a killer; but he also was a family man, a lover, a multi-tasker, a man of exquisite fashion sense, and a visionary. His vision, you ask? He had an epiphany in the desert and envisioned Las Vegas, and built The Flamingo Hotel and Casino, which got the roulette ball rollin'. Perhaps his role in the creation of Las Vegas was exaggerated for dramatic effect, but Warren Beatty turns in a very compelling performance, supported by an excellent cast. The scenes between Beatty and Bening, his current wife, generate high voltage sparks, contrary to the rule about casting a married couple as lovers since they are so familiar with one another. 'Eyes Wide Shut,' anyone? Either 'Bugsy' was shot before the two actually got together, or it flies in the face of The Coolidge Effect. The Beatty/Bening match up is like a prize fight, something that is right at home in Las Vegas. Here is where they first meet:

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"Bugsy" Siegel: Got a light?
Virginia: The way you were looking at me, I thought you were going to ask for something more interesting.
"Bugsy" Siegel: Like what?
Virginia: Use your imagination.
"Bugsy" Siegel: I'm using it.
Virginia: ...Let me know when you're finished.
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Another scene that reveals the complexity of Seigel's character, as portrayed by Warren Beatty, is when he negotiates cost over runs at his home while simultaneously trying to preside over his daughter's birthday party, wearing a white baker's hat and jacket. Can you say multi-tasking? It is quite a feat of juggling, despite the fact that he drops the main ball, and the scene of him sitting dejected in front of his daughter's cake with the candles melted down to wax puddles speaks volumes.

Here we have a cold blooded killer who will choose silk ties and designer shirts for a bookie just before he shoots him. Always seeking to improve, he practices his diction relentlessly:

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"Bugsy" Siegel: Twenty dwarves took turns doing handstands on the carpet.
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Can you say Self Improvement? Bugsy was certainly not your average gangster, and 'Bugsy' the film is not your average gangster movie. Great performances from Beatty, Bening, and the rest of the stellar cast, 'Bugsy' is a most worthwhile use of your film watching time.

Barry Levinson ... Director of Bugsy (1991)
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
Bebe Neuwirth ... Countess di Frasso
Bill Graham ... Charlie Luciano
Peggy Lee ... sang "WHY DON'T YOU DO RIGHT? (GET ME SOME MONEY TOO)"


Diner (1982) .... Directed by Barry Levinson
Bulworth (1998) .... Sen. Jay Billington Bulworth was portrayed by Warren Beatty
The Grifters (1990) .... Annette Bening was Myra Langtry
Bad Lieutenant (1992) .... Harvey Keitel was The Lieutenant, and he was very, very, very, very bad.
Gandhi (1982) .... Ben Kingsley played Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
American History X (1998) .... Elliott Gould was Murray
Alice (1990) .... Joe Mantegna was Joe the Saxophonist
Tadpole (2002) .... Bebe Neuwirth was Diane Lodder
Apocalypse Now (1979) .... Bill Graham was the Agent

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Virginia: Do you always talk this much before you do it?
"Bugsy" Siegel: I only talk this much before I kill someone.
[they kiss]
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This may be a case of `too much glamour, not enough heart'...
There is a certain look about `Bugsy' that is entrancing. Even in moments when the film seemed to drag on or fall behind it was never anything less than engaging for the scenery and style alone spoke volumes. This is probably the greatest compliment I can hand the film, but it may also be the films biggest weakness. Ben `Bugsy' Siegel was a superficial man, and sadly, the movie bearing his nickname is at times equally superficial.

The film tells the story of how gangster Ben Siegel jump started life in Vegas. What was nothing more than a dusty city became a goldmine thanks to this man `crazy' vision of what it could become. Sadly, Bugsy never got to see his dream fulfilled, but the film allows us to see what started that dream and how he sabotaged his own success in the long run. When Bugsy gets a taste of the Hollywood glitz and glam he is soon sucked in completely and finds himself trying with all his might to hold onto something he had no business tampering with in the first place. He gets himself a starlit mistress, Virginia Hill, and he borrows millions from the mob in order to jumpstart what he feels will be the biggest break of his life.

The film tries to showcase all areas of the man's life, but in certain areas is fails to bring the heat. He has a steamy romance with Hill that is as choppy and inconsistent as they come, yet aside from some fights and tantrums the lovers are never really exposed to us as they truly were. There are moments within the film where our interest in what is going on may wane, for the construction of some scenes can be borderline tiresome. There are times where I wished that the script had been tightened a bit, allowing the action to flow a little more freely.

But that is a minor drawback when you consider the films many pluses.

The acting is all very, very well done. I was a little shocked that the Academy went overboard like they did with nominations, especially in the supporting actor category, since neither Keitel or especially Kingsley were nomination worthy in my opinion, but they were solid to say the least. They lent a nice balance of stern concern and humor to their performances, but they were overshadowed immensely by both Beatty and Bening (the latter of which was snubbed horrifically of a nomination). Yes, `Bugsy' is all about Beatty, and he devours this role with vigor and ferocity. He chomps at every scene with an underlying madness that creates a certain charm, like that of a well-off serial killer; alluring and dangerous, or maybe even he's alluring because he's dangerous. Bening matches his every step of the way with equal parts fascination and frustration, especially as their jaded romance grows. Both Bening and Beatty sink not only into their characters but also into the time period, which fits them like gloves.

`Bugsy' is not as good as `The Godfather' as some have said, but it is good. Barry Levinson knows how to draw out phenomenal performances from his cast, and he does that with everyone here. The backdrop plays like a character all its own and owns most of the film, giving us a beautiful stage for the characters to parade across. Sadly though, the film never really develops its characters as strongly as it could have, and while we get to experience what made Bugsy so famous we miss out on really understanding what made Bugsy tick.

Bugsy a disapointment
I was disappointed by this DVD. Watching it, I got bored and just went on to other things. Sort of bothered by an apparent glorification of someone who really wasn't a very nice person.