Stream it now Bugsy 1991

 

,yiiaaah .thats so nice, like it. . Like the girls from C a m O n l i n e D . c () m

AS A BIG FAN of Beatty and Bening, i was excited when i seen this on Fox tonight, loving the previous works of the dynamic Hollywood duo. I found the film very similar to previous Beatty productions with it's dramatic yet humorous look at a serious story, or in this case the life of an American Gangster. The final scene was far by the best death scene i've seen shot as it was shocking, gruesome and empathetic.

The acting was amazing by the outstanding cast of Beatty, Bening, Keitel, and Kingsley. The story was great and the direction was amazing.

With excellent production values and a character-driven plot (unusual in post-70s filmmaking) "Bugsy" is one of the most underrated gangster movies of recent decades. It breaks no new ground and has no single characteristic that will blow the viewer away, but it is very well crafted and technically impressive. In short, it does nothing excellent, but rather everything well.

Beatty and Bening have undeniable chemistry that really magnetizes the viewer's attention. Both Siegel and Hill were indeed charismatic, seductive, conniving, and violent people and the script and actors capture all of those facets in a variety of compelling ways. Taking these qualities in combination with the period clothing, cars, and scenery, "Bugsy" is a treat for the eyes and more than satisfying in the entertainment department.

In being a throwback to 1940s glamor, though, it loses some of the gritty realism and subtle acting one finds in other modern gangster flicks by the likes of Scorsese and co. Also, from a historical perspective, this film is more about the legend of Bugsy than the real man and real events. The true story, as is so often the case, is far less glamorous or cut-and-dry. But anyone who isn't looking for "Scarface" or a documentary will find this movie meets all of their wishes.

Good flick about a historical bad man.

Infamous 1940's gangster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel (Warren Beatty) has been in and out of trouble with cops and his family over the years. Now, he has left them for a woman named Virginia Hill (Annette Benning).

"Hill" slowly warms up to the mobster, who decides to move to California to pursue her and dreams of becoming an actor. Even though he is trying to improve his life, he is still an ill-tempered mobster who wants to use his new connections to assassinate Mousilini. However, when the dictator is killed, he eventually sets his eyes on a piece of Nevada desert to build a casino.

The movie focuses mainly on the fairly rocky relationship between Seigel and Hill. However, sprinkled through the movie are scenes which remind us of Seigel's criminal nature. We see Seigel go from a romantic trying to woo a beautiful woman to a guy who will kick a man when he is down. Beatty does a pretty good job changing between these personality traits with fairly good easy.

The chemistry between Beatty and Benning is not perfect. The script is a bit weak at times, and I noticed that I was paying more attention to my computer many times. I also felt that the supporting cast did nothing for the movie except move the story along -- usually slowly.

Of course there is some blood in a movie about a mobster. However, there isn't that much as you would expect. Seigel, who frequently states his dislike for the "Bugsy" nickname, is shown shooting a guy once, and beating up people. One murder he does is off camera, between scene transitions and we never get to see exactly how he did the crime, which he is arrested for later on in the movie.

The wardrobes, cars, buildings and everything else seen in this movie appear to be pretty authentic. However, the wardrobes are too perfect and too fresh as if they were being worn for the first time ever. The clothing, if you ask me appears to be too new. No clothing looks as if they have been worn a few times.

The music is pretty nice. You get instrumentals mixed with well known tunes sung on camera in night club scenes. The songs from the 1940's helped make you believe that you were actually in that time period.

I don't know what it was about the script, but I noticed that I was looking more at my computer numerous times. I felt that there were many scenes that were fairly weak and lagged. Many of the performances, especially the supporting cast, were not good at times while pretty good at other times. I feel that the supporting cast was barely developed, and were there to try to help move the film along. I also felt that those in supporting roles

I can't say that this should be added to your "Must See" List. I can't even say that this movie should be on the Top 10 of your "To See" List.

Mute Witness
Starring: Marina Zudina, Fay Ripley, Evan Richrds, and Alec Guinness.
Written and Directed by Anthony Waller.
Rated R (for violence and a strong scene combining sex and violence).
Running time approximately 1 hour 38 minutes.


Meh...

Eric Blakeney's Gun Shy is an embarassment for everyone involved, excluding the writer/director, of course. (I say this only because I've not heard of him since, nor did I beforehand.) Neeson seems deathly uncomfortable in a role that requires him to utter lines like "I'm on my way to the top floor now just to throw myself off," which is not funny on its own, nor is it funny when plopped into a scene with a potty-mouthed Platt. Bullock is underused and completely unmemorable. This film is sloppy and lame. *1/2 (out of ****) D+

Barry Levinson used to be a somewhat of a favorite director of mine. Warren Beatty and Annete Benning are fantastic and Levinson's direction is mostly top notch.

A gangster flick I'm quite fond of is "Bugsy," a very well-done film about legendary gangster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel in his later years when he meets an instantly falls in love with Virginia Hill, a would-be singer/actress who "got around in Hollywood."

The film starts off with Bugsy, still in league with his childhood street-buddies Charley "Lucky" Luciano and Meyer Lansky, en route to Hollywood on a business meeting which then turns into his official base of operations when he takes over a gambling operation from crime boss Jack Dragna. While there, he meets Virginia Hill, the woman that would change his womanizing ways forever, and introduce him to the world of true love.

Bugsy was known for being a handsome and charming thug, very popular amongst the ladies; even putting them above all things including money and his own wife. Always wore the best wardrobe and made sure things were in order. The film really gets into the charming side of the man, the well-spoken side, and of course the notorious, insane side; especially when you called him 'Bugsy' to his face.

The film also gets into what Bugsy was best known for, the creation of Las Vegas as we know it today. Of course I'm talking about The Flamingo, the hotel/casino that Bugsy had constructed in the middle of the Nevada desert. The construction went severely over budget which had a hand in the fate of Ben Siegel.

Lavishly classy sets, top-notch costumes and beautiful cinematography make this a class A piece of film, directed by Barry Levinson ("Rain Man", "Sleepers"). Warren Beatty gives, what I think to be, the performance of his career...as well as solid support by, well the whole cast!!

"Bugsy" is a different kind of gangster film, but it works and it's very true to the real-life events!!

A big elegant movie, beautiful in every sense of the word, fascinating story of the man who created Las Vegas and Warren Beatty is perfect in this movie. If you're not a huge fan of his, you'll still appreciate the great talents of this star who is not necessarily known for his acting prowess. He is a joy to watch with the gorgeous Annette Bening Beatty. They have great chemistry and all the actors involved were fantastic, there were many oscar nominations for all aspects of this film, acting, costumes, best film, best director, but when I saw that that Elliott Gould was not nominated for his wonderfully moving performance as Harry Greenberg, I was very surprised. Maybe it was just too small of a role.