Stars: Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Harvey Keitel, Ben Kingsley
Background
Nominated for 10 Academy Awards, and beloved by the critics, Bugsy was less popular with the general public, doing middling box-office. Today it has a 6.8 IMDB rating, with the Top 1000 reviewers rating it an astoundingly low 6.6.
And I didn't like it Either
The biggest problem with Bugsy can be summarized in two words: Warren Beatty. Not only is 54 year-old Warren too old, he's unbelievable as a tough-guy Jewish Gangster.
Outside of say, Jack Lemmon, its hard to think of another 20th Century leading man who was softer - and less macho - than Warren Beatty. The funniest parts of the movie - aren't the comic bits - but the scenes where Beatty is supposed to be scaring/threatening people. Its like a poodle pretending to be a rottweiler. Raymond Chandler appreciated Bogart as "Philip Marlowe" because "he could act tough without a gun". Beatty doesn't just need a gun, he needs a howitzer.
Almost as worse, the movie assumes we care about a murderous, half-psycho Gangster and his actress/high-class whore (Virginia Hill). No attempt is made to whitewash or justify their amoral/criminal behavior. So, why make a film glamorizing them? I don't know. Perhaps Hollywood could identify with Siegel/Hill - a couple of foul mouthed creeps, obsessed with $$$, and with no morals.
Summary
Anyway, the whole thing drones on for over 2 hours, and everything looks great and the supporting actors are good. So, its not all bad. And when you've rolled snake-eyes at the Tropicana, say a little prayer for Bugsy - the Patron Saint of Las Vegas. Rating **
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