it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

"Bugsy" was a major player at the Academy Awards in 1992, with 10 nominations in a variety of categories, including Best Picture. The biopic of noted gangster Benjamin 'Bugsy' Siegel featured recent Oscar winner Barry Levinson in the director's chair and certified star Warren Beatty in the title role. Focusing mainly on Siegel's relationship with Virginia Hill (Annette Bening) and his role in Las Vegas's rise to prominence, the movie was a success at the box office.The cast is impressive, with Beatty being joined by Ben Kingsley, Harvey Keitel & Elliott Gould in key roles. Annette Bening had just earned her first Oscar nomination and she proved quite capable of holding her own with Beatty. Their chemistry obviously extended beyond the set, since they were married a couple of months after the film's release. Beatty, Kingsley & Keitel all earned Oscar nominations but, to be honest, I didn't find any of their performances particularly outstanding, especially in comparison to their most memorable roles.The film's two Oscar wins were for art direction-set decoration and costume design, which serves to illustrate the movie's attention to period-specific detail. The direction, cinematography & score (by Ennio Morricone) were also nominated, showing the movie to be well crafted in all technical areas.James Toback's screenplay was also recognized with an Oscar nomination. It contains many elements common to gangster movies but takes a different approach by focusing on Siegel's relationship with Hill and his vision of Las Vegas as a mecca for gambling. There may not be enough emphasis on organized crime to satisfy fans of the gangster movie genre but the movie does paint an interesting portrait of Siegel as both a man of action and a dreamer.Ultimately, "Bugsy" has some good points but I think that hindsight has shown that maybe it wasn't quite as commendable as its star power suggested at the time. Chiefly, I find the acting and story to be a bit bland, though your mileage may vary. (Note that I haven't seen the extended edition but I doubt that making the movie longer would improve my opinion of it.)

An autobiographical feature focused on the LA period of life of notorious gangster Ben "Bugsy" Siegel (Warren Beatty), together with his ill-fated investment into the creation of what would become the Las Vegas gambling empire. Closely following this period of his life creates a screen version of the Ben Siegel character, which now probably dominates general perception. Warren Beatty gives Bugsy a measurable charm and a degree of intellectual flair, which may not necessarily comply with the portrayal of his person of the times.Known as being well acquainted with Hollywood circles, he was also described as being ruthless and apt for aggressive compulsive behaviours. Certain such aspects do feature in the opening sequences, but increasingly into the picture Bugsy is shown as calm, collected and focused on his public image. Fatefully he is also drawn as a sort of mafia dreamer, whose vision far exceeded that of other mafioso of the time, thus being key behind the over-budgeted exuberance of building "The Flamingo", thus becoming the basis for creating the economic power that is Las Vegas. At the time however his input was ridiculed, ultimately leading to his death due to overspending of mafia money (albeit truth be told the role of William Wilkerson is absolutely ignored giving Bugsy the sole credit for building Las Vegas).Warren Beatty also offers his strong presence to further romanticise Bugsy Siegel, mostly through to his dedicated love affair with minor actress Virginia Hill (Annette Bening). With some historic liberties in place Bugsy is shown as a somewhat obsessed and head-over-heels blind lover, who falls over for the wrong girl, thus bringing about his downfall. This almost idyllic portrayal of one of America's most ruthless criminals would have to be its biggest flaw, thus creating a image well in tune with the American dream, but much detached from the bloody and dirty details behind mafia. Overall a pretty darn good film, but somewhat discredited by overly idolising and overstating Ben Siegel as a hopeless dreamer and sole mastermind behind Las Vegas.

"Bugsy" is a 1991 criminal biopic that annihilated the Academy Awards by picking up an astonishing 10 nominations including picking up two wins in the process. One of those nominations was the Best Picture Win in 1991 only to lose out to "The Silence of the Lambs". Warren Beatty was also nominated for Best Actor that year and unfortunately lost out to Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lector role in "Silence of the Lambs". The movie went on to garner seven more nods and twenty lesser known nominations "Bugsy" was considered by the critics as one of the greatest film made in the 1990's. With the skillful scriptwriting by James Toback and directed by Barry Levinson, and scored by Ennio Morricone, it's apropos to the time period and shows a strong homage to the neonoir era of Los Angeles crime scene of the 1930's and 1940's.Warren Beatty literally lives out the role as Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel a famous mobster who was ruthless in every way possible and no one every dared to call him "Bugsy" to his face. The guy had the charm and the looks and the charisma to become a big Hollywood star as he took up an elegant estate in the posh area. His remorseless ways was powerful enough to bury Mussolini to the bottom of the ground or to come up with a creative plan to turn a remotely small deserted ghost town like Las Vegas and turn it into a city that eliminates out all the rules of society, but due to budget problems was where his weakness was obvious and that became his fate. His anger and violent demeanor when provoked was enough to give everyone chills.Beatty did not come into this fray in its own merits. The supporting cast also carried the film as they also succeeded in pulling their weight behind this whole ordeal. Top of the list includes Harvey Keitel as the equally intimidating mobster Mickey Cohen and Ben Kingsley as the slick but very notorious Meyer Lansky. Elliott Gould shows how he excels in character actor mode as the long-suffering Harry Greenberg who's gambling addiction has gone way over his head. Joe Mantegna was the weak link here as his role was very limited performance as George Raft who was both a movie star and a crime associate to Mr. Siegel. Babe Neuwirth shines in small role as an Italian Countess one of the many divas that Siegel had the pleasures to manipulate. The costumes were in the long run very authentic and equally fit the time period of the movie. The cinematography gives a vibrant picture of LA in its darkest of colors which includes those damp and rainy nights.But the biggest star of them all is Annette Bening who is absolutely ravishing as the leggy loose-tongued Hollywood vixen Virginia Hill as a Beatty and Bening produced the best chemistry that no other star duo was able to accomplish. Hill was known by the fans as The Flamingo because of her long legs and Siegel even named his first Vegas resort after her, The Flamingo. Of course the real magic came after the film was over as the two eventually would get married It was just so magical that it adds more texture to the story that you wouldn't imagine this match made in heaven came through a gangster movie. It will utterly leave you speechless.

Barry Levinson's 'Bugsy' is an ambitious, gripping & violent tale on late mobster Bugsy Siegel. Levinson's terrific direction, is complimented by Warren Beatty's fantastic Performance as the late mobster, along-with a Water-Tight screenplay & Striking Cinematography.Warren Beatty stars as 'Bugsy', the late mobster, who quite frankly gave birth to Casino's. This Crime-Drama also explores his love-life, along-with Hollywood Starlet Virginia Hill.James Toback researched Screenplay is Water-Tight and packs in several memorable sequences. Even the dialogue, at times, are wonderful. Levinson's direction like always, is Awe-Inspiring Terrific. Allen Daviau's Cinematography is Striking. Art Direction & Costume Design, are pitch-perfect and worthy Oscar-Winners.Performance-Wise: As mentioned before, Warren Beatty's Performance as Bugsy, is fantastic. The Legendary star becomes Bugsy and talks like him from the very first scene. Annette Bening as Virginia Hill, is convincing, as always. Sir Ben Kingsley plays his part with restrain, while Harvey Keitel is bombastic. Joe Mantegna is effective. Bill Graham does well.On the whole, A Must See Crime-Drama!