Taglines: Glamour was The disguise.
Bugsy movie synopsis. New York mobster Benjamin Bugsy Siegel leaves New York City to dip into the glamour of Hollywood, Calif., and to build up syndicate gambling rackets. Bowled over by actress Virginia Hill, the dapper Siegel courts her, despite having a wife and children. Obsessed with creating a gambling haven, Siegel takes racketeering to the Nevada desert and helps develop Las Vegas, only to find himself in deep water over his reckless construction of the Flamingo Hotel.
Bugsy is a 1991 American biographical crime drama neo noir directed by Barry Levinson which tells the story of mobster Bugsy Siegel and his relationship with Virginia Hill. It stars Warren Beatty as Siegel and Annette Bening as Hill, as well as Harvey Keitel, Ben Kingsley, Elliott Gould, Bebe Neuwirth, and Joe Mantegna. The screenplay was written by James Toback from research material by Dean Jennings’ 1967 book We Only Kill Each Other.
The film received acclaim from critics, including Roger Ebert, and was nominated for ten Oscars at the 64th Academy Awards, winning two for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration and Best Costume Design. A director’s cut was released on DVD, containing an additional 13 minutes not seen in the theatrical version.
About the Story
The story opens in New York City where Benjamin Siegel, an organized crime boss whose partners are Charlie “Lucky” Luciano and Meyer Lansky, visits the office of one of their lesser partners and kills him for stealing from the organization. Ben does so in full view of the man’s workers, knowing his reputation will protect him. Often called “Bugsy” but hating the nickname (and willing to beat or kill someone for using it), Siegel is being sent to Los Angeles to broker a deal with another gangster, Jack Dragna, in an effort to expand their operations.
Siegel boards a train after saying goodbye to his wife Esta and their two girls. He’s visited by Harry Greenberg, an old friend who is irresponsible with his end of Siegel’s organization and asks Siegel for money. Disgusted, Siegel gives Greenberg a large sum and dismisses him to sit under a UV lamp and work on his tan.
Arriving in Los Angeles, Siegel is met by another old friend, the actor George Raft, who takes Ben to a studio where the movie Manpower is being shot. On the set, Ben notices a woman, Virginia Hill, who has a job as an extra. Ben is attracted to her immediately and talks to her briefly before she walks off, seemingly uninterested and insulting his ego.
George drives Ben back to his hotel through Beverly Hills, pointing out the houses of famous Hollywood people. When George mentions opera singer Lawrence Tibbett, Ben asks George to leave him there. Ben meets with Tibbett himself and mildly coerces Tibbett into selling his house, offering straight cash and settling on an amount several thousand dollars more than Tibbett paid for the house. Tibbett agrees. A few scenes later, Siegel buys a luxury car from a random person on the street.
Siegel meets with Dragna and his associates at Dragna’s office. Dragna isn’t interested in Siegel’s offer to expand his own business, much less aid Siegel & his associates. Siegel counters, saying that if Dragna won’t do business, he’ll have to shoot Siegel himself, and even hands Dragna a pistol. Everyone ends up laughing, however Dragna still points out that Siegel’s reputation for being a psychotic hothead precedes him and agrees to the deal. When one of Dragna’s associates asks why Dragna didn’t shoot Siegel when the had the chance, Dragna tells him that all-out war with Siegel’s partners, Luciano & Lansky, isn’t worth it.
Virginia Hill shows up at Ben’s new house and the two begin a torrid love affair. Ben receives a call from Dragna who tells him that his office had been robbed by a small-time gangster, Mickey Cohen. Though no one could see Cohen’s face, they knew it was him. Ben asks Raft to have Cohen meet him at a spa. When Cohen arrives, Siegel politely demands the return of the money Cohen stole.
Cohen unleashes a torrent of verbal insult and also tells Ben that he’d stolen a lesser amount than Dragna reported. Siegel recognizes that Cohen possesses a larger talent for collecting and enforcement and hires Cohen on the spot after Cohen agrees to give back the money he stole. Cohen also reveals that Virginia has a reputation for being promiscuous in LA, something that Ben jealously takes notice of immediately.
At home, Virginia makes an elegant dinner for Ben, who acts aloof, dropping subtle hints about Virginia’s past love life. Virginia is insulted and throws an ashtray at Ben, hitting him in the head. The two are still arguing loudly when Cohen shows up with the money. Ben waits for Jack Dragna to arrive a few minutes later and shows him the cash. Ben then tells Dragna that he gave the job of running Siegel’s operation in LA to Cohen, a job he’d intended to let Dragna have.
Siegel then turns furious, accusing Dragna of stealing the difference in funds from the Cohen holdup for himself. After a moment of Russian Roulette and then making Dragna crawl around and bark like a dog, then oink like a pig, Ben gives Dragna the money, ordering him to return it to the the safe in the office, along with the cash Dragna himself misappropriated. Back in the dining room, Ben begins to indifferently eat the meal Virginia had prepared. Virginia, having eavesdropped on Ben’s berating of Dragna, is sexually turned on and the two have sex.
Bugsy (1991)
Directed by: Barry Levinson
Starring: Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Harvey Keitel, Ben Kingsley, Elliott Gould, Joe Mantegna, Richard C. Sarafian, Bebe Neuwirth, Gian-Carlo Scandiuzzi, Wendy Phillips
Screenplay by: James Toback
Production Design by: Dennis Gassner
Cinematography by:
Film Editing by: Christopher Holmes, Stu Linder
Costume Design by: Albert Wolsky
Set Decoration by: Nancy Haigh
Art Direction by: Leslie McDonald
Music by: Ennio Morricone
MPAA Rating: R for violence, language and sensuality.
Distributed by: TriStar Pictures
Release Date: December 13, 1991
Visits: 464
