Review of Bugsy (1991) by Connor G — 11 Dec 2012

The main reason I wanted to see Bugsy was because I read that Harvey Keitel's performance was great enough to be nominated for an academy award.

Unfortunately, I found there was too little screentime for him as well as Ben Kingsley so we never were really able to discover the skills they put into this film. Their performances were good, but there wasn't enough of it to constitute an oscar nomination.

The pacing in Bugsy was irregular, and it was also structurally clunky at times, although it was small. It just bothered me a little.

The story was also simplistic but dealt with themes that I was confused upon attempting to keep up with them.

I also found a few weak moments in the script and not enough themes dramatic enough to harness the emotional depth of the actors, although there were a few. There should have been more given to Harvey Keitel and Ben Kingsley. That's how the film could have largely improved.

After the issues in Bugsy pass, you find yourself watching an interesting biography about a passionate criminal that had a lot of effort put in.

It also had an interesting mix of crime and romance, much like in the previous Warren Beatty film Bonnie and Clyde. Also, the acting was very good.

Warren Beatty was great in the role of Benjamin "Benny/Bugsy" Siegel and although not given enough scenes for emotional outbursts, the few he was given were very good thanks to his delivery and emotional depth.

However, I feel that the greatest performance in the film is given to Annete Bening. She was given the strongest lines in the script and delivered them very well, with more emotional depth and expressive skill than any other actor in the film. If Ben Kingsley, Harvey Keitel and Warren Beatty all recieved academy award nominations, then the fact that Annete Bening didn't recieve one is just ridiculous.

Although their screentime was small, Harvey Keitel and Ben Kingsly played great thugs and should have had more prominent roles so that their talent could flourish.

Also, the mood of the film captured it's time really well and the lavish costumes were really good.

In the end, Bugsy is overrated and underappreciatting of Annette Bening, but an interesting tale overall.