Review of Bugsy (1991) by Rainer K — 15 May 2012

For all who are fed up with gangster films and biopics - this is one to watch out for. Although it has its fair share of formulaic genre moments it focusses more on the character of its protagonist than on violence and these extreme rises and falls, such genre films are known for (of course there's a story ark but Siegel never seems invincible nor at the edge of his existence).

However, I am a bit disappointed now. I like Vegas and hoped for a film that would show me the early beginnings of the city but Bugsy is more of a character study.

Unfortunately, Bugsy is still the same old story we've seen decades over decades and doesn't have many memorable lines or standout scenes. I guess I will remember it mostly for its proficient cast.

There's Warren Beatty as Bugsy Siegel, a natural casting choice although I found his acting style a bit distracting at times. Even better are Ben Kingsley and Harvey Keitel alongside him as Meyer Lansky and Mickey Cohen respectively. Especially Keitel was just amazing and he stole every scene he was on screen.

Not a bad film at all and clearly award bait (as evidenced by its 10 Oscar nominations and Golden Globe Best Drama win) but at this point in my life and as a cinephile I couldn't care less about gangster biopics.