Review of Bugsy (1991) by David T — 06 Jul 2010

A sometimes maligned Gangster biopic, many people speak ill of this movie which was nominated for a stunning 10 Oscar awards in 1991 and walked away with two Oscars on the night.

Bugsy is a classy affair, and brings us a intimate look into the Gangland Boss and pioneer of the famous Vegas Strip Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel.

Bugsyâ??s (a name he resented) ambition was to turn his mob made wealth and that of his associates into legitimate money by making a stunning resort for the rich and famous in the Nevada Desert with dirty money made from allsorts of criminal activities in New York and Florida.

His project would begin the birth of the most famous gambling mecca/capital of the world â??Las Vegas, Nevadaâ?? and build the legendry â??Flamingo Casinoâ?? who still to this day have a memorial on the site to honour one of itâ??s founders.

Bugsy wasnâ??t what youâ??d call a conventional gangster, his aim wasnâ??t so much the money or the power but for recognition, the fame and the legacy, in building The Flamingo his dream did come turn but only after his death.

Bugsy liked nothing more then spending an evening with a women or two for which he was famed and also had a taste for the high life, ultimately these addictions cost Bugsy his life as he was assassinated on June 20th 1947 by a unknown gunmen.

Itâ??s very easy to romanticise about the gangsters of 1940s and almost forget some of the crimes they committed, of course the movie business adds fuel to this by making them out to be cool cats but I wonder what Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel would make of his pride and joy and also what has become of the Vegas Strip. Would he feel a sense of pride?

Bugsy is a great Gangster movie and a tale that has been immortalised in many other movies but this can rub shoulders with the likes of Casino and Once Upon A Time In America (loosely based of Bugsy).