Bugsy **** (1991, Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Harvey Keitel, Ben Kingsley, Joe Mantegna, Elliott Gould) – Classic Movie Review 6060

Warren Beatty stars in director Barry Levinson’s exciting, lovingly crafted 1991 mob crime thriller Bugsy as real-life charming but psychotic Forties gangster Benjamin (‘Bugsy’) Siegel, sent by Meyer Lansky (Ben Kingsley) to control the rackets in the US West Coast. There he meets the film star George Raft (Joe Mantegna) and falls for a wisecracking actress, Virginia Hill (Annette Bening).

Bugsy is helped in his mob job by goofy but dangerous Mickey Cohen (Harvey Keitel). But his main obsessions are taking care of his family, the pursuit of actress Bening, the killing of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and the building of a Mafia hotel in the Las Vegas desert.

Beatty’s tour-de-force performance leads the superb playing by the stars (plus Elliott Gould, Bebe Neuwirth, Wendy Phillips, Richard Sarafian, Bill Graham, Robert Beltran, Debrah Farentino, and Lewis Van Bergen in support) which brings these desperate and vile people to life, so that, even despite yourself, you really do care about them.

James Tobak’s screenplay from Dean Jennings’s book impresses and engrosses, while there is a wonderful production that spares no expense and continually stuns the eye. Allen Daviau’s cinematography is glorious and Dennis Gassner’s sets are amazing. Ennio Morricone adds the essential score. Holding all the elements together, director Barry Levinson sweeps everything along in a great tragic pageant.

There were 10 Oscar nominations, but only two wins: for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Dennis Gassner, Nancy Haigh) and Best Costume Design (Albert Wolsky). Harry Keitel was Oscar and Golden Globe nominated as Best Actor in a Supporting Role. By 2019 this is the actor’s only nominated role.

Dennis Gassner is the production designer on Blade Runner 2049 and responsible for creating its marvellous sets.

Harvey Keitel was born on May 13, 1939 in Brooklyn.

Harry Keitel celebrated his 80th birthday on 13 May 2019. He has most memorably appeared in Mean Streets (1973), Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), Taxi Driver (1976), The Duellists (1977), Blue Collar (1978), The Two Jakes (1990), Thelma & Louise (1991), Mother, Jugs & Speed (1976), Reservoir Dogs (1992) Pulp Fiction (1994), The Piano (1993), Bad Lieutenant (1992), From Dusk Till Dawn (1996), Cop Land (1997), and Paolo Sorrentino’s Youth (2015).

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 6060

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