Every decade has a standout, influential gangster movie. The ‘70s had The Godfather, the ‘80s had Scarface, the ‘90s had Goodfellas, the 2000s had American Gangster, and the 2010s had The Irishman. Goodfellas is especially memorable with sharp needle-drops, a constant voiceover and sprawling plot that continues to influence movies in the genre and beyond. The film is often considered Martin Scorsese’s chef-d’oeuvre and was nominated for six Oscars at the 63rd Academy Awards. In line with that, there is a consensus among genre fans that it is the best gangster movie of the 1990s. But is it?
Released a year after Goodfellas, Barry Levinson’s Bugsy, starring Warren Beatty, received a whopping 10 Oscar nominations. It also made several million more than the Scorsese flick at the box office (it made $49.1 million vs. Goodfellas $46.1 million). At a first glance, it may appear the more important feature.
Instead, the gripping gangster flick has largely been forgotten, its accolades the start of a mystery? Was it overrated? Did the Academy hype a picture that didn’t deserve it? Or is it a truly great movie deserving of more love?
Bugsy Captures the Industriousness and Stubbornness of the Founder of Las Vegas
Barry Levinson’s Bugsy is both a powerful image of entrepreneurship as well as a stunning and tragic portrait of a stubborn criminal. The film tells the story of Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, a darling of tabloid reporters decades before John Gotti came into the picture. Known for his good looks and business acumen, Bugsy was the driving force behind the development of the Las Vegas Strip.
Rather than overwhelming audiences with details of how he made his money, the film begins with him already an established gangster. He is shown to have a great working relationship with Meyer Lansky and Charles “Lucky” Luciano. But things start to get interesting when he visits the set of Manpower and spots the outwardly sunny, inwardly viperous Hollywood starlet, Virginia Hill. She sets his heart aflame, and despite being a married man, he puts a lot of effort into courting her.
Like Goodfellas, the life can seem alluring at first. Bugsy is depicted as a man of great vision and ambition. While driving through Beverly Hills, he spots a house he likes and quickly makes the owner an offer he can’t refuse. He then wrestles control of California’s underworld from Jack Dragna and forms a partnership with Jewish crime boss Mickey Cohen.
After that, he crafts the plan that would define his legacy: constructing the first major hotel in Las Vegas (The Flamingo). Persuasive as he is, he convinces fellow influential mobsters to invest $1 million (and much more) into the project.
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Tensions eventually boil over with Bugsy’s risky romance can only spell trouble. His associates gradually begin to question his decision-making, proven right and culminating in his downfall.
Bugsy Is Almost the Complete Package…
Bugsy captures the peak era of the mob with soulful warmth and poignant insight. With its tight screenplay, grand production design, skillful editing, and effective use of period music, the biopic is almost the complete package. The structure is novel-like and exemplifies Levinson’s abilities in portraying criminal and business life as indistinguishable, whether insipid, jubilant, or profane.
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The cast is a grand ensemble. As the lead, Warren Beatty does most of the heavy-lifting, and he was justifiably singled out with an Oscar nod for his chilling turn as the Jewish mobster. Ben Kingsley shines too, and Harvey Keitel adds another great performance in another great gangster movie.
Then there’s Annette Bening, who nearly steals the picture playing Bugsy’s hard-edged, problematic lover, Virginia Hill. She explodes off the screen with a deadly blend of burgeoning sexuality and damsel-like innocence to create an oddly likable figure. Interestingly, Bening and Beatty would begin dating right after production ended and have been married ever since.
…but it Lacks Iconic Scenes and Quotes
Bugsy and Goodfellas share a lot more than their disparate reputation almost four decades later suggests. But in the end, there’s a reason the Scorsese movie has endured. Despite its 146-minute runtime, every scene has something indelibly memorable: an iconic line, chilling violence or overpoweringly moving beat. From Henry Hill explaining why he always wanted to be a gangster to Billy Batts busting Tommy’s chops, from the Eric Clapton-scored murder spree to Henry’s evocative egg noodles and ketchup, by way of the Copacabana tracking shot.
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The same cannot be said of the Levinson film, whose script is dominated by typical mob conversation. It’s not inherently forgettable, but never offers anything that makes it enduring. And when it comes to Las Vegas mob movies, Scorsese’s Casino four years later offers something more comparable.
Release Date
December 10, 1991
Runtime
134 minutes
