Bugsy (1991)
The story of how Ben (Bugsy) Siegel visited an area in the empty Nevada desert and built the Flamingo hotel in a place soon to be known as Las Vegas.
Whilst not really Film Noir as such, Barry Levinson's Bugsy has a similar feel to it as L.A. Confidential (1997). Crime, mainly of the gangster variety with a hot streak of Hollywood showbiz of the forties and fifties thrown in. In fact Joe Mantegna plays the actor George Raft in the film and has quite a big role as Siegel's studio buddy in the city of angels.
I didn't think i'd like Bugsy if i'm honest. The casting of Warren Beatty and Annette Bening kind of put me off however both prove to be really rather good. Beatty stars as the villainous crime boss and surprised me at how well he portrays him. Charming and charismatic one minute and brutally vicious the next. A couple of beatings he gives out are really quite strong. The film's cast is one of it's selling points. Annette Bening is excellent as Bugsy's muse, the actress / whore Virginia Hill (It was on this film Beatty and Bening married) i should have known how good she can be in this type of role from the excellent Noir The Grifters from the year previous.as is Harvey Keitel as racketeer Mickey Cohen. Ben Kingsley's mob boss from New York is also a reassuringly menacing presence.
Despite being well over two hours the film has quite a pace to it. It's historically accurate and paints an uncompromising and brutal portrait of life in the 'mob' even for someone has high up as Siegel as the Flamingo's grand openings fail and the crowds hardly flock to the place, Siegel's debts spiraling and the mob ready to take control. It was interesting to note that the Flamingo cost $6 million to build, $6m of mob money for which Siegel received no mercy from his superiors when it came to paying it back, however by 1991 the hotel had made over $100 billion.
Come the final credits my apprehension regarding the film had completely dissipated and i really enjoyed it.
|