Bugsy

For other uses, see Bugsy (disambiguation).

Bugsy
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Barry Levinson
Produced by	Barry Levinson Warren Beatty Mark Johnson
Screenplay by	James Toback
Based on	We Only Kill Each Other  by Dean Jennings
Starring	Warren Beatty Annette Bening Harvey Keitel Ben Kingsley Elliott Gould Joe Mantegna Bebe Neuwirth Bill Graham
Music by	Ennio Morricone
Cinematography	Allen Daviau
Editing by	Stu Linder Christopher Holmes (Extended)
Studio	Baltimore Pictures
Distributed by	TriStar Pictures
Release date(s)	December 13, 1991 (1991-12-13)
Running time	137 minutes (Theatrical cut) 150 minutes (Extended cut)
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$30 million
Box office	$49,114,016

Bugsy is a 1991 American crime-drama film directed by Barry Levinson which tells the story of mobster Bugsy Siegel. It stars Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Harvey Keitel, Ben Kingsley, Elliott Gould, Joe Mantegna, Bebe Neuwirth, and Bill Graham.

The screenplay was written by James Toback from research material by Dean Jennings' 1967 book We Only Kill Each Other.

There is a Director's Cut released on DVD, containing an additional 13 minutes not seen in the theatrical version.

Plot

Gangster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, who works for the New York mob, goes to California and instantly falls in love with Virginia Hill, a Hollywood starlet. The two meet for the first time when Bugsy visits his friend, actor George Raft, on a film set. He buys a house in Beverly Hills from opera singer Lawrence Tibbett, planning to stay while his wife and two daughters remain in Scarsdale.

As a representative for his associates Meyer Lansky and Charlie Luciano, Bugsy is in California to wrestle control of betting parlors away from Los Angeles gangster Jack Dragna. Mickey Cohen robs Dragna's office one day, and is confronted by Bugsy, who decides he should be in business with the guy who committed the robbery, not the guy who got robbed. Cohen is put in charge of the betting casinos; Dragna is forced to admit to a raging Bugsy that he stole $14,000, and is told he now answers to Cohen. After an earlier argument about Virginia's sexual trysts with drummer Gene Krupa and a variety of bull fighters, Virginia makes a romantic move on Siegel. On a trip to Nevada to visit a gambling joint, Bugsy comes up with the idea for a casino in the desert. He obtains $1 million in funding from his longtime friend Meyer Lansky and other New York mobsters.

Bugsy puts Virginia in charge of accounting and begins construction of the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, but the budget soon soars to $6 million due to his extravagance. Bugsy tries everything to ensure it gets completed, even selling his share of the casino and most of his belongings. Bugsy is visited in Los Angeles by former associate Harry Greenberg. Harry has betrayed his old associates to save himself. Harry has also run out of money, from a combination of his gambling habits, and being extorted by the prosecutors who want his testimony. Though he is Harry's last and only friend, Bugsy has no choice but to kill Harry.

Bugsy is arrested for Harry's murder. The only witness is a cab driver who dropped off Harry in front of Bugsy's Beverly Hills house. The driver is escorted to the train station by Mickey Cohen. Meyer is waiting for Bugsy outside the jail. Meyer has a satchel of money that he gives to his friend. "Charlie doesn't have to know about it," he tells Bugsy, but warns "I can't protect you anymore." Upset about the costs, the fact that the casino is a failure, and that $2 million of the budget is unaccounted for, Meyer Lansky asks Bugsy to meet him in Los Angeles. Bugsy discovers that Virginia stole the money, but tells her to "keep it and save it for a rainy day". He then calls Lansky and tells him never to sell his share of the casino and that he will live to thank him someday.

Later that night, Bugsy is killed by several gunshots. Virginia is told the news back in Las Vegas and becomes upset, rushing out of the casino. The ending text before the credits states that she returned the missing money a week later and committed suicide at some point after that. It also states that by 1991 the $6 million invested in Bugsy's dream of Las Vegas had generated revenues of over $100 billion.

Cast

• Warren Beatty as Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel
• Annette Bening as Virginia Hill
• Harvey Keitel as Mickey Cohen
• Ben Kingsley as Meyer Lansky
• Elliott Gould as Harry Greenberg
• Joe Mantegna as George Raft
• Bebe Neuwirth as Countess di Frasso
• Bill Graham as Charlie "Lucky" Luciano
• Lewis Van Bergen as Joe Adonis
• Wendy Phillips as Esta Siegel
• Richard C. Sarafian as Jack Dragna
• Giancarlo Scandiuzzi as Count di Frasso

Production

Portions of the film were shot in the Coachella Valley, California.

Reception

Accolades

Bugsy won Academy Awards for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Dennis Gassner, Nancy Haigh) and Best Costume Design. It was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Warren Beatty), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Harvey Keitel and Ben Kingsley), Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Music, Original Score, Best Picture and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen. It received eight (8) Golden Globe nominations and won for Best Picture – Drama. The Silence of the Lambs won many categories where Bugsy received nominations in 1991. The film was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 42nd Berlin International Film Festival.

• American Film Institute Lists
  • AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains:
    • Bugsy Siegel – Nominated Villain
  • AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes:
    • "Why don't you go outside and jerk yourself a soda?" – Nominated
  • AFI's 10 Top 10 – Nominated Gangster Film

Inaccuracies

The film shows Siegel closing the Flamingo on Christmas of 1946 for improvements and being murdered that night alone at Virginia Hill's house. While Siegel did close the hotel that day, his murder took place six months later in June 1947. Furthermore, he was with associate Allen Smiley.

The film also completely ignores the role of William Wilkerson ('The Man Who Built Las Vegas') in the building of the Flamingo; Siegel is shown gazing over an empty desert and deciding to build the Flamingo, but the hotel was conceived and constructed wholly by Wilkerson — Siegel only became involved as it neared completion (Wilkerson owned 48% of the Flamingo until he sold out much later).

External links

• Bugsy at the Internet Movie Database
• Bugsy at Box Office Mojo
• Bugsy at Rotten Tomatoes

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Dances with Wolves	Golden Globe for Best Picture – Drama 1992	Succeeded by Scent of a Woman