Rent Bugsy (1991)

Mobsters on Cruise Control - Bugsy review by griggs

At no point does Bugsy feel like a film operating at full tilt. Barry Levinson assembles a top-drawer cast — Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Harvey Keitel, Ben Kingsley — and then seems content to let them coast. The result is watchable, but there’s a nagging sense that everyone involved could have been pushed harder.

As a historical portrait of Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel and the birth of Las Vegas, it takes more liberties than a con artist with a bad alibi. The period detail is lush, the production design faultless, yet the storytelling drifts, leaning more on surface glamour than genuine dramatic tension.

If you’re seeking accuracy, look elsewhere. But if the idea of top-notch actors enjoying themselves in well-cut suits, tossing around gangster patter and smouldering glances, appeals, this will pass the time. It’s less a high-stakes mob drama and more an amiable costume party with the occasional gunshot.