Bugsy
Seen it?1991 | 136 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Saturday SpecialWhy it’s a Saturday Special
It won 2 Oscars, it made about 3333 times its budget and it earned strong reviews (84% on Rotten Tomatoes). A strong pick for the weekend.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for crime-drama fans and anyone who likes to be kept guessing. If you loved Sexy Beast or Road to Perdition, start here. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Tense, dark and gritty.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 2 hr 16 min.
- What might put you off
- Rated R: meant for adults.
- Audiences were cooler on it than critics.
New York gangster Ben 'Bugsy' Siegel takes a brief business trip to Los Angeles. A sharp-dressing womanizer with a foul temper, Siegel doesn't hesitate to kill or maim anyone crossing him. In L.A. the life, the movies, and most of all strong-willed Virginia Hill detain him while his family wait back home. Then a trip to a run-down gambling joint at a spot in the desert known as Las Vegas gives him his big idea.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsStrong
84% on Rotten Tomatoes, 80 on Metacritic
- AudiencesSolid
6.3 out of 10
- AwardsVery strong
Won 2 Oscars: Academy Awards: Best Art Direction, Academy Awards: Best Costume Design. Won 1 Golden Globe: Golden Globe Awards: Best Motion Picture – Drama. Also nominated for 7 more Oscars, 6 more Golden Globes and 1 Berlin award. Plus 8 other awards.
- Box office & staying powerVery strong
$100 billion worldwide on a $30 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactStrong
About 249K people sought it out in the past year, and interest is climbing
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Barry Levinson
- Warren BeattyBen 'Bugsy' Siegel
- Annette BeningVirginia Hill
- Harvey KeitelMickey Cohen
- Ben KingsleyMeyer Lansky
- Elliott GouldHarry Greenberg
- Joe MantegnaGeorge Raft
- Bebe NeuwirthCountess di Frasso
- Bill GrahamCharles "Lucky" Luciano
- Lewis van BergenJoe Adonis
- Wendy PhillipsEsta Siegel