If your'e looking for a factual depiction of the actual gangster, forget it. Anyone who reads the true accounts of Mr. Siegel's exploits will see little resemblance to the character portrayed by Beatty. Entertaining yes. Accurate no. Yes Beatty does engage in violent outbursts but his character evolves into a parody. Luciano's character is completely unbelievable when compared to the actual first true godfather. I doubt Siegal ever took such liberties with the man who is credited with organizing the mob. Benning is actually quite good but cuckolds Siegal completely. I don't know hat the real Ben Siegal was like but he certainly wasn't this Hollywood version of him. There is more comedy than drama in this film.

Before I review Barry Levinson's 1991 film Bugsy, I must stress that I have a soft spot for gangster movies, or anything gangster related really. Some of my favorite movies are Goodfellas, The Godfather 1 and 2, and I also really like The Untouchables, the original Scarface, Road to Perdition and Once Upon a Time in America. I also really like HBO's Boardwalk Empire. So I am kind of a sucker for gangster movies so I was really looking forward to watching this movie, and I was not disappointed.First of all, I want to talk about the performances. Warren Beatty was perfect to play Bugsy. He manages to make a character who could have been portrayed too comical or too unlikable, but Beatty manages to blend the two perfectly in a way that feels natural and like a real flawed person. Harvey Keitel and Ben Kingsley are both really good as Mickey Cohen and Meyer Lansky respectively, however, the real standout for me besides Beatty is Annette Bening. She was terrific in this film. She looked like she was from that period, and she gave a terrific performance as a feisty and strong and independent woman who doesn't take crap from Bugsy, and that's really nice to see. The fact that she wasn't nominated for an Academy Award is a crime!Then secondly, I want to talk about the period, a very important element to the film. What I think Levinson and James Toback, the writer, managed to do was to perfectly blend in the period into the plot, without it being a distraction. It feels so natural, because it isn't called out for attention.And thirdly, I want to talk about the filmmaking. This is a very well-directed and very well shot film, it was shot by Allen Daviau who was Oscar-nominated for his work on this film. But the really impressive part was the art direction and costumes, both of which won two very well-deserved Oscars. Like I talked about with the period, the costumes and locations feel and look like they are from that period and I think it works really well.Overall, a really good film with great performances, a great use of the period and terrific filmmaking. I get the feeling that I will like the film more even the second time around.My final score, 8/10

I always had a fascination with gangster movies and I heard about Lucky, Meyer, and Bugsy being the foundation for the mafia that grew to Olympian status. The mood was set right from the beginning of the movie with who and what this movie would be about. In the background during the credits you hear conversations about clothing, style and compliments then you hear a woman and Ben... Enough said! The wardrobes where amazing and to the T with the times. I just loved Harvel Keitel as Mickey Cohen, wow, his attitude and his demeanor was perfect! I really loved this movie and I quote it when I can. For those that like or love gangster movies this is a must see to know about the foundation of organized crime.

I originally saw "Bugsy" in the theater, and I think I might have watched it once or twice since then. Tonight I sat down, brushed the dust off the DVD and sat down to re-visit a personal favorite of mine.I was happy to see that even after almost 20 years the film still holds up. Everything about the movie still pleases me. The passion to see his project come to life is so exciting to watch. The hardest thing to understand that it's already been 20 years since this was released.I would like to see a 20th Anniversary Blu-Ray come out in 2011, but (at least) according to Amazon there is nothing of the sort listed on the site.Oh well, the standard DVD still looks pretty good, and the extended cut gives some more emotion in the character of Bugsy. Currently I am watching the extras which I seldom do, but I do like hearing more about how this modern classic came to be. The intimate setting of the writer, director and star talking about the film is a nice touch vs. that crap they do on-set while the movie is being made. At least this was done several years later when they had time to reflect. Very pleased I pick this out of my collection and watched it again.-Mark