Bugsy, starring Warren Beatty, is the story of real life gangster Ben 'Bugsy' Seigel. The movie is a glamorous look at the man credited with transforming Las Vegas from a desert outpost into the gambling mecca and vacation destination. The cast of Bugsy includes Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Harvey Keitel, Ben Kingsley, Elliott Gould, Joe Mantegna, Bebe Neuwirth and Wendy Phillips.
Bugsy a Biopic About the Man Who Started Las Vegas
Bugsy, 1991, directed by Barry Levinson, won the Golden Globe for Best Picture – Drama. Bugsy was nominated for 20 Academy Awards, taking two Oscars. Even though the movie was critically acclaimed there was criticism that the film glossed over Siegel's violent reputation.
The film started by showing Bugsy Seigel (Warren Beatty) as a New York Gangster. He was sent to Los Angeles for a short trip and told to keep a low profile. Instead, Bugsy was seduced by the glitz and glamour of 1930's Hollywood and started flamboyantly throwing money around.
Bugsy met gangster moll and Hollywood starlet Virginia Hill (Annette Bening) and was immediately smitten. The relationship, in addition to his criminal activities, turned out to be his downfall. Bugsy had a history of womanizing, but it was for Virginia Hill that he divorced his wife Esta Siegel (Wendy Phillips). The divorce settlement left Bugsy strapped for cash. Later Virginia Hill embezzled money from the Flamingo Casino that Bugsy ran for the mob, a major factor in the gangland execution of Bugsy Siegel
Gangster Bugsy Siegel
It was Bugsy Siegel who had the vision to turn Las Vegas into a glitzy destination. It was on a trip to Nevada that he was inspired to start a casino in the desert. Siegel funded his dream with backing by mobster Meyer Lansky (Ben Kingsley) with the help of gangster Mickey Cohen (Harvey Keitel). Siegel put Virginia Hill in charge of bookkeeping and started construction of the Flamingo. He exceeded his cost estimate, going millions over budget with disastrous results. While the casino was under construction, Virginia Hill embezzled money from the casino.
The New York mob ordered a gangland hit on Bugsy Siegel because the initial poor return on investment of the Flamingo and the mission two million dollars that Hill had siphoned from the casino account.
Bugsy Siegel was killed in a gangland shooting in the Beverly Hills mansion owned by Virginia Hill Beverly Hills on June 20, 1947.
Cast of Bugsy
- Warren Beatty as Bugsy Siegel
- Annette Bening as Virginia Hill
- Harvey Keitel as Mickey Cohen
- Ben Kingsley as Meyer Lansky
- Elliot Gould as Harry Greenberg
- Joe Mantegna as George
- Richard C. Sarafian as Jack Dragna
- Bebe Neuwirth as Countess di Frasso
- Gian-Carlo Scandiuzzi as Count di Frasso
- Wendy Phillips as Esta Siegel
- Stefanie Mason as Millicent Siegel
- Kimberly McCoullough as Barbary Siegel
- Director: Barry Levinson
- Writers: Dean Jennings (book) and James Toback (screenplay)
Bugsy tells the story of the beginning of Las Vegas as a casino town. The ugly story of the mob is set against the beautiful backdrop of the golden era of Hollywood.
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