Taking place in WWII-era Hollywood, Bugsy centers on mobster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel (Warren Beatty) who travels from New York to take over rackets on the West Coast. He begins to hang around with George Raft (Joe Mantenga), an actor who was known to hang around mob types in order to perfect his on-screen persona. He falls in love with the Hollywood lifestyle and B-list starlet Virginia Hill (Annette Bening), whose star he hitches himself to in order to work his way into Hollywood society.
Bugsy’s obsession with Virginia soon becomes his inspiration to turn a small dustbowl casino in the Nevada desert into the glitz-filled gambling mecca of Las Vegas. He soon convinces the mob to invest a million dollars so he can build The Flamingo, a flashy gambling resort he names after Virginia’s legs. The million soon becomes six, landing Bugsy into hot water with the mob, including longtime friend, Meyer Lansky (Ben Kingsley).
I’ve never been a big fan of Warren Beatty, but his portrayal of Bugsy is perfect. Although the film begins in the prime of Seigel’s career, he is still a deep character who one minute is a smooth-talking family man and the next a cold-blooded killer. At the heart of it all, he is a visionary whose obsessions often cloud his better judgement. Nowhere is this better seen than in his relationship with Virginia. Annette Bening is amazing in the role and is just plain hot. She is calculating and doesn’t take any bullshit, opening up an interesting sub-plot involving her true motives for being with Siegel. Is she really interested in him, or is she more interested in his lifestyle?
Bugsy: Extended Cut comes with a second bonus disc with the main feature being “The Road to Damascus: The Reinvention of Bugsy Siegel”. In this 90-minute documentary, Warren Beatty, writer James Toback and director Barry Levinson candidly discuss the film and their memories surrounding it. Interviews with Annette Benning and Ben Kingsley are also included. During their conversation, the trio mention several of the scenes that were originally cut from the film but included in the extended cut.
Other extras include additional deleted scenes, one featuring a conversation between Siegel and a countess (Bebe Neuwirth), and the original ending for the sequence where Virginia hears Siegel humiliate gangster Jack Dragna by making him bark like a dog. An extended version of the Bugsy Siegel’s screen test is also included.
Bugsy is an often over-looked mob film, but is one of the genre’s hidden gems and worth adding to your collection.
