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Bugsy

Bugsy

Crime · Drama · Mystery · 1991

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.

Movie details

Bugsy

“Glamour was the disguise.”

1991 Crime · Drama · Mystery 2h 16m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.4 / 10

Community rating

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.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Bugsy?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Barry Levinson

Written by

James Toback

Warren Beatty

Warren Beatty

Ben 'Bugsy' Siegel

Annette Bening

Annette Bening

Virginia Hill

Harvey Keitel

Harvey Keitel

Mickey Cohen

Ben Kingsley

Ben Kingsley

Meyer Lansky

Elliott Gould

Elliott Gould

Harry Greenberg

Joe Mantegna

Joe Mantegna

George Raft

Bebe Neuwirth

Bebe Neuwirth

Countess di Frasso

Court is in session

Put Bugsy on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Auteur Devotee

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.