1991 - Bugsy

For the first time in over two years, I'm back in Los Angeles. In fact, only a few more days and I'll be heading home again to Sydney. But I haven't wasted the opportunity to catch a classic on the big screen. I ventured out to the historic Los Feliz 3 Theatre to see another Best Picture nominee, presented in 35mm. While it was nice to experience the nostalgic graininess of a real film projector (as opposed to the flawless digital projectors currently in use almost everywhere), this particular print had clearly collected 30 years of dust, grit and hair, which was surely not what movie-goers in 1991 experienced. Nonetheless, watching old movies (it feels strange to me to call 1991 old, but I think that's undeniable now) on a big screen is still one of my favourite pastimes so I'm not complaining.

So, let's begin our review of 1991's race for Best Picture by taking a look at...


Bugsy
Director:
Barry Levinson
Screenplay:
James Toback
Starring:
Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Harvey Keitel, Ben Kingsley, Elliott Gould, Joe Mantegna, Bebe Neuwirth
Academy Awards:
10 nominations
2 wins, for Art Direction & Costume Design

It seems odd, if not a little cruel, that the title of this film is a nickname that the main character detests with a passion. Benjamin Siegel (Beatty) positively despises being referred to as Bugsy and he's not shy to let people know that. In 1941, Siegel moves to Los Angeles to take over a rival crime family's gambling business. Despite being married with two kids, he meets and falls in love with actress Virginia Hill (Bening), while visiting his friend George Raft (Mantegna) on set. While navigating his rocky romance with Virginia, he attempts to realise an extravagant dream of opening a casino in Las Vegas, securing million-dollar investments from long-time crime pal Meyer Lansky (Kingsley) and others. But soon, the casino's budget balloons out of control and Siegel has to scramble to keep things on track.

Clearly an homage to classic film noir, from the script to the direction to the brilliant cinematography, Bugsy feels like it's from a different era. Everything except for the colour photography and the frequent profanities, I guess. The lighting, in particular, uses precisely the same techniques as those classic gangster flicks, creating a near perfect replica of 1940s cinema. Add to all that a captivating story that keeps you hooked and some divine and Oscar-winning sets and costumes, and you have yourself quite an exceptional motion picture.

As Meyer Lansky, Ben Kingsley's accent is pretty atrocious but if you can get past that, it's a powerful performance. The Academy obviously agreed because he nabbed a Supporting Actor nod along with his co-star Harvey Keitel, also brilliant as Mickey Cohen. Headlining the film, Warren Beatty possesses the requisite charm, for sure, however there are moments when he plays Bugsy Siegel as surprisingly naïve. Still, he also received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. For me, though, despite being absent from the Best Actress shortlist, it's Annette Bening who steals the show. She absolutely nails the 1940s femme fatale in every way - a truly breathtaking performance.