--- title: "Bugsy: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/bugsy/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/bugsy" critics_score: 74 critics_reviews: 9 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Bugsy (1991): what the critics said Critics' score 74 from 9 reviews: 8 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics like Bugsy, and they like it for the same reasons: Warren Beatty’s performance and the 1940s gloss. The reviews describe a smooth, romantic gangster picture that is lighter on its feet than most big studio films, with Beatty cast as a charming, dangerous dreamer whose scheme for Las Vegas is treated as a fable of the American dream. Barry Levinson’s direction and James Toback’s script both draw praise, as does the supporting cast, with Ben Kingsley’s Meyer Lansky singled out more than once. The reservations cluster around how kindly the film treats a violent man. Time Out is sceptical of the sympathetic portrait, and The Independent, the one mixed notice, finds it gripping but an unsatisfactory mix of comedy, tragedy and love story. Variety thinks the central romance is the weak point, with Virginia Hill written as one-dimensional. The spread is narrow; nobody dislikes it, and the argument is about whether the polish flatters its subject too much. ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 20 December 1991. The film portrays Bugsy Siegel as a smooth, charming, and lovable figure despite his violent nature, focusing on his romantic vision for Las Vegas and his passionate affair. Ebert praises the 1940s production values, Beatty's perfect casting, and the movie's lightness and exuberance. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/bugsy-1991) ## The New Yorker — Terrence Rafferty Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 23 December 1991. Barry Levinson’s opulent period gangster movie is lighter on its feet than other big studio films and showcases Warren Beatty’s star magnetism as the charming, mercurial psychopath Bugsy Siegel. Rafferty calls it smart, swanky fun that revives high-gloss studio entertainment. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1991/12/30/fear-of-flying) ## The AV Club — Nathan Rabin Rating B. 20 December 2006. The critic views the extended cut of the 1991 biopic as a glossy but compelling character study of mobster Bugsy Siegel, noting its mix of epic bloat and gritty themes from the script. Beatty's starstruck, impeccably dressed performance as the metrosexual gangster is highlighted amid the tension between Toback's iconoclastic vision and Levinson's stylish direction. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/bugsy-extended-cut-1798202223) ## Empire — Angie Errigo Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). The film is a grand, old-fashioned Big Hollywood Picture that will appeal to older audiences, with a compelling story taken as a fable of the American dream. It singles out Ben Kingsley's brilliant turn as Meyer Lansky for particular praise among the first-rate cast and elements. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/bugsy-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 20 December 1991. The film is a satisfying, stylish entertainment that delivers a full measure of appeal through its glossy 1940s look and human touches. Turan notes Beatty dominates as Bugsy, bringing brassy self-confidence to the role he understands from the inside out. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-12-20-ca-678-story.html) ## The New York Times — Janet Maslin Rating NYT Critic’s Pick. 13 December 1991. Bugsy is a smart, seductive portrait of the man and his monument to Las Vegas, presenting Siegel as a star-struck pragmatist and visionary. Maslin highlights Warren Beatty's career-defining performance as the sly, dangerous schemer. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/13/movies/review-film-sure-he-had-his-faults-but-the-man-had-vision.html) ## Time Out — GA Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. The critic praises the witty script, classy direction and strong performances in this romanticized gangster biopic, noting Beatty's return to form after earlier films. Some scepticism is expressed about the sympathetic portrayal of the violent protagonist, but the film's virtues in character details and set pieces are highlighted. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/bugsy) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1990. The critic views it as a melancholy and intimate gangster saga about a romantic dreamer with fatal flaws that emerges as a smooth, safe portrait of a volatile character. An absorbing narrative and colorful supporting players are undercut by an unsatisfactory central romance featuring a one-dimensional Virginia Hill. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1990/film/reviews/bugsy-1200428981/) ## The Independent — John Lyttle Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 17 September 1992. It is an unsatisfactory though gripping pick'n'mix of dark gangster-comic-tragedy-cum-love story that asks audiences to admire Siegel for his all-American dream of Las Vegas. It singles out the spot-on casting (including Bening, Keitel and Kingsley) and unsettling script for note. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/video-coming-soon-to-a-store-near-you-john-lyttle-casts-a-critical-eye-over-rental-and-sellthrough-titles-now-available-including-oliver-stone-s-jfk-and-barry-levinson-s-bugsy-1551995.html) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/bugsy.md