I have just watched this film and though it could have been so much better, Beatty's performance in the film is awful, i nearly turned it off because it was that bad. Although, i felt those around him were good, he just brought the film down. Shame, could have been a classic.
shareI agree. I saw this movie when it first came out and a few times since. Thinking I might like him better. And I think he is too old for the role and completely unbelievable in the role. Too much over acting . And it is funny that even though him and Benning are a couple their chemistry on screen is horrible. I thought she was Marisa Tomei at times. lol.
shareYeah, I agree as well. This movie was just so inaccurate that I really had a tough time taking it seriously. Not only did he look nothing like Bugsy but he was way too old for the part (he was only 41 when he was killed and how old was Warren in this film, lol?). Definitely one movie I wouldn't mind a remake or at least a more authentic Bugsy picture.
I smell death on you...
A toothless performance I agree. He was easily the worst element in this film. It was almost like he thought he was in a comedy.
shareI agree. I have tried to watch this film twice and I can never get past WB's terrible acting. Not that I think much of the writing or directing either. This film sucks.
shareHe really didnt have any idea how to play that character. Its the only film I have seen him in I didnt like him in. Its a shame because I remember really looking forward to it when it came out.
shareHe always just plays himself. Sometimes that's OK (Bulworth), usually it's not. This performance was especially bad.
What I wonder is why Hollywood worships this guy? They gave him some big award at the Oscars a few years back. I guess he must be made.
It seems like Hollywood has been keeping Beatty going for decades. He is the laziest working actor in Hollywood by far. He hasnt worked regularly enough to be relevent since the seventies. He did have a resurgence of sorts ( for him, he still put in relatively few performances ) back in the nineties but Beatty seems to sell himself as being more about the glamour of movie stardom than actually going out and getting work as a movie star. The thing is that Beatty can play being the movie star to the hilt and nobody has to look too deep. It seems to be an arrangement thats worked up until now so whatever one thinks of Beattys' anorexic filmography the man will still make the worlds headlines when he shuffles off this mortal coil.
Retrospectively I suspect people will realise they have been dazzled but Beatty did it with a smile so thats ok. He does have some quality films under his belt all the same though so in spite of all of the undue Hollywood worship it is still a good experience to revisit Beattys' films so I think that he does have the endurance to last in any event.
I personally like his screen persona generally but his performances have got shallower and shallower over the years in my opinion.
I was exactly thinking the same: no idea on how to play the character, he doesn't have the "hook", I think I'll have to accept the fact that I'll never could watch this film (this is like the third or fourth time I try watching it when it's on tv, and I never can).
sharei wanna see a bugsy movie that also shows his new york days, murder inc, how he became friends with lansky and lucky, not just his days in LA. and warren was miscast.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xumRR88kwv4&feature=channel_video_t itle
I just watched this on TV last night and I have to agree about Beattys' awful performance. Bening and Gould were just as bad; I really think this comes off as dark comedy than dramatic gangster flick. I liked it nonetheless, very interesting characters.
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what movie were you people watching? beatty owned this flick. i couldnt imagine anyone else for this role after watching
beatty's greatest performance. he wasnt overacting at all. im not a huge warren beatty fan but there was a reason why so many award groups nominated him that year. just my opinion.
Who said anything about slicing you up,man? I just wanted to carve a little z on your forehead.
Yeah I agree with the consensus. Poor performance by Beatty. Embarrassing to watch at times.
shareThere's some weird Beatty hatred I've never gotten. Whether his portrayal was accurate or not, I thought he created a great character. Slightly nuts in a fun way which is why so many people like him and respect him.
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Call them ISIL. Isis is an overloaded term that has many other legitimate uses.
These people are morons; every one of them simply states "his performance was terrible" - full stop. They don't elaborate; only one person said "It was almost like he thought he was in a comedy." WHAT?
shareHuh. I think he's great in this movie.
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I thought Beatty was great in this film, as he is in all of his films!
Hockey Stick Behind The Ear!
Warren Beatty was terribly miscast in this film. He was just not menacing. Compare his angry scenes with Joe Pesci's in Goodfellas etc. Beatty just wasn't scary.
And Annette Bening was rather miscast as a promiscuous woman too. She just looked too classy.
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More than likely Beatty could not have gotten the film made if he did not sign up to play the lead. No matter what people think about whether or not he was age appropriate to play Siegel, Beatty was still a guaranteed box office draw at that time. His star soon thereafter began to wane, but he was still deeply entrenched with the Kings of Hollywood at that time [Bob Evans, Nicholson, Katzzenberg, etc]
Annette Bening was unknown to most movie audiences. The chemistry between Warren & Annette worked well, although Beatty's clownish persona in most of this move is hard to buy when we all know Bugsy was a sociopathic murderer.