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.
Acting
Beatty and Bening's volcanic chemistry—method acting met real life.
Production
Lavish period recreation that cost more than the actual Flamingo.
Costume
Suits so sharp they deserve separate billing.
Director
Barry Levinson
Warren Beatty
Ben 'Bugsy' Siegel
Annette Bening
Virginia Hill
Harvey Keitel
Mickey Cohen
Ben Kingsley
Meyer Lansky
Elliott Gould
Harry Greenberg
Joe Mantegna
George Raft
Bebe Neuwirth
Countess di Frasso
Lewis van Bergen
Joe Adonis
Wendy Phillips
Esta Siegel
Richard C. Sarafian
Jack Dragna
Karen Russell
Dancer
Robert Beltran
Alejandro
Kimberly McCullough
Barbara Siegel
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Beatty and Bening began their real-life romance during filming; Levinson later joked he was directing two movies at once.
The real Flamingo cost $6 million and failed; this film cost $30+ million and barely broke even—both were bets on Vegas that took too long to pay off.
US
