Bugsy is a 1991 American biographical crime film based on the renowned mafia boss Bugsy Siegel and his real-life exploits in Las Vegas. It is based on a book written by Dean Jennings called We Only Kill Each Other. Bugsy was directed by Barry Levinson and nominated for numerous Academy Awards. It starts Warren Beaty as Siegel and Annette Benning as Virginia Hill.
The Main Story
In Bugsy one sees Malone move to Hollywood and become involved with movie star Virginia Hill. He gets a vision of developing a gambling haven in Las Vegas whilst gambling in the Nevada Desert. He receives a $1 million loan from his lifelong friend Lansky and some other New York mobsters as he reminds them that gambling is legal in Nevada.
Initially, Virginia wants no part of this scheme until he puts her in charge of accounting and starts building the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel Casino in Las Vegas. The budget soon soars to $6 million due to Siegel’s extravagance. The grand opening of the Flamingo Casino is a complete failure with $2 million of the funding unaccounted, which Virginia had in fact stolen. Casino Grand Bay would’ve been a far better choice! I digress, Bugsy found out that Virginia had stolen the money, but, he keeps quiet about it and lets her keep it. However, on the same night of the opening, Bugsy is shot and killed in his home. Virginia receives the bad news and knows she has to return the stolen money.
The Ending
A week after Bugsy’s death, Virginia returns the stolen cash to Lansky and then commits suicide at her home in Austria. Here is the twist by 1991, The $6 million invested in Bugsy’s Las Vegas Casino generated $100 Billion in revenue. It just goes to show that some gambles pay off but is it worth a life?
