Life and times of a key - but low key - character from the old-time Mob.
Let us start with a morality play about Hollywood and the subjects it deems worthy of its lens. Few presidents get their own film and even when they do (Nixon, for example) audiences stay away.
However the mob get the full-on treatment from Capone to Gotti there's a film (or more than one) in all of them! Yep, they are the Americans that really matter!
The problem with Lansky is that he was certainly there and in the midst of it, but only in the sense of being around. He held the "stupidity" together allowing some money earning to take place rather than one long round of gang warfare.
The choice of Lansky - as the central character is only about one thing: The others have been done. We are near the bottom of the barrel so we will have to make do with this slow speaking and low lying non-Italian!
Eric Roberts is one of my favourite actors. He is in a lot of rubbish, but he is often the best thing in it. Here he has a real role (Bugsy Siegel - no less) and really gives it his all. The guy took a wrong turning (or maybe had no lucky break), or then again maybe Dreyfuss (Lansky) took it all?
(When has a short bland guy - Dreyfuss - been cast in the lead of so many big movies without being any kind of box office draw? The rubber shark was the big star of Jaws - the audience would have cheered if he had been turned in to lunch!)
I feel a cheat reviewer because the real life of Lansky is filed under "don't know - don't care." Well beyond the background knowledge of few books and TV documentaries.
His life limped along and although pursued by law-and-order they didn't really have it in for him. There was never any big bang climax in his life and all we have as a climax here is more cod philosophy and accusations that you can buy or not buy.
I can't buy anything he says, because he was a professional liar. For me buying the word of a professional liar would rather be like buying a hair restorer from a bald headed guy!
Let us start with a morality play about Hollywood and the subjects it deems worthy of its lens. Few presidents get their own film and even when they do (Nixon, for example) audiences stay away.
However the mob get the full-on treatment from Capone to Gotti there's a film (or more than one) in all of them! Yep, they are the Americans that really matter!
The problem with Lansky is that he was certainly there and in the midst of it, but only in the sense of being around. He held the "stupidity" together allowing some money earning to take place rather than one long round of gang warfare.
The choice of Lansky - as the central character is only about one thing: The others have been done. We are near the bottom of the barrel so we will have to make do with this slow speaking and low lying non-Italian!
Eric Roberts is one of my favourite actors. He is in a lot of rubbish, but he is often the best thing in it. Here he has a real role (Bugsy Siegel - no less) and really gives it his all. The guy took a wrong turning (or maybe had no lucky break), or then again maybe Dreyfuss (Lansky) took it all?
(When has a short bland guy - Dreyfuss - been cast in the lead of so many big movies without being any kind of box office draw? The rubber shark was the big star of Jaws - the audience would have cheered if he had been turned in to lunch!)
I feel a cheat reviewer because the real life of Lansky is filed under "don't know - don't care." Well beyond the background knowledge of few books and TV documentaries.
His life limped along and although pursued by law-and-order they didn't really have it in for him. There was never any big bang climax in his life and all we have as a climax here is more cod philosophy and accusations that you can buy or not buy.
I can't buy anything he says, because he was a professional liar. For me buying the word of a professional liar would rather be like buying a hair restorer from a bald headed guy!