Lansky (film)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Lansky | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover |
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| Directed by | John McNaughton |
| Produced by | Fred C. Caruso |
| Written by | Uri Dan Dennis Eisenberg Eli Landau David Mamet |
| Starring | Richard Dreyfuss Eric Roberts Anthony LaPaglia |
| Music by | George S. Clinton |
| Cinematography | John A. Alonzo Jeffrey Greeley |
| Editing by | Elena Maganini |
| Distributed by | HBO |
| Release date(s) | February 27, 1999 |
| Running time | 93 - 114 mins |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Lansky is a 1999 American made-for-television crime drama film. Directed by John McNaughton, it stars Richard Dreyfuss as the famous gangster Meyer Lansky, Eric Roberts as Bugsy Siegel, and Ryan Merriman as the young Lansky.
[edit] Plot Summary
The movie circuits around flashbacks of Lansky's life, the first showing is as Lansky as an old man looking for a pot to put on his mother and father's grave. He goes to a shop where a Jewish man is closing. The man ask him "If he wants to wait an hour" Lansky decides to as he's walking through a tunnel he sees an elderly Jewish man it goes into a flashback showing Lansky as a 10 year old, he sees an elderly man getting attacked and killed with an axe in the face. The film goes to Lansky in his village is being burnt down. His family want to make a quick escape so they are packing their valuables and are leaving to America, Lansky grandad stay on the chair presumably he wants to stay. The film then goes to where he is in America. His mother gives him money to go buy some bread as hes walking down the street he sees a bunch of kids stealing from a stall they run down an alley. Lansky decides to follow them he then sees them playing crap games against the wall. Lansky bets his money that his mother gave him to buy food with. Lansky returns home stressed about not having the food and not winning the bet his mother is also worried on where he has been. The move goes back to Lansky as an old man hes walking along talking to the Jewish man. The film returns to America little Italy, Benjamin Siegel and Meyer Lansky are eyeing on the Irish kid who owns the crap games, Lansky makes his bet as he's throwing the dice the owner's friend slides him some dice, this is where Lansky knows that they were cheating. He then shouts to the teenager telling him he won the bet the teenager pushes at the young Lansky, Lansky pushes him back then the teenager's friend slides out his knife and cut Lansky's arm, Benjamin Seigel come into the scene and hits the knife kid with a brick shouting at him telling him to give him the money. As Lansky and Benjamin are walking down the docks they see the Irish kid who bet against them in the alley the Irish kid is shouting Irish word about him being Jewish, Lansky jumps into the sea where the Irish kid is hanging about, Lansky then goes under water and slits the Irish kid's neck.
As the blood is sliding around the water is goes back to Lansky as an old man drinking wine with the Jewish man. The Jewish man goes of to pray in the synagogue. The film goes on showing Lansky owning the crap games as a kid Lansky goes of into an alley to count his money this is where he meets Charles Luciano when Charles was telling him to give protection money the gang start to give Lansky a beating. Lansky is saying "Nothing For Nothing" Luciano takes a liking to Lansky's guts, they the work together selling illegal booze, Bugsy, Luciano and Lansky are making their way driving the truck with booze in. They are ambushed by Arnold Rothstein's associates. Luciano and lansky make a deal saying they will give them 1 truck full of booze and no one will be shot at, when Lansky, Bugsy and Luciano get into the truck we find out the truck was full of empty suitcases. Rothstein invites them around to his house for a business proposition, he offers Bugsy and Lansky a job to work for him as he knows Lansky is smart after what happened with the trucks. The money goes on to show them taking over the crime world killing the dons so Luciano can take over. The films goes on to show Lansky making his way up the crime organization, showing him to the end of his life to when he was young.
[edit] Critical reception
The tv film got 5.0/10 by imdb the film got mixed reviews.
