Lansky

Worth watching for Harvey Keitels bravura performance as the aging Meyer Lansky . Apart from that it's a 4 . The ACADEMY surely must recognise his performance ranging from affable old man to cold blooded killer with the eyes of a shark .

It was so good to see Harvey Keitel in a bigger role once again. And I have to admit I do like Sam Worthington - I know that may not be a popular opinion or something that will matter in the rating for most people, but I thought I'd "explain" why I chose to go a bit higher than the average rating is right now.

Having said that, the movie could have done with a bit more money. It may aim a bit higher than it eventually can reach. So certain things fall a bit flat I reckon. Not any of the actors though. Or the (violent) murders and killings that can be witnessed - no pun intended.

Never heard of Lansky and went into this completely unaware of any backstory. This still was able to "entertain" me or rather have me on the edge of my seat. Suspense was high and there are a few twists that work quite well. Maybe you have a few characters too many overall, but it did work and was not too messy or incoherent for my taste.

Certain editing and camera angle choices were weird even for me, but I assume it was time and money restraints. Still this works, if you let it.

Meyer Lansky was a Jewish immigrant who had an affinity for numbers, and his "business sense" eventually made him one of the most successful crime bosses. The story in this movie focuses on 1981, Lansky was to die in 1983 of lung cancer. But an author, money short, meets with him to gather information to write a book of his life. One provision, what Lansky tells him must remain confidential until Lansky's death, otherwise he wouldn't like the consequences.

Much of the movie is told in flashback form, with a heavy focus on the late 1930s and the 1940s. Harvey Keitel does a remarkably good job as Lansky.

Good movie, gives us a glimpse of the golden days of organized crime during the period that Las Vegas and gambling became big business. My wife skipped, not her kind of movie. I watched it on DVD from my public library.

Greetings again from the darkness. If asked, the vast majority of movie lovers would name THE GODFATHER (1972), THE GODFATHER II (1974), and GOODFELLAS (1990) as the quintessential mafia movies. Sure, there are dozens of others, but that mob triumvirate has ruled the roost for many years. It's doubtful writer-director Eytan Rockaway ever gave one moment of thought that his second feature, written from a story by his father, author Robert Rockaway, might join the ranks of those top three, but that doesn't prevent it from being a quite interesting tale based on true events.

Sam Worthington (AVATAR, 2009) stars as David Stone, a writer who had some success a few years back with his Kennedy biography. Since then, he's struggled in both his personal and professional life. In 1981 when an elderly Meyer Lansky (Harvey Keitel) contacts him to write the true Lansky story, David jumps at the opportunity, seeing it as a solution to his many problems. The two men meet at a Miami diner that Lansky frequents. These diner meetings form the structure of the story, and director Rockaway uses flashbacks to the 1940's to "show" us what Lansky is telling his biographer from the booth.

John Magaro plays the younger Lansky, a man who is remarkably good with numbers and calm, yet forceful, in his demeanor. Lansky has partnered with Ben "Bugsy" Siegel (David Cade), who provides some muscle and flamboyance that Lansky lacks. We see the development of their business, and how Lansky's shrewd business acumen leads to a connection with Lucky Luciano, as well as providing the government with intelligence during the war. Lansky's story to David glosses over the bootlegging and other revenue streams to concentrate on gaming, which of course, is now legal in many states.

The supporting cast includes Minka Kelly as David's fling at the motel, AnnaSophia Robb as Lansky's wife Anne, Shane McRae as Lucky Luciano, and David James Elliott as the FBI Agent obsessed with solving the long-dead Lansky case and locating the $350 million supposedly hidden away. As you might expect, the story bounces from Miami to New York City to Cuba (a stunning Colonial Hotel in Havana) to Vegas to Geneva and even Israel, where Lansky attempted, unsuccessfully, to live out his life.

Lansky's biggest impact was facilitating the connection between the Italian, Irish, and Jewish mafia at a time when so such bond existed. We twice hear him answer, "I have no knowledge on the subject", when questioned about organized crime. On his death in 1983, Lansky had no convictions - all charges had been dropped. A doctor's diagnosis of terminal lung cancer led him to reach out to an author so that his story could be told. We don't learn much about "Murder, Inc." but we do understand Lansky's commitment to "control the game". Rockaway has delivered an intriguing profile of an enigma from inside the mafia ... and screen vet Keitel makes it all believable.

In Select Theaters & On Demand June 25, 2021.

Here is a pretty run-of-the-mill, lacklustre mob flick. It's a biopic, but it fails to show us anything we haven't already seen in other movies, even if we know nothing about Meyer Lansky.

Harvey Keitel does exactly what you'd expect from a great actor in the twilight of his life - he's in his eighties now - playing an iconic crime figure right before he checked out. Perhaps they were inspired by "The Irishman", also about crime figures contemplating mortality. But in that movie Keitel was surrounded by other acting heavyweights. Here it's Sam Worthington and a bunch of no-names who aren't about to become known any time soon.

Basing your movie on a real-world figure should enable you to find some spark of originality. No two lives are the same. The best I can say about "Lansky" is that it's not as bad as "Capone".