Lansky

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".

It's a very so-so movie, but Harvey Keitel makes it completely worth watching. His demeanor toward the young writer reminded me of some of my own mentors. Not that they were gangsters. Just something in his voice and delivery. Don't you love it when people are really, really good at their jobs?

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.

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.

Few genres are as seductive or as enduringly popular as the gangster movie. Since the earliest days of cinema- with 1906's 'The Black Hand' often cited as the first- audiences have been enthralled by the suave thuggery of characters like Fat Tony and Joey Two Fingers. From the explosive fury of 'White Heat' to the operatic grandeur of 'The Godfather', we've watched countless mobsters rise and fall in clouds of cigar smoke, drawn in by the glint of power and the promise that crime can sometimes pay- for a while, at least.

The best gangster movies crackle with energy. They're fast-talking, blood-soaked morality plays. 'Goodfellas' doesn't just show you a life of crime- it sweeps you up in it, dazzles with its rhythm, then punches you in the gut. The camera moves like it's in on the scam. The characters are magnetic, dangerous, deeply flawed. The dialogue crackles with razor-blade wit. There's urgency, chaos, consequence.

Sadly, Eytan Rockaway's 'Lansky' is no 'Goodfellas.' A tired, cliched slog, the film takes one of the most intriguing figures in organized crime and renders him about as exciting as a tax audit. It follows an aging Meyer Lansky in the twilight of his life, doing a series of interviews with a struggling journalist under the pretence of telling his side of the story (a narrative device strikingly similar to the one used in John McNaughton's 1999 'Lansky').

In theory, it's a chance to peel back the layers of a mythologised figure, to explore the man behind the headlines. In practice, it's a lot of talking, not much showing and a distinct lack of bite. For a film about a man with blood on his hands and the FBI breathing down his neck, 'Lansky' feels oddly low-stakes and low-energy. Rockaway's screenplay- written alongside his father Robert- brings nothing new to the table of gangster fiction, relying on overly familiar tropes, ticking boxes; sketching the outline of a legend without ever colouring in the man.

The film could be the poster child for 'generic gangster movie'. However, while some, like 'Black Mass', may be generic, at least they're a bit of fun. For the most part, 'Lansky' is dull. Flashbacks to his glory days are flat, drained of urgency or danger. The dialogue plods. Even the violence, when it arrives, feels perfunctory- as if included out of obligation rather than narrative necessity. There's no momentum, no grit; no spark. It's a film that mistakes solemnity for substance and slow pacing for depth.

There are brief moments that hint at what could have been. Some scenes involving Lansky and the journalist crackle with, if not quite excitement, at least life. The character of the older Lansky is believable, with some good dialogue. Throughout, there are glimpses of a more engaging film- one properly exploring Lansky's morally ambiguous character. Sadly, these moments are fleeting, overshadowed by the narrative's relentless stagnation.

Moreover, Peter Flinckenberg's cinematography ticks every box on the generic gangster movie checklist- moody lighting, smoky rooms, endless slow zooms- but forgets to add any actual atmosphere. It isn't by any means a bad looking picture, but it feels like style without soul. Although it contains all the visual hallmarks of a gangster drama, it has none of the menace, energy or allure that makes a film in the genre stand out.

Although April Lasky's production design is serviceable, it suffers from the same sense of checkbox filmmaking. The sets dutifully hit all the expected notes- dingy offices, smoke-filled bars, opulent hotels- but they rarely feel lived-in or evocative. Like much of the film, they look the part without ever truly selling the world they're meant to create. The same can be said for Laura Cristina Ortiz's costume design; forgettable and generic.

Really, there's only one reason to watch 'Lansky': Harvey Keitel. As the titular mafioso, Keitel is far and away the film's most compelling aspect. Nuanced and credible, he injects the film with a certain quiet gravitas. While the script does him no favours, Keitel brings layers to a character who could've easily been a one-dimensional gangster archetype. He's a man at the crossroads of a legendary life; Keitel captures the weariness, the wisdom and the dubious morality of someone who has outlived the thrill of his own story.

Sam Worthington does steady work as the journalist, though there isn't much for him to work with in the face of the Rockaways's scant, cliched characterisation. John Magaro's performance as the younger Lansky is so over-the-top and hammy he might as well be hanging in a butcher's shop window, and the same can be said for David Cade's Bugsy Siegel. Additionally, as an FBI man, David James Elliott fades into the background completely, while the talents of AnnaSophia Robb are wasted entirely in the criminally underwritten part of Lansky's long-suffering wife.

Eytan Rockaway's 'Lansky' is a far cry from the best gangster films. Generic, cliched and frequently dull, it really doesn't have much to offer. While Harvey Keitel manages to breathe some life into a character who deserves better, the rest of the film stumbles through checkboxes without ever finding its own pulse. If you're looking for a glimpse into the complex mind of the mob legend, you'd be better off reading his Wikipedia page- at least there, your interest won't get lost in a haze of smoke and missed opportunities. In short, 'Lansky' is an offer you can refuse.