"Billy Bathgate" charts the seemingly charmed path of a resourceful street kid (Loren Dean) who latches on to the Dutch Shultz gang in Dewey-era New York City. Shultz (Dustin Hoffman) has a gang which has seen the zenith of its power; its fighting to hold his place in a world where Irish and Italian politicians and mobsters are on the ascendancy. The movie opens with an initial act of betrayal, and the moll (Nicole Kidman) is thrust upon both the man and the boy. The movie is blessed with strong performances by secondary characters played by Steven Hill, Steve Buscemi, Stanley Tucci, Bruce Willis, and a number of other actors whose faces you know but might not be able to name.
Amazing because unbelievable. But it is true Billy has to survive since he is telling the story, or rather the story is told from his point of view. He is the voyeur, the camera, the stalker, the witness, etc, and the film is shot through his own eyes. The pleasure is essentially in the acting. This movie is always told through the eyes of Billie & his gangland tutor played by Steven Hill of Law & Order fame, just one fine acting job. Some claim Hoffman is so powerful here he overshadows the rest of the cast but I think that's shallow-sighted. Dutch Schultz was a overpowering man & only those that were able to subjugate themselves in his presence survived for long. That makes the other portrayals dead accurate & earns those actors & actresses their own deserved praise for this show.
Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
Amazing because unbelievable. But it is true Billy has to survive since he is telling the story, or rather the story is told from his point of view. He is the voyeur, the camera, the stalker, the witness, etc, and the film is shot through his own eyes. The pleasure is essentially in the acting. This movie is always told through the eyes of Billie & his gangland tutor played by Steven Hill of Law & Order fame, just one fine acting job. Some claim Hoffman is so powerful here he overshadows the rest of the cast but I think that's shallow-sighted. Dutch Schultz was a overpowering man & only those that were able to subjugate themselves in his presence survived for long. That makes the other portrayals dead accurate & earns those actors & actresses their own deserved praise for this show.
Overall rating: 7 out of 10.