July 8, 15, 22 and 29: Summer Movie Series
7 p.m. movie
The Mob Museum presents its second annual Summer Movie Series, with four films telling compelling stories about the age-old battle between the Mob and the law.
Each movie will be introduced by a Mob expert in a short, fun and educational discussion separating fact from fiction.
July 8: Bugsy, 1991
Movie about Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel. Winner of two Oscars and Golden Globe for Best Picture. Although the screenwriters played fast and loose with the actual history of Bugsy’s role in the rise of Las Vegas, the movie is a compelling depiction of organized crime and Las Vegas at midcentury.
Bugsy is played by Warren Beatty, while Annette Bening is his brassy girlfriend, Virginia Hill. Supporting actors include Ben Kingsley as Meyer Lansky, Harvey Keitel as Mickey Cohen, Elliott Gould as Harry Greenberg and Bebe Neuwirth as the Countess di Frassco. Incidentally, Beatty and Bening got married after working together in this film.
July 15: The Untouchables, 1987
Prohibition Era Mob drama told from the point of view of the good guys. Target: Chicago Mob boss Al Capone, played in over-the-top fashion by Robert De Niro. Contrary to how the film tells the story, it wasn’t the Tommy gun-wielding G-Men who brought down Capone, it was the patient and methodical Treasury Department agents who got him for tax evasion. Ness in fact was a bit player in a much bigger drama. However, the most famous scene in the film, in which Capone beats one of his men to death with a baseball bat at a dinner party, is closer to the truth. Hear our side of the story in pre-movie conversations. Kevin Costner plays crusading federal agent Eilot Ness. Also starring Sean Connery, who won best supporting actor Oscar and Golden Globe, as the grizzled sidekick.
July 22: The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, 1967
A well-acted drama, re-telling the story of the rise of Al Capone as the leading Chicago mobster of the era and of the events surrounding the 1929 St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, in which seven men associated with Capone rival George “Bugs” Moran were gunned down in a garage.
Jason Robards plays Capone. Also starring Ralph Meeker and George Segal with Jack Nicholson and Bruce Dern playing bit parts. Directed by B-movie king Roger Corman. This was Corman’s first film for a major studio after producing dozens of low-budget pictures, including sci-fi, horror and horror flicks such as House of Usher (1960), The Wild Angels (1966) and Death Race 2000 (1974).
July 29: Hoffa, 1992
A fictionalized account of the true story behind Teamsters Union leader Jimmy Hoffa’s rise, fall and permanent disappearance. Although the movie fictionalizes certain aspects of Hoffa’s life, scenes in which Hoffa and Robert Kennedy exchange words were taken directly from transcripts of U.S. Senate hearings.
Playing Hoffa, Jack Nicholson was nominated for both a Golden Globe for Best Actor and a Razzie for worst. Directed by Danny DeVito, who also plays a fictional composite of Hoffa’s close friends.