Benedito Dias Rodrigues
Billy Bathgate is really good gangster movie,but something is missing, Dustin is usual as ever,great Loren Dean performance, Nicole Kidman as marvelous in breathtaking scenes and surprisingly the unforgettable our hero in the past in Mission Impossible series Steven Hill on a very respectable and fine acting, almost unnoticed if didn't l used to read the opening credits....more helping the Lucky guy along the picture like a father,based in real facts on the thirties.Resume: First watch: 1996 / How many: 2 / Source: TV-DVD / Rating: 7.25
tieman64
When it was released in 1991, Robert Benton's "Billy Bathgate" was accused of being dull and unfocused. With the slick gangster movies of the 1990s now mimicked to death, today "Bathgate" almost seems interesting.The plot? Loren Dean plays Billy Bathgate, a South Bronx teenager who weasels his way into the criminal organization of Dutch Schultz (Dustin Hoffman). Along the way he befriends and falls in love with one of Schultz's molls, played by Nicole Kidman.Thematically, "Bathgate" doesn't do anything particularly new. What it does well is come at well-worn material from odd angles. Scenes that other crime films skirt over are dwelt upon, Kidman's character constantly mocks the macho pretensions of Schultz's gang, and Bill is an entirely passive character, forever riding a wave of blind luck. Hoffman, meanwhile, plays Schultz as a man of extremes. Though tiny and mild-mannered, he's constantly erupting into violence so as to hide insecurities. Virtually all the problems Schultz faces are a result of his inability to keep a lid on his emotions."Billy Bathgate" boasts excellent production design by Patrizia Von Brandenstein, who attempts to evoke the flavour of mid 1930s New York. Nesot Almendros' cinematography is also fine, packed with rich browns and blacks. Both are responsible for the film's better elements; its spaces, places and approaches to architecture. Bruce Willis and Steve Buscemi co-star. The film is loosely based on the life of Jewish mobster Arthur Flegenheimer.8/10 – See Zhang Yimou's "Shanghai Triad".
dilbertsuperman
Well acted, with a nice dual story going on, add in Nicole Kidman naked and hey.. this isn't bad at all!! Add in Dustin damn Hoffman as our lead gangster, and stuff is getting interesting!! Our main character however, is BILLY- a streetwise kid with a heart of gold that wants to see if he has a shot at making it big with Dutch - the guy who owns the neighborhood. Things are in transition for Dutch, and Billy is exposed to the pressures and pitfalls of running a criminal organization by falling in with Dutch.Enter Nicole Kidman- Dutch is smitten with her beauty, she's married but she has a thing for gangsters apparently...This has a lot of tension in the triangle between Mrs. Harrison (Nicole), Dutch (Dustin) And Billy.A cameo from Bruce Willis is a welcome counterpoint to the interpretation of Dutch, and you will recognize one of Dutch's henchmen from Fargo or Reservoir Dogs. ;-) I would have liked the ending to be a bit more elaborate but the ride there was pretty damn elaborate so it's all good.
ccthemovieman-1
It's kind of shocking to see less than 20 reviews (as of March, 2006) for a movie that stars Dustin Hoffman and Nicole Kidman and also has Bruce Willis and Loren Dean.This story of gangster "Dutch" Schultz is told, like the beginning of Goodfellas, through the eyes of a young guy (Dean) who breaks into the business, so to speak. Probably in this case, he was more attracted to Kidman than the business, and who could blame him?Dean was a complete no-name at the time and is a fine actor. Hoffman plays the crude Schultz and Kidman is his immoral wife. For some people, this film is remembered for quick full frontal nudity shots of Kidman. The most interesting person in the film, I thought, was Schultz' lawyer/confident Otto Berman, played by Steven Hill. Willis also helps make up a good cast, but his role is short.For a gangster/action flick, there wasn't a lot of violence in here and I liked the period detail. It looks nice, especially on DVD. One downfall on some of these modern-day films: there isn't one morally upright character in the story and the filmmakers make Dean and Kidman into sympathetic figures. Overall, however, a good crime movie.
AD
