Lansky (1999) (TV)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Director:

John McNaughton

Writers (WGA):

Uri Dan (book) (in part) and
Dennis Eisenberg (book) (in part) ...

Release Date:

27 February 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Crime

Tagline:

The Mind That Organized Crime.

Plot:

This is the telling of the life of organized crime boss, Meyer Lansky, as remembered by him as a very...

Plot Keywords:

Based On Book | Character Name In Title

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 3 nominations

Cast

Richard Dreyfuss	...	Meyer Lansky
Yossi Karmon	...	Rabbi / Caretaker
Mosko Alkalai	...	Jewelry Shopkeeper (as Moscu Alcalay)
Fima Noveck	...	Hasid in Grodno
Joshua Praw	...	Meyer Lansky Age 8
Bernie Hiller	...	Max Lansky (as Bernard Hiller)
Jill Holden	...	Yetta Lansky
Larry Moss	...	Benjamin Lansky
Chris Marquette	...	Jake Lansky Ages 9-11 (as Christopher Marquette)
Ryan Merriman	...	Meyer Lansky Ages 12-14
Benjamin Kimball Smith	...	Irish Gang Leader (as Benjamin K. Smith)
Brian Casey	...	Irish Boy #1
Adam Hendershott	...	Irish Boy #2
Daniel Sagal	...	Irish Boy #3
Anthony Medwetz	...	Benny Siegel Age 11

MPAA:

Rated R for language, violence and nudity.

Runtime:

Germany:93 min | Spain:114 min | Argentina:98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Germany:12 | USA:R | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Frederick Zollo Productions

Goofs:

Factual errors: At the end of the film it stated that Lansky was born in 1903. In fact, he was born on July 4th 1902.

Soundtrack:

Cachum Bambe

That was Mamet? He dropped the ball.

So Mamet wrote the script? I didn't notice. I was distracted by seeing my former mayor (of Herzliya, Israel) Eli Landau listed as one of the authors of the book. Some people consider him a bit of a hoodlum himself.

Anyway, lore has it that Lansky never got involved in the actual rough stuff. In the movie we see him along for the ride once or twice, but basically he's a pencil-pusher so he's more boring than your average movie gangster. The conflict that we do find him involved in personally is his battle to take advantage of the Law of Return in order to stay in Israel. Unfortunately, though it provides the framework for the film, that conflict is underexploited for drama. Basically, we see Lansky sitting there as his lawyer explains things. There could have been other characters brought in to represent the other side for some real interpersonal confrontations.

Part of the Israeli atmosphere, by the way, consists of continual playing of a variation on the song "Hayu Leilot" ("There Once Were Nights"), by Yaakov Orland and Mordechai Zeira. The song is not mentioned in the credits. Somebody oughta sue.