Essay Sample on Bugsy & Little Man: Uncovering the Criminal Underworld of Meyer Lansky

The film Bugsy directed by Barry Levinson and the biography the Little Man authored by Robert Lacey significantly depicts the criminal activities precluded by a notorious gang almost 50 years ago. Both Lace and Levinson strives to give distinctly rich versions on the life and relations of Meyer Lansky, a Jewish man that dominated the criminal world often ruled by Italian-Americans. The book and the fil exposes diverse elements associated with criminals' life from loyalty among thieves, love for family, criminal principles to bloodshed involved during power wrangles. Nevertheless, both authors portray a distinctive relationship between Mayer Lansky and Benjamin Siegel whose friendship and the partnership began in childhood when they could violently engage in ani social behaviors with the formation of Bugs and Meyer Gang that controlled the Brooklyn neighborhood (Bugsy, n.p). Moreover, despite only being teenagers at their adolescents, Lansky and Siegel not only involved themselves in gambling activities and car theft but also had established a major criminal connection and deals with Italian and Irish mafia in America which recruited Siegel into underworld business of smuggling illegal alcoholic beverages into the country. Nevertheless, irrespective of Levinson's films Bugsy effort, it inaccurately portrays the relationship between Ben Siegel and Meyer Lansky because the film portrays them heroes and more cleaned up personalities.

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Levinson and Lacey portray an extreme version of the relationship between Lansky and Sieges. Despite being a friend from childhood, Siegel and Lansky were more of business partners in a criminal cartel but has been regretfully portrayed as heroes in Levinson's Bugsy. As correctly portrayed by Lacey, both Laskey and Siegel engaged in numerous antisocial behaviors from engaging in diverse robberies, rape, smuggling, and murder not only of their rival gangs but of innocent citizens (Lacey, 96). However, Levinson incorrectly depicts them as heroes for their clean and successful life because of Lansky's calculation and influence, which made him have a clean criminal record except for a few illegal gambling. They consistently portrayed themselves as serious and legitimate business people that controlled gambling business which was often dominated by the Italians and Irish, hiding behind their Jewish culture, making them insusceptible while actively engaging in illegal operations. For instance, they engaged in illegal smuggling on alcoholic beverages, human trafficking, illegal prostitution, and tax eversion. They broke numerous laws established in the country without consequences due to their national influence in all sectors on the economy and spheres of life. Siegel's charismatic and charming stature exclusively enabled him to maintain his influence on businesspeople, politicians, lobbyists, accountants, and attorneys who protected both their business and them irrespective of knowing the criminal activities in the country.

Furthermore, the film Bugsy only depict the massive conflict surrounding Siegel and Lansky as simply rivalry conflict. However, their criminal activities resulted in massive insecurity in the country due to the active involvement of killing, robbery with violence, and violation. For instance, despite Lansky disguising himself as a gentleman and a clean businessman, he orders many killings. With the formation of the National Crime Syndicate controlled by Lansky and other associates comprised of gunmen, Lansky and Siegel terrorized the nation causing fear and desperation within their communities especially in New York and California as they struggle to eliminate their rivals in fierce gun battles and constant theft, drug trafficking and noise pollution with their frequent nightlife (Lacey, 36). For instance, in the Little Man, Stacher affirms that Siegel was always a man of action, and while everyone tried to figure out a plan, he was always already shooting at the rivals aimlessly. However, his gut and violence actions resulted in numerous casualties caught between the gunfire. Hence, Levinson interpretation is wrong and depicting both Lansky and Siegel as sleek businessmen and heroes is a compromised and disrespectful perception as their criminal activities actively resulted in massive economic oppression in the entire country due to their untaxable products and limitation of legitimate operations. Additionally, Levinson incorrectly interprets the extreme goals, ambitions, and desires that the two personalities, Lansky and Siegel, had despite working for the same gang (Bugsy, n.p). Despite Lansky always supporting Siegel in his expeditions even bailing from jail after coldly murdering Harry Greenberg on September 1941, Lansky always had a hidden desire to dominate over the over-ambitious Siegel which caused contention and unrest not only in New York but also in New Jersey, California, Las Vegas and nationwide (Lacey, 87 ).

Conclusion

Conclusively, unlike Levinson's film Bugsy, Lacey's book the Little Man depicts the harsh and extreme rivalry that existed between Lansky and Siegel. For instance, continuous defiance and devastations drew them apart, which made Siegel declare his control over California syndicate. While Lansky considered himself the mob's accountant and the secretary of the Treasury occupying the massive market shares in the American Criminal syndicate, he knowingly exposed his supposed fried to danger, bloodshed and premature death. Consequently, despite having control on the decision taken by the criminal board members led by Lucky Luciano, he reluctantly defended his friend and also advocated for his elimination. For example, in 1947, after Siegel was shot in the Beverly Hills in California, Lansky's associates immediately took control of his Las Vegas business operation within the first twenty minutes of his death (Lacey, 96 ). Lacey greatly exposed the dangerous hatred, unhealthy relationship, and rivalry that resulted in the swift replacement of Siegel after his elimination.

Works Cited

Bugsy. Directed by Barry Levinson, performances by Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Ben Kingsley, Hervey Keitel, and Joe Mantegna. 1991.

Lacey, R. Little Man: Meyer Lansky and the Gangster Life. Croft House, 1991. Print.