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Rated: R; Genres: Crime, Drama; With: Loren Dean, Dustin Hoffman, Nicole Kidman, Steven Hill and Bruce Willis
C
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman is a film critic for EW
BILLY BATHGATE (R) This adaptation of E.L. Doctorow's 1988 gangster novel poses the question: How can a movie be smooth, tasteful, competently acted, handsomely photographed-and dull? The problem may go back to the book itself. The characters-the legendary hoodlum Dutch Schultz, his teenage protege Billy Bathgate, the alluring socialite Drew Preston, who comes between them-are so thin and archetypal, so knowingly ''old-fashioned,'' that they never quite come alive on-screen. Dustin Hoffman has a few moments as the grabby, ill-tempered Dutch-a Cagneyesque runt given to spasms of violence-but it's a surprisingly underimagined performance. C
Posted Nov 15, 1991
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You Might Also Like
- Movie Review BILLY BATHGATE (1991) | Owen Gleiberman
- Movie News DUTCH'S RIGHT HAND (1991) | Ty Burr
- Movie Commentary The stigma of X rated films (1984) | Tom Wiener
- Movie Review The Graduate (1967) | Lawrence O'Toole
- News Summary Robert Urich dies of cancer at 55 | Gary Susman
- News Summary J. Lo. and Kid Rock entertain the troops | Gary Susman
