Billy Bathgate, released in theaters on November 1, 1991, whisks audiences into the volatile underbelly of 1930s New York, following Loren Dean as young Billy Behan, a Bronx teenager who reinvents himself to join the infamous syndicate of gangster Dutch Schultz (Dustin Hoffman).
Billy’s entry into this world is marked by a mix of wide-eyed ambition and dangerous naivety. As he moves up from errand boy to trusted protégé, he witnesses both the seductive glamour and the savage violence that power Schultz’s criminal empire.
Nicole Kidman plays Drew Preston, a spirited socialite entangled with Schultz after a doomed romance with his lieutenant, Bo Weinberg (Bruce Willis).
Tasked with looking after Drew, Billy finds his loyalty to Schultz tested as affection grows between him and Drew, placing both in grave peril.
Schultz’s paranoia and brutality heighten as federal prosecutors, rival gangs, and betrayal within his own crew escalate the tension.
The film’s narrative traces Billy’s coming of age, navigating moral compromise, fear, and moments of fleeting triumph as the gangster world’s rules catch up with everyone involved.
Steve Buscemi, Stanley Tucci, Steven Hill, Moira Kelly, Kevin Corrigan, Xander Berkeley, Mike Starr and Paul Herman round out the stellar supporting cast.
Director Robert Benton renders the era with smoky visuals and a sense of tragic inevitability, borrowing from both the grand tradition of gangster movies and the literary depth of E.L. Doctorow’s source novel.
Nicole Kidman and Dustin Hoffman in Billy Bathgate (Photo/Touchstone Pictures)
Reception for Billy Bathgate
Billy Bathgate grossed $4.1 million on its opening weekend, finishing fourth at the box office.
The film grossed $15.6 million in its theatrical run.
Roger Ebert gave Billy Bathgate two out of four stars in his review.
Legacy
Billy Bathgate arrived during the mobster cinema boom of the early 1990s, competing with the likes of Goodfellas and Miller’s Crossing for attention. While not as acclaimed and struggling at the box office, it remains interesting for its outsider’s viewpoint—Billy as observer and sometimes pawn—a departure from films focused strictly on hardened criminals.
Hoffman’s Dutch Schultz is both charming and deeply menacing, and Kidman’s Drew gives the film its emotional pulse.
Billy Bathgate’s legacy lies in its depiction of innocence corrupted and the hard lessons learned in pursuit of the American dream, told with an uneasy blend of glamor and peril that lingers long after the credits roll.
