In his 80 years, Meyer Lansky worked alongside the most notorious gangsters in American history. He spearheaded a worldwide gambling racket and allegedly had quite a few people murdered for getting in the way of his business. Lansky even worked with the U.S. Navy during World War II, protecting the ships in New York Harbor from spies and and sabotage.
No one can deny that Lansky led a fascinating life, even after watching Eytan Rockaway’s tedious biopic “Lansky,” which has more in common with a book report than an actual book. Writer-director Rockaway (“The Abandoned”) hits all the major bullet points in the gangster’s life but ignores almost all the connective tissue that would make this outline of intriguing anecdotes really come alive.