Billy Bathgate

Despite an impressive array of talent, the ingredients never catch fire in this oddly lifeless adaptation of E.L. Doctorow's acclaimed novel.

Billy Bathgate (Loren Dean), an enterprising street kid from the Depression-era Bronx slums, bluffs and charms his way into the upper echelons of Dutch Schultz's (Hoffman) gang by helping expose the duplicity of Schultz's trusted lieutenant, Bo Weinberg (Bruce Willis). Dumped from a tugboat wearing cement overshoes, Weinberg leaves behind a rich girlfriend, Drew Preston (Nicole Kidman), who takes up with Schultz. It becomes Billy's main job to take care of Drew, as Schultz, already in decline, is preoccupied with fighting ...