在这部黑帮风云剧情/犯罪片中,一位出身犹太贫民区的年轻人，他凭著自身过人的天资，夥同好友席格和路奇安诺自纽约东区开始一起打天下，终于成为有史以来势力最大的黑帮领袖；后来席格在沙漠遭乱枪打死、兰斯基也因被通缉而逃往海外，四处寻找与美国无引渡条款且愿意收容他的国家，可说下场凄惨，但他们建立的黑帮帝国及多彩多姿的奋斗史常常是人们茶余饭后闲聊的话题。 本片是改编黑帮老大梅耶兰斯基生平的传记电影，是HBO自制电影，由金奖影帝理察德瑞福斯（Richard reyfuss）主演，《疯狗马子》导演约翰麦诺顿(John McNaughton)执导。
This is the telling of the life of organized crime boss, Meyer Lansky, as remembered by him as a very old man who is moving about the world looking for some country that will take him in since the US courts have put out an extradition order for him to stand trial. It tells of a young man growing up in the Jewish ghettos of America's big cities at the turn of the century and of his bright intelligence which he used for moving into crime. "I'm only a gambler," he claimed, "just like most all Americans." When asked by a reporter to comment on the killings that occurred under his leadership he declined, thereby making this film's thrust that of personalities and relationships rather than of acts of violence or the workings of corrupt deeds.
