Gangster Squad (2013)

Director: Ruben Fleischer
Starring: Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Nick Nolte

Source: Filmofilia

Gangster Squad follows dominant mafia leader Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) who emerged as a powerhouse in post-WWII Los Angeles. Many politicians and police authorities live in fear of offending Cohen, who is powerful enough to destroy lives with the snap of a finger. The opening sequence perfectly instills the same fear in the audience as we see Cohen instruct a ruthless manslaughter by tying the man’s hands and feet to two cars they drive away, tearing the man in half. Insert Sergeant John O’Mara (Josh Brolin), the clichéd good and honest cop who strives for justice, is personally instructed by Chief Bill Parker (Nick Nolte) to put an end to Mickey Cohen in a secret underground mission. This unofficial mission is upsetting to John’s pregnant wife (Mireille Enos), who has been pushing him to resign from his dangerous day job for the sake of their new family. In the end, the wife is the one who personally selects the detectives that eventually form the dream team gangster squad.

Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling in Gangster Squad Source: IMDB

Unlike their Crazy, Stupid, Love counterparts, Ryan Gosling’s Jerry Wooters and Emma Stone’s Grace Faraday leave fans of the onscreen pairing unsatisfied (though they still look sizzling hot together). As Gangster Squad is mainly a crime thriller movie, very little time is allocated to develop their characters’ love line and their story is nothing that typical movie goers have not seen before. We have playboy Jerry Wooters who despite knowing Grace’s status as Cohen’s trophy woman, falls into lust at first sight anyway. Audiences expecting Grace Faraday to be a 1949 strong Bond girl will be disappointed in her damsel in distress character. More so than their relationship, both characters should be remembered for their role in the Cohen takedown. However, both Gosling and Stone gave terrific performances for the material that they were given. Not a breakthrough, but not necessarily a career worst.

Sean Penn and Josh Brolin in Gangster Squad Source: The Cinema Source

Sean Penn gives a great performance as Mickey Cohen. The script softens Cohen as a character nearing the end of the film as he suddenly becomes this weak and helpless monster – completely 180 from what we see in the beginning. You just don’t expect a guy like Cohen to give up as easily as he did and he practically handed himself over to John O’Mara. Josh Brolin is also decent, but takes on a different approach to his character compared to Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling and to an extent, Emma Stone. The film no doubt gives the late 1940s a very stylish and theatrical feel, almost making the film a comedic action movie as slow-mo action sequences are paired with jazzy background music – not to mention the over the top CGI explosions. Brolin’s co-stars tried to play along with this as they paid extra attention to their speech and overall presentation. Brolin pretty much takes it as it is.

One thing that Gangster Squad should pride itself in is the chemistry that the characters share together. The direction that director Ruben Fleischer takes the film is mainly plot based, with room on the table for further character development. Without the brilliant talent that this ensemble cast has to offer, Gangster Squad would not have worked. With only 2 scenes, we are able to feel the connection that Jerry has with the young shoe shiner boy, Pete (Austin Abrams). When Pete, essentially a boy that Jerry only bumps into on the street every now and then, is innocently killed in the midst of a shooting rampage led by Cohen’s people – Jerry is enraged and is sold on the idea of taking Cohen down after initially declining John's invitation to the squad. The chemistry between the squad members was not only comedic relief among the violence but moving, especially during the final shoot-off again Cohen and his men.

The film ultimately shows that when you fight fire with fire, you just end up with a ton of causalities. By using violence against Cohen, John and his squad hurt an endless amount of people. Not only did he put his team in danger, but his wife as well. The thought of losing his wife finally got John to sit down and reflect if everything was worth it. At the end of the day, the distinctive line separating Cohen from John was blurred. What led to Mickey Cohen’s downfall in the end was the result of his carelessness and the bravery of Emma Stone’s Grace Faraday.

All in all, Gangster Squad is well worth watching if you are a fan of any of the main cast members. Why this film was so hyped was because of the talented all-star cast (and appealing trailer). It had the potential to be great but unfortunately stops at being just good. Nevertheless, it will still be very enjoyable if you take it for what it is and leave your expectations at home.

Rating: 7/10