Review of Gangster Squad (2013) by David S — 21 Mar 2015
Stylish, entertaining, violent, cartoonish. That is how to describe Gangster Squad, boasting great cinematography but writing that tries to be too snappy at every turn. Above all, Sean Penn shines (as usual) as Mickey Cohen, Jewish boxer turned LA kingpin.
Penn does the best job of infusing Cohen with a sense that he was always the one getting pushed around and beat up. Over the top, sometimes, passionate, indeed. The film does drag sometimes, but it makes up for it with gruesome yet entertaining amounts of violence, One particular issue is Ryan Gosling's performance.
His take on an LA accent results in him seeming to be trying too hard to keep it in check while also keeping it slick, which results in him having multiple occasions where he fails to emote and seeming out of character and boring.
Overall, Gangster Squad could have been much better if they had toned down the stylistic, Hollywood quality (the movie I mean, not the location or plot) and focused on more of the tougher themes. If you want a movie that will entertain you for a while, this is it.
This review of Gangster Squad (2013) was written by David S on 21 Mar 2015.
Gangster Squad has generally received mixed reviews.
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