Review of Gangster Squad (2013) by Austin H — 06 Jul 2013

Gangster Squad // Warner Bros. // Action Crime.

Gangster Squad is an action crime drama from director Reuben Fleischer best known for directing the 2009 hit Zombieland as well as the not-quite-as-well-received black comedy 30 Minutes or Less in 2011. Here he steps outside his wheelhouse a bit, directing a slick and stylish noir crime film based on an "true" story (liberties are often taken in Hollywood. I mean, the Haunting in Connecticut is "based on a true story") of Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) a New York gangster who took over LA, and the outside the rules cops who took him down.

Josh Brolin plays hardboiled straight edge WWII veteran John O'Mara who wouldn't pick a nickel off the street (yes, they use lines like this in the movie itself.) His pregnant wife (Mireille Enos) wants him to leave the corrupt LAPD, but honest John can't bring himself to do it, especially once his police chief (Nick Nolte) gives him the opportunity to handpick a squad of cops to help him take back the city. The squad consists of guys right out of the "cliche cop squad handbook" (that doesn't exist, but if it did it would be full of the characters in this movie) including the awesome ass kicking black cop nobody will give a chance (Anthony Mackie,) the crazy old veteran (Robert Patrick,) the opportunistic rookie (Michael Pena) and the nerve-wracked and reluctant wire tap specialist (Giovanni Ribisi.) Rounding out the team is Ryan Gosling as Jerry Wooters, the smarmy and cynical rogue who at first has no interest but when pushed shows he has a heart of gold. Oh, and to mix things up a bit ol' Jerry has a thing for the evil Cohen's girlfriend (Emma Stone.).

The first thing that should be established about Gangster Squad is that it isn't what you might think it is when you hear the cast and premise, and once you accept that it's far easier to enjoy. A period piece gangster flick based on a true story? Starring Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, and Josh Brolin? When you hear that your first thought is that this could be the next Godfather or Goodfellas, but that's not what it is, nor what it's going for. It's an over-the-top stylized pulpy action flick with intentionally corny dialogue and ramped up violence that doesn't quite journey into parody territory but certainly doesn't take itself completely seriously either.

It's not an overly impressive or ambitious film and half the time the cast seem like they're only there because they thought it would be fun to hang out together spouting cheesy lines while earning a paycheck but the actors are still quality and the storyline solid enough to keep the audience engaged. It's style over substance, but it's an entertaining way to spend two hours if you can meet it on its own terms.

*** (out of 5).