Review of Gangster Squad (2013) by Meritcoba — 19 May 2019

I can't help it, but I didn't like any of the characters. It starts with the unlikable Josh Brolin who is supposed to be the good guy, but he is just a thug with a badge. Then again, the last time I saw him was in Sicario playing another unlikable person. There is Ryan Goslin, playing another unlikable guy. Sean Penn is unlikable too, but then he plays a gangster boss, so it is understandable that you don't like him. Emma Stone is also in the movie, a great actress whose acting is totally wasted. She could have been replaced by any pretty girl and you wouldn't have noticed the difference. The supporting cast resembles the supporting cast from the untouchables, with the exception that each member of the latter, such as Andy Garcia or Sean Connery, had something distinct. Not so for this movie: they are mostly unlikable.

With a unlikable cast I stopped caring what happened and gave up two-thirds in. It seems to be a film noir too, but we are far far away from movies like The Maltese Falcon or The Third Man. Taken from this I assume that the Untouchables is also a film noir.