Review of Gangster Squad (2013) by Stevenf — 04 Oct 2013

No amount of flashy cinematography, classic callbacks to gangster films of the past or an all star cast can save Gangster Squad from being a mediocre mess of mixed tones, laughable dialogue and over the top drama that is based on a true story, with obvious elements entirely fictionalised for the big screen.

Sean Penn puts in what can only be described as an exaggerated performance as Mickey Cohen, a powerful gangster in the west coast who wants to control the whole lot, he talks confidently and is surrounded by an entourage of cronies and paid off cops who help him sleep easy at night.

Penn's physical appearance in the film is quite comical, with one shade of orange too many, but hot-headed cop John O'Mara (Josh Brolin) is always right behind Cohen, picking up his mess and causing problems as a one man wrecking crew, until he is assigned as the head of a special group tasked with taking down Cohen, guerrilla warfare style.

This is where the onslaught of violence ensues which seems unnecessary, each and every big member of the cast, whether its O'Mara, Wooters (Ryan Gosling) or the secretive and deceiving Grace Faraday (Emma Stone) are underdeveloped with next to no motive for going "off the books" in their attempt to bring down Cohen.

It isn't all a lost hope though, it's been ramped up and glamourised to combine classic elements of noir films to create a visually striking piece, but this always falls flat with the films content, the biggest downfall being cartoonish and amateur writing that tries to be smart but comes off as a TV movie with a Hollywood budget, the cast can are only as good as the material, Sean Penn showing signs of excellence as the ever unpredictable mob boss, but the film film keeps going on a tone that almost feels like a parody, an inconsistent tone doesn't help the situation, we see hotshots and pretty girls, then we are introduced to a barrage of gunfights and car chases, but then we have retaliation that is muddled and brought down by that damn dialogue, seriously, the film is way out of its depth.

A chemistry between Gosling and Stone is non-existent, while the film delves deeper into predicability with a final act that only solidifies this stance, it's fun and enjoyable, but writing on the wall.

Gangster Squad should be seen for its visual spectacle and talented cast which also includes Robert Patrick, Michael Peña, Anthony Mackie and Giovanni Ribisi, but certainly not for its attempts at a serious tone which is dragged to the mud with a questionable script and cartoon whims from its characters, who just appear to enjoy playing dress-up, looks can indeed be deceiving.