Gangster Squad Reviews

Gangster Squad is a generic, by the numbers ganster film with nothing to raise it above the level of average. Nothing is terrible in this film, but nothing is great either. The cast is pretty all-star, but none of them give standout performances because the film doesn't really call for it. Sean Penn can be dynamic, but here he overacts as the gangster leader Mickey Cohen under tons of makeup effects. Josh Brolin plays the main character John O'Mara who refuses to let Los Angeles get taken over. He gets asked to put together a team of other cops to take down Mickey "outside of the law". Do whatever it takes. He recruits a ragtag team comprised of Ryan Gosling, Anthony Mackie, Giovanni Ribisi, Michael Pena, and Robert Patrick. What escalates is the same thing as every other gangster film: lots of shooting and people dying in the bloodbaths. None of the characters leave a lasting impression other than Ryan Gosling, who is solid. Emma Stone plays his love interest in a completely forgettable turn. It's not her fault, but she's in the film very little and only serves as eye candy. They don't give her anything to do. The style and look of the film gets it right, but some of it does look a little fake because of too much special effects. Gangster Squad wants to be the next Untouchables, but ends up being a completely disposable copy, although it can be fun to watch at times.

Although I've yet to see director Ruben Fleischer's previous comedy film "30 Minutes Or Less", I did manage to catch his debut "Zombieland" which injected a lot of humour and style in the zombie sub-genre. For his third film, he assembles one of the year's most impressive casts and decides to drop the comedy and focus on a real-life crime story. His stylish approach is, once again, on show but unfortunately, his film suffers from a dreadfully threadbare script that fails to utilise his very talented ensemble or elaborate on a story with massive potential.
Los Angeles, 1949. Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) is determined to take hold of the city and muscle out any competition. Police Chief William Parker (Nick Nolte) has other ideas, though. He forms a squad of no-nonsense cops to fight back and puts World War II veteran John O'Mara (Josh Brolin) in charge of the operation. O'Mara assembles his crew and tackles Cohen's organisation with the same brute force that he acquired it.
From the off-set, Fleischer doesn't waste time in getting down to business. The brutality of Mickey Cohen is captured within the first few minutes by a scenery-chewing Sean Penn, on menacing form. Following suit, we are then introduced to Brolin's strong arm of the law, charged with bringing this notorious gangster to justice. Straight away, Dion Beebe's gorgeous cinematography and production designer Mather Ahmad manage to capture the glitz and grime of late 1940's L.A. and it looks like we could be treated to something akin to Curtis Hanson's sublime "L.A. Confidential". Unfortunately, the look and feel is where the comparison ends. This isn't anywhere near as tightly constructed as James Ellroy's labyrinthine thriller and that's the most frustrating part; it could have been. The elements are in place but the all-important script seems to have it's concrete shoes on. The writing is repetitious and lazily strung together and for a film that's seemingly focused on it's characters, it ultimately fails to deliver anything that resembles a three-dimensional role for any of the impressive cast on show. Brolin, Gosling and Penn get most of the screen time but this is a role that's completely beneath the abilities of Gosling as he takes a back seat to the other two and the talented likes of Ribisi, Mackie and especially Peña needn't have turned up at all. It all but completely abandons the good work it sets out to do and resorts to stylistic action scenes that are drawn out and devour the latter half of the movie - eventually leading to nothing more than a shoot-em-up and an obligatory toe-to-toe thrown in for good bad measure. Quite simply, the whole thing comes across as a poor case of cut-and-paste and squanders what little powerful scenes and performances it does possess.
It's a real shame that this ended up so superficial when it had so much potential. Instead of being a passable piece of pulp with too much reliance on it's star wattage, it could have been a solid addition to the gangster genre. I'm sure Fleischer believed in the material at one point but my Tommy-Gun's not convinced.

Mark Walker

Somebody goofed up. I can't imagine many films with a cast this good turning out this banal, but somewhere along the lines (and probably well before it was delayed and mutilated in the wake of the Aurora shooting), something went wrong. I'm tempted to say the bungling of "Gangster Squad" comes from the writers - Ruben Fleischer directs the film with a superb level of style, mixing film noir with straight action with a degree of success. He may be responsible for the atrocity that was "30 Minutes or Less", but given his fresh debut with "Zombieland", I think his career has bounced quickly off the rails as a result of taking on badly-written projects. This movie suffers from no character development and severely stilted dialogue, leaving audiences to feel bad for the poor, talented actors who had so little to work with. Add moments of action and violence that feel as weightless and inconsequential as a video game, and even the incredible Gosling/Brolin//Stone/Nolte/Ribisi/Pena grouping can't wiggle out of mind-numbing territory. If these characters are the ones fighting for L.A., then Sean Penn can have it.

Shameless and over stylized noir pastiche with a laughable comic book-over the top violence. Cliched and kind of idiotic but passable entertaiment due to its great cast

I never would have thought I would enjoy a "gangster" movie this much!

"Gangster Squad" has the ingredients to be great, but ends up being a forgettable experience. Sean Penn serves as a bright spot in this disappointing film, and absolutely kills his role as Mickey Cohen. If you see this movie for any reason, it should be to see Penn's performance. Grade: C-

2013, just started out with a Bang. An explosive knockout. It's The Untouchables for the twenty first century. A highly stylized, ultra-cool and wickedly entertaining action-packed crime-drama. It's big, thrilling, funny and tremendously enjoyable from start to finish. A spectacular and hard-edged adrenaline-rush. A vintage, cops vs. criminals movie that delves right in the territory of a barrels blazing instant classic, with a energetic director and a gifted cast, Gangster Squad is definitely on the money and in the action. Director, Ruben Fleischer possibly crafts his masterpiece. A bold, explosive, a well character developed and exhilarating thrill-ride that's packed with non-stop action and awesome performances. The all-star cast all have great chemistry together. Josh Brolin is outstanding. Ryan Gosling is sensational. Sean Penn is magnificent, he is clearly having a great time playing this villain and him and Brolin square off against each other nicely. Emma Stone is terrific. Nick Nolte is wonderful. Brolin, Gosling, Robert Patrick, Anthony Mackie, Michael Pena and Giovanni Ribisi are all great together and are the team to route for. An excellent movie. I loved it. They don't get any better than this. This is the type of film that the just dont make anymore and is a huge welcome back in a stylish and fun way.

Fedoras on, lock n load those tommy guns. So you have the new 'Die Hard' film or this, what's it gonna be? the choice is obvious, take a hike 'McClane' you have been retired. Never mind all this PG-13 crapola, this film is where its at and it kicks ass I shit you not. Even cooler is the fact the whole thing is based loosely on real events! yeah there's the door 'McClane', use it.

The plot is as basic as A B C, Mobster chief 'Mickey Cohen' (Sean Penn) rules LA with a sadistic grip. He whacks people like no ones business and usually does it in the most gruesome way just to make sure. In order to combat this an ex special Ops Sgt is asked to pick his own team of skilled guys and take down 'Cohen' any way possible, smash his underworld no questions asked.

The film opens with a brutal execution by 'Cohen' and his men, this is then followed by a brutal bust by 'O Mara' against 'Cohen's' men. Straight away your attention is grabbed by the scruff of the neck and you can see this film will be chock full of 40's period set ball busting...'Die Hard' what now??.

From this simple premise comes a highly predictable yet highly violent action thriller which mixes the gun toting mayhem of 'Last Man Standing' with the small team work of 'The Untouchables'. You could almost call this a sequel or remake of that classic Kevin Coster period thriller. The similarities are close from 'O Mara's' wife wanting him stop the fight, the obligatory recruitment sequences, the rants of revenge from 'Cohen' and the take down montages. The whole thing plays out like an extreme adult version of 'Dick Tracy'.

The films doesn't pretend to be anything but a near virtual graphic novel adaptation. Its not but you could be mistaken for thinking so, its fast with the action and light on the plot. The visuals are moody and slick, action and violence is highly stylised, the villains are obvious and pug ugly, Brolin looks every bit the action hero with his thick sturdy looking neck and prominent square jaw, Nolte is the gruff well built Chief and Penn is so over the top evil you'd think he was up against 'The Punisher'. I haven't seen someone chew up the scenery like Penn here for ages, he snarls, grimaces, scowls and bellows his way into the evil villain hall of fame.

In short the film is realistic in terms of style, sets, costumes, weapons etc...but very much over the top leaning towards comicbook. The team of 'Untouchables' are your standard fare too I dare say, the token black guy who is good with knives, the cowboy looking sharp six shooter played by Patrick, the token Mexican (for the West coast) played by Pena, Gosling as the ladies man and Ribisi as the brains behind the team. A League of Extraordinary errr...Elliot Ness type blokes who would be fighting Capone if they were in Chicago...type blokes.

Despite the fact this is based on reality the film simply does not try to be anything else other than a violent period set action thriller, you can smell it from the opening sequence, hell the title says it all. Brolin is so damn butch he made me feel ashamed of myself, the only things missing here that could of made it even better are Joe Pesci, Billy Drago and a Morricone score...damn son!.

'light em up'

I definitely wasn't expecting the pulp-tastic, comic inspired styling that is GANGSTER SQUAD's end result, but as shallow as the film is, I was never less than entertained (and even impressed in the case of it's slick period detail). As much as I may have wanted a film with a little thematic weight or even semi-developed characters... I thoroughly enjoyed the superficial thrills "Gangster Squad" had to offer. If you are looking for great performances, noteworthy filmmaking, or a film to linger in the conscience; look else where. If you want two-hours of over stylized fun,and have exhausted the likes of "Dick Tracy," "L.A.Confidential," "The Untouchables," and dozens of other (superior) films, have at it!

It's hard to mention the action thriller Gangster Squad without a passing reference to the Aurora, Colorado movie theater shooting in the summer of 2012, the reason for the film's five-month delay and reshot action sequence. Gone is a shootout at the movies and now we have a confrontation in the streets of Chinatown. I wish they hadn't stopped there. If given the opportunity, and remember they did have an additional five months, I would have scrapped Gangster Squad almost completely and started fresh.

In 1949, former boxer Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) has seized control of Los Angeles organized crime. His influence extends even into a police, which forces Chief Parker (Nick Nolte) to go to desperate measures. He asks Sgt. John O'Mara (Josh Brolin) to assemble a team of enforcers to fight back. They won't have badges but they will be pushed to use whatever means necessary to carry out their mission, which means blurring the line between what is considered lawful. O'Mara assembles a super group of former officers and one of them, Sgt. Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling) gets into even deeper danger when he starts seeing Mickey Cohen's main squeeze, Grace Faraday (Emma Stone).

This movie is like if The Untouchables and L.A. Confidential had an illegitimate child and then abandoned it in a sewer where degenerate hobos raised it. Gangster Squad rips off other gangster movies with liberal abandon that I can't even begin to list the lifts. I'd be less offended if I felt that the movie had more on its mind than just replicating the tone and look of noir cinema. Actually, it feels more like what they want to replicate is the tone or style of the video game L.A. Noir.

The main problem is that Gangster Squad really only has the skeletal outline of a plot. It's missing any essential character and plot development. Here, I'll summarize the barebones plot for you: Mickey Cohen is a bad guy. O'Mara forms a team. They have a montage taking out bad guys. Mickey takes out one of them. They have a showdown. That, ladies and gents, is it. There really aren't any scenes that diverge from those scant descriptions. It felt like only five minutes passed from one of O'Mara's guys getting killed (and just like The Untouchables, it's the nerdy one) to them descending on Cohen's headquarters and duking it out. Why does the film introduce the conflict of Wooters seeing Cohen's girl if he never finds out? There isn't even one scene presented to take advantage of this conflict. It just ends up being another half-baked plotline. It feels like the only development we get with Gangster Squad is through montages. What is also apparent is that O'Mara and his team really don't have anything resembling the faintest notion of a plan. We watch them take out some bad guys via fights and shootouts but there's no higher plotting to it. You get a sense that these former cops are just playing it by ear, looking for a fight every night. It's hard to imagine that these people, even with their law enforcement and war experience, could be effective in the long term. Without any formative organization or greater planning, these guys just seem like dull bruisers bouncing from fight to fight with no sense of direction.

Then there's the paucity of character work, relying solely on genre archetypes to do its work for the movie. O'Mara is the determined family man but his team can best be described by one-word classifications: The Black Guy (Anthony Mackie), The Nerdy Guy (Giovanni Ribisi), The Mexican Guy (Michael Pena), The Young Guy (Gosling), The Old Guy (Robert Patrick). That's about it, though I suppose they do have different weapon preferences meant to supply all that missing characterization. Oh look, Officer Harris (Mackie) brings a knife to gunfights. That's pretty much the beginning and end of his character. Wooters is so lackadaisical he feels like he's on drugs, and Gosling's soft-spoken, mealy-mouthed line delivery only adds to the effect. It feels like Gosling, in a stretch to find something interesting out of the mundane, said to himself, "I wonder if I could give a whole performance where I only speak under a certain vocal register." Then there's the woefully miscast Stone (The Amazing Spider-Man) as the femme fatale/mol to Mickey. I love Stone as an actress, but man-eater she is not and sultry seductress doesn't fit her well either. Perhaps with the aid of a sharper script and a greater depth of character she could rise to the challenge. At no point does Gangster Squad really even attempt to make these people multi-dimensional. They never reflect on the moral turpitude of their own vigilante justice or the ramifications of their actions. There's no room for ambiguity here.

Finally, we must speak of Mr. Sean Penn (Milk). The man's actorly gumbo goes into campy overdrive. In these rare circumstances, you aren't watching Sean Penn Esteemed Actor so much as Sean Penn Human Vortex of Overacting. Normally I would criticize Penn for going over the top but over the course of 110 minutes, he single-handedly becomes the only entertaining thing in the movie. He's chewing scenery up a storm, yes, but at least he's channeling the pulpy silliness of the whole movie. I came to enjoy his antics and outbursts and thus became more empathetic of Mickey Cohen and his efforts than I did with O'Mara. Such is the danger screenwriters run when they spend more time crafting and interesting villain than a hero.

Gangster Squad is what happens when a movie is sold on title and genre elements. To be fair, it's a bang-up title. The plot is half-baked at best, really only serving as a thin outline of a gangster movie, but instead of adding complexity and intrigue and characterization, they just ran with it. The actors are either camping it up or out of their element, the action and shootouts are pretty mundane, and the story is just uninvolving, even for fans of film noir like myself. It's a good-looking film from a technical standpoint, but that's as far as I'll go in my recommendation (it could be an odd pairing with Milk considering the two shared actors). It feels like it just wants the setting elements of film noir, the atmosphere, and then figures just having good guys and bad guys shoot it out will suffice. That glossy, high-sheen period look just seems like a cool façade, and a cool façade seems like the only ambition of Gangster Squad. I can't really recall any signature action sequence, snappy quote, plot development, or peculiarity worthy of remembering. It may be one of the most forgettable gangster movies Hollywood has produced.

Nate's Grade: C

I found this to be a fun escape movie. Put a bucket of popcorn in your lap and check out. The acting is plain and the script is pretty cheesy but the film is sold to us as such so I wasn't put off by it. We get guys in fedoras with tommy guns shooting up the joint and that's all I wanted.

Was very ready to defend this film. And then I saw it.

A movie can lack a lot of things a movie needs to be good, but it can still be fun. That may sound strange, but for me it describes how I felt about Gangster Squad. Now, I have read a lot of negative reviews for Gangster Squad and I feel like they didn't see the movie. I know they did see the movie, but from what I read, none of them described what I thought I saw. What I saw was a well shot, pulpy, fun gangster movie. I don't think the movie suffered from "excessive violence". In fact, it was pretty tame for a big Hollywood action movie. I enjoyed the performances from Brolin and Gosling (they've certainly done better before though). I thought Sean Penn's role as Mickey Cohen was overacting but in a good way. He just exaggerates so much of his dialogue and acts like a jerk so much to the point that its believable. Before I said this movie was lacking. By lacking I meant, there isn't too much character depth in this film. There are a lot of superb actors in this movie, but they're mostly used incorrectly and thats just disappointing. Gangster Squad is as straight forward as they come. It certainly is style over substance, but I have to say the style was great. Which is good for the plot, but bad for the characters. We know who is good, we know who is bad. Overall- Gangster Squad is just a fun time, despite the many negative responses and being majorly overhyped (in my head, at least). Grade: B-

Ruben Fleischer's Gangster Squad highly stylized film adaptation of Paul Lieberman's book of the same name is a highly entertaining and exciting picture that delivers pure popcorn exhilaration. I really don't understand why the film has received the flack it has received. It's no Godfather for sure, but it's definitely not the worst genre film either. If you're looking for a fun, entertaining picture, then this is the one to see. The cast do a fine job in their performances and the story is engrossing and moves at a fast rate. I've read the book, and it differs greatly from this film adaptation. The filmmakers took some key real life elements and stylized them to create a pure popcorn flick that pays off if you love a good mindless action flick. I really don't understand why the film was panned the way it was as this is easily one of the better films to come out the first month of 2013. I love Gangster films and crime films in general, and though it won't become a classic, it definitely is a memorable addition to the genre. Fleischer first serious picture is well executed and he is able to make something other than comedies such as Zombieland and 30 Minutes or Less, which I also enjoyed, but I preferred this one. Fleischer shows that he can diversify with a different genre of film and he pulls off something exciting from the first frame onwards. The film does have a few weak points, but for what it is, it's a well acted action picture that along with The Last Stand is among the most satisfying films so far this year. If you love the crime genre, definitely check out Gangster Squad as it is a far better film than what critics have claimed it to be. Sean Penn delivers in his performances as mob boss Mickey Cohen and the rest of the cast are great here as well. So, if you love stylized action, a good story and effective acting, then this is your film. Just don't go into this one expecting a Martin Scorsese gangster film because you're surely going to be disappointed.

Despite a couple of well-staged set pieces, ''Gangster Squad'' fails due to the non-existent character development, clichéd plot elements and uninspired direction.

No names. No badges. No mercy.

Great Film! The cast seems like they're having fun, especially Sean Penn who has a field day with his role as the villain Mickey Cohen. The lines he's given are pure gold. Josh Brolin does a great job as the lead and Ryan Gosling is charming and charismatic as usual. This movie has everything you could ask for, in an action-packed emotional thrill ride, provided that you are able to just let go, and let yourself to be engrossed. For those who prefer films that may have a little less predictability, or people that find themselves unable to maintain the "suspension of disbelief", this movie would be understandably less enjoyable. Though the reviews seem to be a horse-a-piece, I recommend seeing it and judging for yourself, because it truly is an interesting thrill ride that will have you rooting for the good guys, tearing up from time to time, and cringing at the evil that Sean Penn is able to embody in an absolutely brilliant and stylish movie about good guys doing wrong to take down bad guys doing worse.

Los Angeles, 1949: A secret crew of police officers led by two determined sergeants work together in an effort to take down the ruthless mob king Mickey Cohen who runs the city.

A movie that tries to be a compelling film noir, but is held down by its direction, "Gangster Squad" is no "Chinatown", no "L.A. Confidential" and no "The Untouchables", and as much as director Ruben Fleischer wants to be, he is no Martin Scorsese. Telling the story of 1949 Los Angeles, where a secret group of cops, played by the likes of Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin, Michael Pena, Anthony Mackie, Robert Patrick and Giovanni Rabisi, attempt to take take down mobster Mickey Cohen, this star studded film sets itself up to be a surefire hit. And then the movie starts. OK, since I'm sure every other critic has already made the easy "Crazy, Stupid, Love" jokes due to Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone taking the love interest roles once again, I'll stay away from those. What I will say when pertaining to the acting here, is that mostly all the performances are just OK. Though saying that Ryan Gosling gives a performance which is deemed "just OK", usually speak to the quality of one's movie going experience.

Going in I truthfully wasn't expecting much from "Gangster Squad, in the same way I don't expect much from any movie with a pushed back release date (no matter what the reason). But what I saw here was a movie that really wasn't so bad. In saying that, this film, with Scorsese-esque potential, is severely watered down by Fleisher's CGI motivated visuals (none of which fits the story at all) turning "Gangster Squad" into a movie that really wasn't so good either. Some of the biggest issues working against this film stem from the cartoonish feel throughout, with violence that is laughably depicted, great actors overacting and direction which contains more slow motion scenes than "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter". And while within the exploitation genre these aspects may serve to enhance, in terms of "Gangster Squad" it is quickly discovered that Fleischer's intended atmosphere is one of a fairly serious gangster movie.

This is not only an overly stylized endeavor, but basically a poorly directed one as well, with an underwhelming sense of 1940/50's atmosphere. During scenes of action, the set designs looked utterly phony, and during scenes of non-action (due to some odd directorial choices) every actor on screen looks as if they are playing dress up. Seriously, "Mad Men" has better production value!

Yet, there is some good stuff here. In fact, there is about 20 minutes near the end of the second act, where "Gangster Squad" is a compelling, lean-forward in your chair type of film. Furthermore, Sean Penn as Mickey Cohen is the standout performance, mimicking more notable cinema gangsters of the 40's. He is not great in the role, but he is memorable and seems to be the only one who understands the controlled over-the-topness this script calls for.

Final Thought: While "Gangster Squad" is fairly watchable, it may not be something you want to spend $11 dollars to see. The problems with it are still blaringly apparent; and clearly speak to the reasons as to why a film like this couldn't propel itself onto an award worthy, or at least notable, level.

Written by Markus Robinson, Edited by Nicole I. Ashland

Follow me on Twitter @moviesmarkus

This movie could have been something special, but the direction and writing is off. Though it has some fine moments, the film ultimately falls back on explosions and gun fire to settle things. The cast looks terrific, but they come off as a bit cheesy. This is a film with lots of potential that just doesn't come together.