Gangster Squad

Los Angeles, 1949; mobster Mickey Cohen is developing control of the criminal underworld of, not only LA, but the entire western United States.  A small task force of police has been assembled; their mission: to critically disrupt the operations of Cohen’s organization, and hopefully, take Cohen out. Loosely based on actual events, Gangster Squad closely follows Sergeant John O’Mara (Josh Brolin) who, under the direction of Chief Bill Parker (Nick Nolte), forms an elite group of LA’s finest.  Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling), Conwell Keeler (Giovanni Ribisi), Navidad Ramirez (Michael Péna), Max Kennard (Robert Patrick) and more to take down Cohen (Sean Penn).  As you can tell by the excessive parenthetic use above, this is an ensemble cast.

“Every man wears a badge”

Fast paced, and intricately plotted out, the real craftwork I found in Gangster Squad was the classic use of color and sound to give a film noir look to Hollywood that springs up in cinema only every so often.  Accented particularly well by the use of sound, not just ambience within the city, but even spoken word of the cast.  Watching the trailer, I was originally put off by Ryan Gosling’s high pitched, cartooned voice; however, when played off of Josh Brolin’s gritty delivery, and Nick Nolte’s even darker broken glass monotone, it causes the film to progress almost like a classic made-for-radio piece.   It adds a subtle layer of interest to the art of a period that doesn’t get the attention that genre’s like vampires, pirates, and space exploration normally enjoy.

“I want war”

Sean Penn was particularly captivating as Mickey Cohen.  Penn, an actor whose real world antics act as a core repellant to me for any of his performances since Jeff Spicoli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (a role that haunts him to this day, and in my opinion: good).   His portrayal of ex-boxer Cohen is dangerous, and aggressive; truly a force that warrants six of the most elite to conquer. Alas, as so often is the case, what Gangster Squad holds in style, it lacks in credibility.  While Cohen was absolutely a kingpin in the west coast organized crime syndicate, his eventual takedown was based upon a US Senate investigation for Tax Evasion in 1950.  Upon his release, he built further empires based on everything from casinos to gas stations.  He had international attention, articles in Time magazine, and interviews from the prestige of Mike Wallace to the controversy of Billy Graham.  The film purports Cohen sentencing leading him to Alcatraz.  This is correct, however in actuality, this was a later incarceration, in 1961, again for Tax Evasion.  Through all his exploits and criminal activity, such a lack luster offense seemed to be the most law enforcement could get to stick with any regularity.

“Where have you been all my miserable life?”

“Shooting gangsters”

With such a star studded cast, and intriguing storyline, Gangster Squad is a simple win for the moviegoer.  What it lacks in documentary-like accuracy it makes up with fun, explosive action.  Directed by Ruben Fleischer, who gave us 2009’s Zombieland, and the sophomore flop 30 Minutes or Less in 2011.  Gangster Squad wont change your life, but it will be two hours of decent entertainment, with interesting dialogue and well constructed storytelling.  Originally schedule for release September 7^th of 2012; the shootings of Aurora Colorado caused postponement of the film, due to a scene wherein a large-scale shooting takes place at the famous Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.  Because of this reshoot, the premier of Gangster Squad was pushed to January 11^th, 2013; where it was met with mixed reviews from critics and fans alike.  Having all but completed its theatrical run, Gangster Squad is expected to release to DVD and Blu-Ray in May 2013.