Gangster Squad Review

So many films seen in such a short period of time - here's the first of the reviews for them!

Los Angeles, late 1940s. Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) reigns as the gangster king, a rule of terror and corruption that the police force have put up with for too long. Sgt John O'Mara (Josh Brolin) is assigned a mission that Chief Parker (Nick Nolte) hopes will end Cohen once and for all: they will create the Gangster Squad...

What director Ruben Fleischer did for horror in Zombieland and the heist movie in 30 Seconds Or Less he tries to do with gangster films in Gangster Squad. When the title "Inspired By True Events" flashes up on the screen at the start one couldn't help but remember another classic gangster film based on true events, The Untouchables. That had Robert DeNero playing Al Capone, another real life gangster, just as this film does; sadly, it made me really want to watch The Untouchables, and towards the end, LA Confidential.

That is not to say the film is bad at all, but it is very much a case of style over substance. It's the kind of gangster film you'd show to someone watching their very first one. It has all the bare essentials: crooked cops, honest joes, stereotypical bad guys and a sexy dame to boot (Emma Stone, doing her best to play a Gilda type smoker but just not given enough screen time to create a decent chemistry). These bare essentials are just not given enough time to breathe and develop. You want to learn more about the characters because they are interesting - particularly Robert Patrick's ageing gunslinger-type cop and his relationship with Michael Pena's fan.

Brolin growls nicely but is overshadowed by the underplaying of Mireille Enos as his long suffering wife. Ryan Gosling also underacts superbly, giving a cool drifter vibe to the film that never takes over the picture. For full scene chewing, Sean Penn nails it as Cohen - his is a berserk character, dangerous and quiet, perhaps every so slightly insane. It's a wonderful interpretation, though again perhaps a little two dimensional.

The film looks fabulous, and this is where the true triumphs of the film lie. The scenery, the costumes (from Stone's gorgeous dresses to the men's suits), they all add together to create that period of the turning point in the 1940s. However, it's clear that quite a lot was done via computer, again one trick that you cannot accuse LA Confidential of.

The theme of war filters through the story; these gentlemen are all fighters, survivors of the Second World War, adrift in a city that has changed from ideal paradise to frightening hell. This is a world  where Land is still on the Hollywood sign - things have to change. Cohen cannot be killed simply because his empire would still exist. These guys aren't fighting Nazis anymore; these are their own flesh and blood, and previously safe families and friends are now threatened. It's a nice touch but again you want it to go deeper into this war like theme.

Not a great film, but a decent starting point nonetheless.

7/10