Gangster Squad Review

Like the desert at the end of a four-course meal, Gangster Squad is nothing but empty calories for the eyes. The film is fun and is a blast to sit through with a fist full of popcorn and a mouth filled with soda but the film shouldn't be taken seriously as a great drama but rather a great Summer action film. The film doesn't try to make it seem like it's something more than a mindless good time at the movies and that's what it so much more enjoyable. Forget that the film is inspired by true events and you, too, will have a fun time at the movies.

Sean Penn plays Mickey Cohen, a hardened Chicago gangster who moves to the West to become something bigger. A boxer in his hayday, Cohen now buys off cops, judges and lawyers to get away with anything he wants to. The Police Commissioner has had enough and has ordered Jack O'Mara (Josh Brolin) to bring together a squad to take out Cohen's men and drive him out of California. No one is quite as over the top and showy as Sean Penn who feels as though he's the only one putting in an effort to make his character outrageous. Everyone else does an okay job at portraying their respective character; remember, there are some great character actors taking the reigns here. Emma Stone, though, no matter how much I love that chick, is quite annoying. You never spend too much time with her and whatever scene she's in comes off forced. Mireille Enos, who plays Josh Brolin's wife, I thought was great. At first I thought she was going to be another one of those female characters that whines and complains that her husband is doing a dangerous job. However, she becomes this sort of secret member of the Squad, telling her husband who to choose. That sequence plays off like a great montage.

For one, the look and style of 1949 Los Angeles looks like every video game and movie that has come before it, so there isn't anything to offer outside the by-the-books storyline. Ruben Fleischer never really makes LA a major character but instead an extra in the background, quiet, not really standing out. It's only in certain scenes that some parts of the city stand out, like Chinatown, but no real significance. I did notice that many buildings in certain shots were blatantly made of computer code and that bothered more often than it should. Speaking of CGI, many of the blood squibs and impact squibs that you may have seen in Django and countless other films are replaced with the digital kind. I am really irritated with filmmakers opting to choose the CG blood over practical blood. That took me out of the film many times.

Also, the film was shot digitally instead of the traditional 35 MM film. It gives the film a smooth, glossy look to it which works fine for this film. Many people complained that it looks too 'clean' but I find that it works well with the look of the city. The look of the city is clean but the contents of what you find in it are dirty, like the film.

The climatic fight scene at the end was pretty worth while and wasn't too cheap nor did it cop out. The problem I had with it was the lighting. The lighting in certain shots of the scene made it look too stagy. That isn't something to take you out of the movie but it may be worth noting.

Critics have been comparing this Dick Tracy and that is an unfair assessment. The trailers made it seem like a real, grounded gangster picture but it's not that at all. If you can get past that this was inspired by a true story you will have a good time. It's a by-the-books action film that doesn't require you to think. Just grab a hand full of popcorn and you'll be on your way to a fun time at the movies.