Cars, suits, fedoras and action made “Gangster Squad” a good 1940’s mobsters movie, at least for a young guy. Although the plot was quite predictable, it was still a lot of fun to take in all the action and 40s culture.
“Gangster Squad” is about a group of LAPD cops who get tired of the corrupt systems and decide to take things into their own hands. They soon find themselves dodging bullets fired by mob king Mickey Cohen’s men as they try to take down his drug and prostitution empire.
Right off the bat the movie starts off with a pretty intense scene, it lets you know that this movie is serious business. From this point on, the scenes get progressively more intense and include more and more action.
This movie stars Ryan Gosling as a womanizing LAPD detective and Emma Stone as a seductive but heartfelt woman who failed to make it in the acting business.
Josh Brolin depicts the cliché war veteran and courageous hero who will do anything in the name of good.
Sean Penn, who plays Mickey Cohen, does a magnificent job portraying his character. He gets that genuine mobster accent down perfectly and makes it clear that he plays a very bad man. Penn is definitely the best actor in this movie.
This movie is ideal for the typical teenage guy, but it fails to really reach a variety of audiences. I would classify this movie as a “bro” movie, where it is perfect for young men, but other than that it is just okay for other audiences. Perhaps if “Gangster Squad” had a bit more thought to it, then it would have suited a wider audience.
The plot is pretty predictable; you realize the good guys are going to triumphantly win with a big shooting scene at the end. You know who is going to die and who will survive by the time you get a quarter into the movie.
The action is intense and the way it brings back the 40s is good, but it lacks the things to make it a great movie. If it was longer, had a more thought-provoking plot, and had more unpredictable things this movie would have been great.
“Gangster Squad” is a fun and entertaining movie, but it is nothing more than that.
