Gangster Squad is a newly released action-crime drama by Ruben Fleischer, director of Zombieland.With a title like Gangster Squad it ends up being a film full of what you would expect: thugs, gruesome deaths, heroes in fedoras, sporadic gunfire and dames who mostly just sit on the sideline of mens brutality. Believe it or not its based on a true story. Sean Penns character, Mickey Cohen, is a boxer-turned-barbaric-mobster whose gangster career as a part of the Jewish Mafia allowed him to cross paths with figures like Bugsy Siegel, Frank Sinatra and Richard Nixon. Mickey Cohen died in 1976 and in 2008 journalist Paul Lieberman wrote a seven-part LA Times series detailing how Cohen was removed from power by a covert group of LA cops following World War II.The work done by Lieberman is the basis for the films screenplay, but despite its roots in reality the film feels larger than life and is more reminiscent of a western than a classic mob or detective film.Ruben Fleischer is a relatively new and upcoming director. His last two films starred Jesse Eisenberg but this round the filmmaker has gone in a more serious direction, upgrading to an experienced cast featuring Penn, Josh Brolin and Ryan Gosling.Emma Stone, who played a crafty survivor in Zombieland, works with Fleischer again, acting as Penn and Goslings shared love interest. Your personal taste for the actors will most likely dictate whether you like the film or not so if you arent a fan of the cast, dont see it.The actors fail to give the performance of their careers, but overall they do a solid job. Ive thought of Gosling as a good actor since Blue Valentine and Drive. In this film he plays a smooth talking, chain-smoking, wise guy cop the actor appears to have had fun playing and is therefore enjoyable to watch.Josh Brolin, known for his great role in No Country for Old Men, gives a standard performance portraying a hard-headed, honorable, tough guy who leads the group of officers.The film has a grey filter over most of the shots, giving it a post WWII period look. The movie that delivers a good car chase, slow motion violence to Jazz music and an orgy of machine guns where hardly anyone reloads as a final scene.When its all said and done, however, the film doesnt give your mind anything to mull over, especially in comparison to more complex mafia films such as Goodfellas. Overall it is a fun film to watch, but not destined to become a classic. Gangster Squad is currently playing at the Roxy and Majestic theatres.
