The Movie: Gangster Squad (2013)
Studio: Warner Bros.
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Starring: Sean Penn as Mickey Cohen, Josh Brolin as Sgt. John O’Mara, Ryan Gosling as Sgt. Jerry Wooters, Emma Stone as Grace Faraday, Mireille Enos as Connie O’Mara, Nick Nolte as Chief Parker, Robert Patrick as Officer Max Kennard, Giovanni Ribisi as Officer Conway Keeler and Michael Peña as Officer Navidad Ramirez
Screenwriters: Will Beall based on the seven-part, 2008 Los Angeles Times feature “Tales From the Gangster Squad” by Paul Lieberman
RottenTomatoes: 34% MetaCritic: 40/100
Snippet from My Review: (read my full review here)
Gangster Squad is a paint-by-numbers attempt at a gangster film. Gritty is assumed because it begins with a gnarly bit of violence, has plenty of bullets flying around and a lot of bloodshed and shouting. But in the end it has the appearance of a poser, unsure of itself and decreasing in entertainment value as it boom, boom, blams to its conclusion.
Starter Questions
Here are a few questions to help get the conversation started.
1.) If you like this movie as an example of a great gangster movie, what is your familiarity with the gangster films of the ’40s and ’50s such as White Heat, Public Enemies and Little Caesar?
2.) What did you think of the performances? I’m curious mostly about Sean Penn and Ryan Gosling as the rest were pretty generic in my opinion.
3.) Did you find yourself wishing it had been made more of a cartoonish Dick Tracy movie or do you wish it had stayed more serious?
Now share your thoughts on the film in the comments below and feel free to include spoilers.
