Film Overview"Gangster Squad" is a 2013 action crime movie directed by Ruben Fleischer. The film takes its motivation from a series of Los Angeles Times posts about the real-life Gangster Squad, a group of crime-fighting Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) members in the 1940s and 1950s. The film includes an ensemble cast led by Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, and Emma Stone.
Plot and SettingEmbed in 1949, "Gangster Squad" tells the story of a callous Jewish mob king Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) who runs the post-World War II Los Angeles. He controls drugs and weapons, has authorities and politicians on his payroll, and is visibly undisputable. To bring back peace and justice in the city, LAPD Chief Bill Parker (Nick Nolte) produces the 'Gangster Squad,' a clandestine group charged with the overwhelming task of targeting Cohen and his operations.
Characters and PerformancesSergeant John O'Mara (Josh Brolin) is selected for his incorruptibility. He assembles a team of 5 polices: Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling), Conway Keeler (Giovanni Ribisi), Coleman Harris (Anthony Mackie), Max Kennard (Robert Patrick) and Navidad Ramirez (Michael Peña). Wooters has a complicated relationship with Grace Faraday (Emma Stone), Cohen's rules coach and secret lover, which brings an additional layer of tension to the squad's job.
Sean Penn shines as the vicious and unpredictable Mickey Cohen, conveying a concrete sense of hazard and power. Brolin offers a strong efficiency as the morally upright O'Mara, and Gosling's efficiency as the suave Wooters provides much of the movie's charm.
Plot DevelopmentThe squad starts with taking down Cohen's companies one by one, causing him significant financial losses and compromising his power. As the group's actions intensify, the stakes grow higher, culminating undoubtedly in fatal violence. On the other hand, Wooters and Faraday's relationship becomes more bold, threatening to unravel the team's concealed operations.
Conclusion and ReceptionThe climax brings an action-packed conflict as the team handles Cohen straight, in a quote to bring back the extremely soul of the City of Angels.
"Gangster Squad" was slammed by some for its stylizations and lack of historical accuracy however was applauded for its action series and efficiencies, particularly those of Penn, Brolin, Gosling, and Stone. Regardless of combined reviews, the film is a gritty and captivating representation of post-war Los Angeles, a period marked by glitz, glamour, and an undercurrent of unrelenting crime.
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