Lots
of gunfire that never hits the bullseye.
***
out of 5
113
minutes
Rated
R for strong violence and language
Warner
Bros. Pictures
It’s probably next to impossible to write a review about
Gangster Squad
without mentioning the tragedy that happened in Aurora, Colorado, last summer
during a
Dark Knight Rises screening. Originally featuring a scene
with a big shootout taking place inside a crowded movie theater, Warner Bros.
wisely decided to push the release of
Gangster Squad back so that
director Ruben Fleischer could shoot a new alternate scene to replace it. Set
to release back in September of 2012, and having now seen the film, it’s
obvious that the replacement scene wasn’t the only reason for Warner Bros.
moving the film to the “dump month” of January. The film has way more issues than
what was replaced, but more on that to come.
Gangster Squad is inspired by the true story of a band of cops
brought together to bring down mob boss Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn). Set in 1949,
Cohen is striking a reign of terror into the heart of Los Angeles, mistaking
everything he does as “progress,” not murder. Sgt. John O’Mara (Josh Brolin)
has had enough and follows a girl fresh off the train to one of Mickey’s
buildings. After single-handedly rescuing the girl and arresting three of
Mickey’s men, John is asked by Chief Parker (Nick Nolte) to wage some guerilla
warfare on Mickey to give the City of Angels back to the people.
With the help of fellow Sgt. Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling) and Officers
Coleman Harris (Anthony Mackie), Conway "Redshirt" Keeler (Giovanni
Ribisi), Max Kennard (Robert Patrick), Navidad Ramirez (Michael Peña), and
Conway Keeler, they band together to bring Mickey down if it’s the last thing
they do. Even if against the will of John’s pregnant wife, Connie (Mireille
Enos), who handpicked John’s
Gangster Squad herself, and puts the life
of Grace (Emma Stone) (Jerry’s girl who also happens to “belong” to Mickey) on
the line.
Gangster Squad does start out rather nicely; we get Sean Penn
chewing every piece of scenery he can while ripping mob bosses from Chicago in
half, while John is lopping off gangster hands using elevator lifts. But it’s
all downhill as the runtime goes on. Gosling and Stone seem to be in their own
little film, which would be fine if that were the one we were watching.
Instead, we get treated to more and more screentime with Penn apparently
thinking he’s starring in an R-rated
Dick Tracy 2. And just when things
start to get too boring, the finale shows up to blow you away — with the
loudest shootout imaginable. If Penn wasn’t able to keep your eyes open with
his insistent yelling, the theater’s sound system has all kinds of ear-piercing
chaos just waiting to shoot its load.
Screenwriter Will Beall adapts Paul Lieberman’s novel as best he can, but
we’re a long way from
The Departed or
Goodfellas. Beall is
also attached to write Warner Bros’
Justice League, with the
Logan’s
Run remake and
Lethal Weapon 5 also on his plate. He does have a
knack for witty characters, so maybe a group of superheroes and a couple of
aging/bickering cops might be right up his alley. As for director Fleischer,
his only upcoming film is the announced
Zombieland 2, which should
hopefully bring him back to the limelight we were hoping he deserved. But after
30 Minutes or Less and
Gangster Squad, going back to basics
could be just what he needs.
Photos courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures
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