Gangster Squad
Starring: Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn, Emma Stone
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Rating: 3/5
The gangster genre has always been an exciting one and it returns this week with Gangster Squad - an adaptation of the Paul Lieberman book.
Set in the late forties the movie follows police seargent and war veteran John O'Mara puts a team together to win back the streets from Brooklyn-born mob king Mickey Cohen.
It's enough to intimidate even the bravest, street-hardened cop...except, perhaps, for the small, secret crew of LAPD outsiders led by Sgt. John O'Mara (Brolin) and Jerry Wooters (Gosling), who come together to try to tear Cohen's world apart.
Ok The Untouchables or L.A. Confidential this is not as director Ruben Fleischer has gone for stylish and glossy rather than gritty and hard hitting.
There is plenty of violence and blood for sure but you just get the feeling that is is for the sake of it rather than having any major impact.
Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the film from start to finish there are just better movies in this genre out there.
There is a strong central performance from Josh Brolin as a man who cannot let the war go. He throws himself into a fight time and time again and puts honour and what he stands for above everything else.
Brolin has a great central relationship with Ryan Gosling, a young cop who is not really interested in making a difference.
Wooters is a man who wants to put the war behind him but is drawn back into action when he sees the devastation the Mickey Cohen brings to the streets of L.A.
The pair banter well together and it is this central almost father/son relationship that really pushes the film forward - not to mention Gosling looks incredibly sharp in a suit.
The role of Mickey Cohen was made for Sean Penn as he brings a real menace to the part.
This is one of the most monumental moments in L.A. gangster history and this really could have been a gritty film that could have rivalled some of the best films in this genre.
Fleischer has made a great stab at this but you do have to wonder what kind of movie would have been delivered in more experienced hands.
Gangster Squad is by no means the best movie in this genre that you will ever see but there are some great characters and exciting set pieces that makes it well worth a watch.
Gangster Squad is out now
Tagged in Josh Brolin Ryan Gosling