Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
Los Angeles, 1949. Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mob king Mickey Cohen runs the show in this town, reaping the ill-gotten gains from the drugs, the guns, the prostitutes and — if he has his way — every wire bet placed west of Chicago. And he does it all with the protection of not only his own paid goons, but also the police and the politicians who are under his control. 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 and Jerry Wooters who come together to try to tear Cohen’s world apart.
Gangster Squad is a glossy but shallow retread of familiar crime-thriller territory. The plot lifts liberally from L.A. Confidential and The Untouchables without matching their depth or nuance, relying on stock archetypes and a thin narrative. The ensemble cast — Brolin, Gosling, Penn, Stone — delivers competent work, with Penn chewing scenery entertainingly as Cohen, elevating the material modestly. Visually the film has a slick, stylized period look with decent production design and saturated cinematography, though it prioritizes style over substance. Novelty is low — the film is a by-the-numbers period gangster tale with little distinctive voice or originality. The ending resolves predictably without emotional payoff, wrapping up formulaically. Overall a watchable but forgettable genre exercise.