FILM: Gangster Squad

It’s 1949 and LA is swarming with opportunities. For the young and full of hope, it’s the land of endless promises for fame. For the married, it’s the perfect place to settle down and build their families. But for Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn), ex-boxer turned gangster, LA is his kingdom.

War veteran, Sergeant John O’Mara (Josh Brolin), is adamant that the mistakes good men made in the past would not be repeated in his future. Fueled with the desire to give his family the paradise he promised, he takes on the gangster king until the bitter end.

The only problem is, there seems to be a fine line that separates the gang-lord from the Gangster Squad.

The Story Line

It’s your typical 1950s detective / cop film. Lots of shooting, car chases, damsels in distress and inevitably, lots of blood. There’s also that small love story that ties everything down so that the good guys get their bad guys.

What I like about this film though is the fact that you begin to question who the good guys are. It questions the ethics of enforcing the law by breaking the law – even if you are the law. It also highlights the sacrifices men are willing to make for the good of all men as well as the lengths that men are willing to take for self-exultation.

All in all, though the storyline followed the formula of any detective-cop film, it’s brilliance and uniqueness was delivered in the aspects of human nature that the film chose to emphasise.

The Cast

Sean Penn – His portrayal of Mickey Cohen was brilliant. He played the role so well that you could hate him as well as love him all at once. For me, I was both scared and awed by the way he portrayed the gangster king. Scared, because I personally felt threatened by what he was able to do by just one command; and awed by the power that he wielded over everyone in the town. Obviously, I thought Penn’s portrayal was so realistic that I was hoping to see him behind bars!

Josh Brolin – Brolin’s performance made me hate him more that love him. He was a great example of that fine-line between good and evil. Although his intentions were noble, his actions were just as questionable as Cohen’s. Brolin portrayed O’Mara as the typical shell-shocked war hero who wanted to see bad men go down and won’t stop until his victims were wallowing in their defeat. His performance was a brilliant display of good being questioned by evil.

Ryan Gosling – Often the comic relief in this film, Gosling is nothing short of excellence as he plays the playful member of the squad. He also plays O’Mara’s right-hand man, Sergeant Jerry Wooters. Although his character demanded humorous undertones, in a film so dark it could do your head in at any moment, Gosling was also able to portray the conscience in a world full of blurry lines.

Overall

Gangster Squad is a beautiful display of power play and how good and evil can come from one person, depending on the choices that they make. The whole cast deliver amazing performances and it’s jam-packed with action that you’d be crazy to blink or shut your eyes to miss a thing.

NB: This film is NOT for anyone who hates the sight of blood. It opens with a bloody scene that is not for the faint-hearted.

sL Star Rating: 4 Stars

Next on sL: Silver Lining Playbook