by Mary Macrae ’14

“Gangster Squad” finally opens up in January after its original release was postponed due to the correct decision of its director, Ruben Fleischer, to reshoot one of its scenes that too closely resembled the recent movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado.  In response to the tragedy, Fleischer and the cast decided to cut the scene and reshoot a new sequence out of respect to the victims.

Unfortunately, the whole movie ought to be reshot and reworked as it turned an interesting story of crime and corruption in Los Angeles into a cartoon-like depiction of violence and killing.  Based on actual events, the movie chronicles Los Angeles in 1949 and tells the story of the cruel mobster Mickey Cohen, played by Sean Penn, who attempts to take over the city of Los Angeles, including its police officers, politicians and judges.  In response, a small, secret group of the Los Angeles Police Department staff is organized to stop Mickey and the corruption that is taking root in the city.  The squad is led by Sergeant John O’Mara, played by Josh Brolin, and Jerry Wooters, played by Ryan Gosling. However, both Brolin’s and Gosling’s depiction of their characters is so flat and uninspiring that the audience almost begins to root for the bad guys to win so that the movie will end sooner.

In contrast, Penn’s portrayal of Mickey Cohen almost saves the movie even though his brutish attitude and cruel punch lines create such a cartoonish villain that you can’t help wondering how this “true” story is actually possible. “Gangster Squad” does do a fantastic job of capturing the times, clothing and makeup, especially Emma Stone who plays Mickey’s girlfriend.  She embodies the classy look of the 1940s but even she and Penn are not enough to save this movie from its poor character development, terrible writing, and gratuitous violence.