Gangster Squad (DVD REVIEW)
Gangster Squad
DVD Review
by Kam Williams
Sean Penn
Shines as Mickey Cohen in Biopic about Legendary Mobster
Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) was born
and raised in Brooklyn where he started out as a prizefighter before moving to Chicago during Prohibition
to become an enforcer for Al Capone. In the Forties, he was sent by Meyer
Lansky to Los Angeles
to establish extortion, gambling, prostitution and loan shark operations on
behalf of the Jewish Mafia.
Mickey gradually began to make major
inroads, which didn’t sit well with LA Police Chief Bill Parker (Nick Nolte), a
lawman determined to prevent any crime syndicate from gaining a foothold in his
city. But that would prove easier said than done since the vicious mobster had
already succeeded in bribing and/or intimidating many cops, judges and powerful
politicians.
Given the frightening degree of
corruption, Parker decided that the only way to bring down Mickey was to behave
just as ruthlessly. So, he asked one of his most fearless officers, Sergeant
John O’Mara (Josh Brolin), to form a top secret team whose assignment would be
to enforce the law by breaking it.
The so-called Gangster Squad’s
mission was simply to enter each of Cohen’s establishments anonymously in order
to break kneecaps and generally trash the place. Of course, if any of O’Mara’s
goons were killed or captured, the Commissioner would have to disavow any
knowledge of their actions.
Thus unfolds Gangster Squad, a
stylized costume drama with far more charm than one would ordinarily expect to
find in an old-fashioned shoot ‘em up. Directed by Ruben Fleisher (Zombieland),
the film is based on the clever Paul Lieberman best-seller of the same name.
The production was blessed with an
A-list cast which includes Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin, Emma Stone,
Nick Nolte, Anthony Mackie, Giovanni Ribisi, Michael Pena, Robert Patrick and
Mireille Enos. Therefore, there are no throwaway roles here, with even lesser
characters benefitting from development as a consequence of veteran thespians
putting their all into their performances.
As a result, you come to care not
only about whether or not Mickey will ever be brought to justice, but about
surprisingly-engaging subplots involving a lawman (Gosling) going gaga over the
gangsta’s moll (Stone), and a pregnant wife’s (Enos) worry about whether her
gung-ho hubby (Brolin) will live long enough to witness his baby’s birth.
Nevertheless, the front story does feature all the staples of the genre, from
flashy Zoot suits to Tommy guns to street smart dialogue mixing slang and
savoir faire in a manner reminiscent of a Damon Runyon yarn.
A high body-count showdown between
rogue cops and the Kosher Nostra for the future of Los Angeles!
Excellent
(4 stars)
Rated R for profanity and graphic violence
Running time: 113 minutes
Distributor: Warner
Home Entertainment Group
Blu-ray/DVD Combo
Pack Extras: Tough Guys with Style; The Gangland Files; Rogues Gallery: Mickey
Cohen; commentary with director Ruben Fleischer; and deleted scenes.
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