Just been watching…(96)

~ beetleypete

Gangster Squad (2013)

***This is based on real events, so spoilers do not apply***

I am very late to this six-year old film. To be honest, I had little interest in it at the time, expecting it to be just another rehash of better gangster films I had seen previously. And it was exactly that, to some extent. However, great lighting, tight direction, and the borrowed theme of ‘The Magnificent Seven’, (that borrowed from ‘The Seven Samurai of course) allowed this more recent example to stand on its own in the genre.

Post-war Los Angeles, 1949. East Coast gangster, Mickey Cohen, (Sean Penn) has managed to take control of the city. He has corrupt police officers on his payroll, and bribed judges turning a blind eye to his rackets of gambling, drugs, and prostitution. It seems that this one criminal has swallowed the huge city whole, brutally resisting the infiltration of the Mafia, and other gangsters from the eastern parts of America. He is a man who deals out violence without thought, and is as tough on members of his own gang as he is on the innocents he preys upon.

But he has not reckoned with one incorruptible cop, Sgt O’Mara. (Josh Brolin) He is a war hero, and as tough as they come. Embarking on a one-man crusade, he determines to do what he can to disrupt Cohen’s criminal activities, having as much difficulty with his colleagues on the force as he does with the criminals. Seeing the men he arrests set free, and being warned not to to make waves, his frustration builds to boiling point. Along comes grizzled Police Chief, Bill Parker. (Nick Nolte) He recruits O’Mara into an undercover squad, and tells him to set up his own team. The rules of law will be ignored, and the new team will have one objective only, to destroy Cohen completely. With the help of his loyal and pregnant wife, O’Mara begins to choose the incorruptible men who will help him carry out the mission.

From there, the film follows the usual formula. Men are chosen for their skills, toughness, and the required racial mix. O’Mara sets out the rules, and in this case there are no rules. The team get to work busting gambling joints, clearing out dens of prostitution, and hijacking drug consignments. One of them, Jerry, (Ryan Gosling) even begins an affair with Cohen’s girlfriend. Very soon, a furious Cohen goes to great lengths to discover the identities of the team, determined to wipe them out. The scene is set for many shootouts, murders, and a thrilling race to the eventual climax.

As gangster films go, this is pretty good. It feels more like ‘The Untouchables’ in mood, rather that the gangster noirs of the past, like ‘Little Caesar’. Cast members take their roles seriously, with Brolin’s jaw set tight, and Nolte sounding as if he is gargling concrete. Even Gosling steps up, delivering a performance with much nuance. Scenes in nightclubs and the neon-lit streets of L.A. are mostly convincing, and there is no holding back on the violence necessary to defeat a criminal empire.

If you like films of this genre, you will probably enjoy this one.
And that makes it good enough for me.

33 thoughts on “Just been watching…(96)”

    1. Thanks, Sam. Not worth paying too much for. I saw it for free, on TV. But it is better than I ever suspected it would be, despite the tried and tested ‘formula’ approach.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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    1. It’s that kind of film, GP. Except they don’t bother with tax evasion charges.
      They just shoot everyone! 🙂
      (Cohen actually got life in Alcatraz, and was killed by other inmates.)
      Best wishes, Pete.

      Liked by 2 people

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