Storyline
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.
Directors
Writers
Cast
Giovanni Ribisi, Michael Peña, Frank Grillo, Anthony Mackie, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Jack McGee, Michael Papajohn, Holt McCallany, Jack Conley, Josh Brolin, Derek Mears, Maxwell Perry Cotton, John Aylward, Anthony Molinari, Nick Nolte, Robert Patrick, Sean Penn, Jeff Wolfe, Evan Jones, Christopher Doyle, Ambyr Childers, Brandon Molale, Josh Pence, Austin Highsmith, Wade Williams, Jon Polito, Eva La Dare, Troy Garity, James Landry Hébert, Yvette Tucker, Sullivan Stapleton, James Carpinello, Dennis Cockrum, Austin Abrams, Jonny Coyne, Mireille Enos, Mick Betancourt, Mac Brandt, Neil Koppel, Riel Paley
Trailer
Reviews
75
The best thing about Gangster Squad is how they got the 1940s accoutrements right.
70
The cops play things as dirty as the crooks in Gangster Squad, an impressively pulpy underworld-plunger that embellishes on a 1949 showdown between a dedicated team of LAPD officers and Mob-connected Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) for control of the city.
60
Empire
Sean Penn's not been this fun since Jeff Spicoli and there's plenty of rip-roaring action, but Gangster Squad proves a minor entry in the annals of LA noir.
60
Typified by Penn's blustery performance, Gangster Squad is sleek, stylish but superficial. Easy on the eye, even easier on the brain, it doesn't last long in the memory.
60
Made up of synthetics rather than whole cloth, this lurid concoction superficially gets by thanks to a strong cast and jazzy period detail, but its cartoonish contrivances fail to convince and lack any of the depth, feeling or atmosphere of genre stand-bearers like "L.A. Confidential."
