“Gangster Squad” proves shallow, cliche

By Dylan Fair
Executive Arts Editor

Although Los Angeles gangster movies have been long exhausted in Hollywood, the thought of Sean Penn portraying the notorious gangster Mickey Cohen seemed like a match made in heaven. Throw in Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin and Emma Stone, and “Gangster Squad” seems like a sure-fire hit, but that is not how it turned out.

Despite lively action sequences and a visually pleasing style, the strengths of “Gangster Squad” prove to be its weaknesses. Shoot-out after shoot-out prevents the development of a substantial plot, and not even the talented cast can salvage the lackluster script.

“Gangster Squad” follows the life of infamous gangster Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) at the height of his power in the 1940s. Los Angeles Police Department Chief Bill Parker (Nick Nolte) enlists the assistance of Sgt. John O’Mara (Josh Brolin) to create a small team of “off the books” police officers to wage war against Cohen’s crime empire.

The most prominent aspect of the film is its excessive amount of violence. Throughout the film, each scene of dialogue simply serves as a 10 minute segue into a new shoot-out or car chase. Although these scenes are visually pleasing, they catagorized “Gangster Squad” as nothing more then a soulless action film.

Furthermore, the on-screen romance between Ryan Gosling (Jerry Wooters) and Emma Stone (Grace Faraday) lacks any passion or chemistry. It is clear their roles as lovers was constructed as nothing more than eye candy for the audience.
One bright spot of “Gangster Squad” is Sean Penn’s embodiment of Cohen. What could be considered over-acting is really a result of an overall lack-luster script. As Cohen, Penn delivers a fiery performance that is elevated by his gravelly voice, which delivers simultaneously sinister and hilarious one-liners.

Overall, “Gangster Squad” proves that a few good actors and a decent premise does not guarantee a successful film. While the film is not terrible, it is far from anything of merit due to its overly violent message. It should not be sought after for anything more than simple entertainment.

“Gangster Squad” is rated R and is playing nationwide.