Movie / Gangster Squad

A weird sensation washed over me this morning. I clambered out of bed after a victorious weekend sleep-in and fumbled my way downstairs for breakfast/lunch. As I poured my overly-sugary cereal into a bowl, I remembered something I hadn’t thought about in about 12 hours.

I watched Gangster Squad last night.

It was a feeling of slight surprise – I really hadn’t bothered to recall the movie much past the brief trip from cinema screen to car park, failing to stay in my head much longer than that. And that’s a shame, really, because Gangster Squad is an enjoyable experience in the minute-to-minute of it all, yet completely transparent and devoid of any sort of depth that could propel it into the upper echelons of the crime genre.

Loosely based on a true story, this tale from Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer pits Sergeant John O’Mara’s (John Brolin) team of misfit, rogue LA cops against the might of gangster Mickey Cohen’s (Sean Penn) criminal empire. O’Mara, a family man of the stubbornly incorruptible type, leads his ragtag squad on increasingly dangerous missions while Cohen closes in on those that are chipping away at his organisation.

All the expected story beats are touched upon; there’s death, victory, violence, the odd speech about why good must triumph over evil and even a classic case of the gangster’s girl (Emma Stone) risking life and limb to pursue an affair with the enemy. This is about as predictable as they come, failing to pull any real surprises out of the bag as the story unwinds. Any mildly experienced cinema goer will be able to call the deaths and doings out long before they arrive.

But there is treasure to be found here, mainly in the film’s darkly comic tone. Ryan Gosling puts in an ever-enjoyable turn as a ladies man that’s never short on one-liners, while the squad’s consistent blunders usually provide a laugh every few scenes. It’s this rare glimpse of a path less traveled in the genre that makes Gangster Squad’s shortcomings all the more disappointing.

That said, rarely is this a boring tale. It’s got style where the substance lacks, with bombastic action scenes that, while not cashing in on the genre’s usual ultra-violent approach, never fail to engage. For such a notorious genre it’s an oddly feel-good movie, stripped of any meaning and depth, existing simply to entertain.

Maybe that shouldn’t be the case with an ensemble cast of this quality – when was the last time you saw Sean Penn in something that wasn’t gunning for accolades? But here he gives a surprisingly cartoonish portrayal, fitting for the film, but perhaps not of the man. Brolin, on the other hand, is on fine form, going hand in hand with a character that keeps a stiff upper lip throughout.

Gangster Squad is not a bad film, but it really only settles for being an entertaining one. If you’re looking for much more than that, then best look elsewhere, but there’s fun to be had here.