Gangster Squad is a highly entertaining action period piece. This film is all about Tommy-gun shootouts, car chases, fist fights, and loads of vintage style and I loved every second of it. The story is competent, but it's not the backbone of the film. The action is the star here and the film knows and embraces that fact. The action set-pieces are equal parts traditional gangster film, modern slow-motion and old-school western. This hybrid makes for plenty of engaging and interesting scenes that gives Gangster Squad it's own unique flavor. The film is further bolstered by having a strong cast full of talented actors. Josh Brolin owns the lead role of Sgt. John O'Mara, head of the "Gangster Squad" assigned to stop Chicago thug Mickey Cohen's (Sean Penn) reign of criminal terror on Los Angeles. The other members of the squad played by Ryan Gosling, Anthony Mackie, Giovanni Ribisi, Michael Pena, and Robert Patrick are all good as well. There is an undeniable charisma each actor brings to the table and they are very effective as the collective set to bring down Mickey Cohen. Really the only thing wrong with Gangster Squad is Sean Penn's performance as Mickey Cohen. Penn way overdoes it and makes Cohen come off as a more of a caricature than a menacing villain. No matter how evil and sinister Cohen's actions are, Penn's unnecessarily over-the-top performance makes the character seem like a parody. Gangster Squad is a suave and well-done action flick. It may not have the depth of a film like Goodfellas, but Gangster Squad gets by on it's own merits and it absolutely serves it's purpose as an engrossing and exciting gangster film with an enormously talented cast who (save for Sean Penn) thrive in their respective roles.
4/5 Stars
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