Gangster Squad

A simple action movie pretending to be a retro gangster film, where actors are illuminated like mannequins in a store. One or two thrilling scenes, a brisk pace, one-dimensional characters, attractive camera filters and a horribly directed Ryan Gosling. For him to fumble, the director’s skill must be truly abysmal. How could they have gotten such an acting ensemble for this screenplay?! Right between two and three stars, and I’m giving two because it’s a defiling of Sergio Leone and Brian De Palma. (24/01/2013)

I can't help but feel like whenever Hollywood tackles serious historical films these days, they often miss the mark. Gangster Squad had everything going for it—a killer cast (and I mean seriously great; every actor here gets under your skin, and that’s rare), plus a solid story with the potential to be truly epic. You could feel it. But then they completely overdid the action. It’s like they cranked it up to 11, with endless shootouts where nobody seems to die, and the action just feels chaotic, with no real structure. The scenes are so poorly staged that it’s hard to follow, and honestly, if this crew were really that reckless, they’d have been wiped out in the first few minutes. It’s a huge shame because I was ready for an awesome gangster flick. If it weren’t for the over-the-top action, we might’ve actually gotten one. (28/12/2013)

It’s shallow kitsch, without much in terms of wisdom from the screenwriter, but it’s still watchable, thanks mainly to the good cast, the nice visuals and the craftsmanship. Sean Penn’s main evil gangster, though, feels like self-parody; his attempts at looking insane and maniac were funny – but that also contributed to my experience as a viewer, which I would describe as satisfactory. It’s unlikely that I will watch Gangster Squad again (not alone, at least), but I didn’t feel any acute need to get as far away from the screen as possible. (03/04/2013)

A brisk genre affair with perfect action scenes, a likable cast and a pleasantly popcorn atmosphere, and which includes both suspense and humor. At first I was worried that Gangster Squad would steal too much from The Untouchables, but as time went on I stopped thinking about it altogether and just had fun. And why not?__P.S. Jablonsky's music (I liked it this time) sounds a bit like Zimmer's “Sherlock Holmes", and "Gangster Squad" quotes Morricone's “The Untouchables" in the final track. That is not a bad thing. (05/07/2014)

Shallow popcorn flick that lacks the soul, the atmosphere and that one memorable scene that have always made the gangster genre so attractive and rewarding to viewers. There are many moments, especially the last ten minutes, that were written following the manual "How to make an unwanted parody of a genre quickly and easily." The only thing that keeps it afloat is Josh Brolin’s manly charisma. On the whole, it's as routine and stupid as Zombieland, which I expected from Fleischer, so there's no question of disappointment. And please, don’t give me that “Inspired by a True Story” line. (11/04/2013)