Gangster Squad

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Gangster Squad

R

2013

1h 0m

Crime

Drama

Action

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Popcornmeter

30%

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205 Reviews

57%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mobster Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) has 1949 Los Angeles in an iron fist, as he accumulates a fortune from drugs, prostitution and gambling. Cohen has an army of paid goons at his disposal, but he also has certain policemen and politicians in his pocket. It's enough to intimidate even the bravest cop, until Los Angeles Police Department mavericks, Sgts. John O'Mara (Josh Brolin) and Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling), form a secret crew to bring Cohen to justice.

Critics Consensus

Though it's stylish and features a talented cast, Gangster Squad suffers from lackluster writing, underdeveloped characters, and an excessive amount of violence.

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

09/07/2017

D+

It's a lazy, watered down gangster flick that is not nearly as clever or as new as it attempts to be.

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Larushka Ivan-Zadeh

metro.co.uk

09/01/2017

3/5

Gangster Squad is slight pulp fiction that offers all-out, balls-to-the-wall action riddled with as many clichés as bullets.

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Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

06/21/2016

Those who are calling it shallow and cartoony and clichéd are missing the point. It is all of those things, purposefully - gleefully, even.

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Sebastian Zavala Kahn

Me gusta el cine

Oct 9

4/5

It definitely helps to watch it without taking into consideration the complicated context in which it was released, and rather keeping in mind its clear pulpy, simple and unpretentious inspirations. [Full review in Spanish].

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Michael Leader

Den of Geek

05/03/2024

2/5

It may look pretty, and it may act tough, but Gangster Squad is as dumb as they come.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

09/20/2022

2/4

What a shame that such a talented cast of actors, not to mention the attractive costumes and gorgeous production design, go to waste on this all-too-familiar story.

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Snuggles S.

@Snuggles 10h

It's better than both the tomato and popcorn meter saying. FOH

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Harvey K

@Harvey658 6d

I can't find my tonsils under the couch but my mother has gone out

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Will G

@Kingofthepixies Dec 13

I think they were looking for something in the vein of L. A. confidential. Some good actors trying and some just phoning it in. Sean Penn is terrible. The script was poor, the direction was on par with a rushed TV episode of something or other. Can't get over Sean Penns awfulness.

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thiago s

@Thiagostone Oct 27

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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Griffith J

@griffithxjohnson Sep 24

It feels like an exaggerated, larger than life fiction rather than an interesting piece of America history. A wildly unfocused tone with heavy subject matter & ridiculous action sequences but there is a misplaced sense of fun that I do enjoy. A great ensemble cast that do their best to work with the over-the-top writing. Gosling brings surprisingly genuine laughs that are random yet hilarious. Everything looks convincing with the style, sets, & costumes bringing this era to life.

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kevenquinlan T

@RT75276071 Jul 16

Well, Best cast ever assembled for pretty much anything, haha. The acting was great but Penn's character (not performance) was SO over the top, it was laughable/ Is he Mickey Cohen or a Bond Villain? It's trying to be noir- but isn't/ it's trying to be period- and is meh/ and it's trying to be serious- and isn't. I don't regret watching it but wouldn't ever want to again and wouldn't keep in my collection. Awful title too. This coulda been a massive hit had it been made a little more thoughtfully.

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Ruben Fleischer

Director

Josh Brolin

Sgt. John O'Mara

Ryan Gosling

Sgt. Jerry Wooters

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Robert Patrick

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Critics Consensus: Gangster Squad Is Style Over Substance

Video: Ryan Gosling Gets Embarrassed by a Dish Towel

Video Interviews with the Cast of Gangster Squad: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, and more

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Synopsis

Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mobster Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) has 1949 Los Angeles in an iron fist, as he accumulates a fortune from drugs, prostitution and gambling. Cohen has an army of paid goons at his disposal, but he also has certain policemen and politicians in his pocket. It's enough to intimidate even the bravest cop, until Los Angeles Police Department mavericks, Sgts. John O'Mara (Josh Brolin) and Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling), form a secret crew to bring Cohen to justice.

Director: Ruben Fleischer
Producer: Dan Lin, Kevin McCormick, Michael Tadross
Screenwriter: Will Beall
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Warner Bros., Lin Pictures, Kevin McCormick
Rating: R (Strong Violence|Language)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 11, 2013, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 1, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $46.0M
Runtime: 1h 0m
Sound Mix: Datasat, SDDS, Dolby Digital

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