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Gangster Squad

Shale: ...is a Chamber Royal.; Join date : 2010-09-27
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Post n°1

Gangster Squad

by Shale Sat Jan 12, 2013 12:51 am

Gangster Squad
Movie Blurb by Shale
January 11, 2013

This much hyped movie was given low reviews by most critics with only a 32% fresh rating from the agregate on Rottentomatoes, which said it had style but no substance and faulted it for having such a talented cast and not doing better. Oh, they also criticized it for its excessive amount of violence.

OK! Sometimes I wonder if professional movie critics are allowed to enjoy a stylish movie with characters not fully developed, who do violent deeds. Yeah, that's the kinda movie this is. I don't like real-to-life crime movies, but something like this is just a little darker than the average comic-book superhero flick.

The setting is LA and Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn), an east coast mobster has set up his crime business there and, much like today, bought off the crooked cops, judges and politicians. Cops understood not to bust his businesses, but decorated war veteran Sgt. John O'Mara (Josh Brolin) still feels obligated to "protect and to serve" and actually busts up one of Cohen's pimp operations to save a young woman.

He is chewed out by his immediate bought-off supe and the perps get sprung by a bought-off judge but he is called in to see Police Chief Parker (Nick Nolte) who proposed that the only way to deal with Cohen is to go to war. The legal system is not working when any witness to a crime who comes forward is killed and when there are so many corrupt cops on the force.

So, Sgt O'Mara puts together a small secret squad of cops who can leave their badges at home and go out to bust up Mickey Cohen's crime empire. Among those on the squad is Sgt Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling) who is a daring young man and takes an interest in Cohen's main squeeze Grace Faraday (Emma Stone). Of course they end up in bed together quicker than you can say crazy, stupid, love.

I liked it; thot it was an entertaining movie, which is why I go to see movies.

See More Here:
http://www.hipforums.com/newforums/showthread.php?t=464598&f=287

Alan Smithee

Alan Smithee: ...is a 20G Chamber DIETY.; Join date : 2010-09-03
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Post n°2

Re: Gangster Squad

by Alan Smithee Sat Jan 12, 2013 8:28 am

Sounds like a cross between The Untouchables and L.A. Confidential.

Shale

Shale: ...is a Chamber Royal.; Join date : 2010-09-27
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Post n°3

Re: Gangster Squad

by Shale Sat Jan 12, 2013 2:07 pm

Alan Smithee wrote:Sounds like a cross between The Untouchables and L.A. Confidential.

I didn't mention in my blurb that it claims to be based on a true story, written by Paul Lieberman.

Also, other reviewers mentioned those two movies specifically.

Connie Ogle - The Miami Herald:
"Gangster Squad is The Untouchables moved west and cheesed up... It's a derivative cartoon that's oddly entertaining, although it seems to want credit for regurgitating every gangster movie cliche."

Nick Pinkerton - Miami New Times
"It's obvious that (Director) Beall is mostly drawing on his experience with other movies, particularly the previous generation of revisionist period crime dramas, films like ... 1987 The Untouchables and ... 1997 L.A. Confidential."