Gangster Squad

****
Release Date: January 10th 2013

Los Angeles, 1949: A secret crew of police officers led by two determined sergeants work together in an effort to take down the ruthless mob king Mickey Cohen who runs the city.

Director: Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland, 30 Minutes or Less)

Starring: Josh Brolin, Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Nick Nolte, Anthony Mackie, Robert Patrick, Michael Pena, Giovanni Ribisi

Gnagster Squad has an all star cast, led by Josh Brolin and Sean Penn, the first being a cop turned undercover vigilante who hires a group of detectives to take down L.A controlling Mickey Cohen (Penn), the latter is Mickey Cohen himself, who above all else oozes excellence. His rough speech and crazy euthamisms: 'My whole crop of cunt is ruined', he barks after Brolin's John O'Mara single handily brings down one of his brothels.

If you're a fan of The Untouchables, this is a must watch. Sgt. John O'Mara's wife, after some unconvincing reluctant moans about 'Cohen can have L.A., he just can't have you', suddenly turns around and seems o.k. with the situation, as long as John has the right people around him.

Assembled is a cast that singularly aren't anything to shout about, but together have great one liners and a lot of fun on their course of destruction to rid L.A of Cohen. First we have Sgt. Jerry Wooters (a name that cannot be taken seriously, but performed suitably well by Ryan Gosling) who at first isn't interested, but later on does as his relationship with Grace Faraday (Emma Stone) becomes more complicated (she just so happens to be Cohen's lady). There's gunslinging Max Kennard (Robert Patrick) and his rookie Ramirez (Michael Pena), otherwise known as 'hopalong'. The brains must come with the brawn, and so last but not least is Officer Conwell Keener (Ribisi) whose knack for technology is an asset they can't refuse.

Gosling and Stone's love affair is a somewhat fiery version of their one in Crazy, Stupid Love, except this time they're wearing costumes. One line is all it takes, with most girls swooning at the thought:

“Let me guess: you want to take me away from all this and make an honest woman of me?”
“No, ma’am. I was just hoping to take you to bed.”

Gosling and Stone are a few of the stronger characters in the film, making them the only ones worth being emotional over.

This is a gangster piece at it's best. Blazing Tommy-guns, massive shoot-outs, raw fist-fights. You cannot help but route for Brolin at the end, but you will be wishing it lasted longer. Gangster Squad is a safe movie to hit the cinemas in January, but doesn't do anything more than be safe.

Overview: A memorable gangster film with an awesome cast. Penn is phenomenal.