Gangster Squad (film)

Gangster Squad is a 2013 American action crime film directed by Ruben Fleischer, written by Will Beall and starring Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Nick Nolte, Emma Stone, Anthony Mackie, Giovanni Ribisi, Robert Patrick, Michael Peña and Sean Penn. Set in 1949, the plot is a fictionalized account of the LAPD officers and detectives, called the "Gangster Squad," who attempt to keep Los Angeles safe from Mickey Cohen and his gang.

Gangster Squad
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRuben Fleischer
Produced by
  • Dan Lin
  • Kevin McCormick
  • Michael Tadross
Written byWill Beall
Based onGangster Squad
by Paul Lieberman
Starring
Music bySteve Jablonsky
CinematographyDion Beebe
Edited by
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Release date
Running time
113 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$60–75 million[2][3]
Box office$105.2 million[3]

After the script spent several years on the Black List, production of the film began in September 2011 around Los Angeles, lasting through December. The film was originally set to be theatrically released September 7, 2012, but in the wake of the 2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting, the film was pushed back to a January 11, 2013 release date by Warner Bros. to accommodate reshoots, which took place in August 2012.

Gangster Squad received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the cast and production values but criticized the thinly-written characters, and it grossed $105 million worldwide.

Plot

In 1949 Los Angeles, Mafia boss Mickey Cohen has become the most powerful figure in the California criminal underworld and intends to expand his criminal enterprise to Chicago and New York City. The LAPD has not been able to stop Cohen's ruthless rise, as he has eliminated witnesses, hired dirty cops to protect his criminal activities, and shielded himself from prosecution through corruption in the justice system.

Determined to put a stop to Cohen, LAPD Chief Bill Parker creates a secret police unit, composed of officers who do not carry badges and are authorized to act outside of the law, with the sole mission of bringing Cohen to justice. Parker puts a trusted friend, Sergeant John O'Mara, in charge of secretly building the unit. With the help of his wife, Connie, he recruits Sergeant Jerry Wooters and four uncorruptible misfit officers – black Lieutenant Coleman Harris, electronics expert and family man Conwell Keeler, sharpshooter Max Kennard, and his Hispanic protégé Navidad Ramirez. Calling themselves the "Gangster Squad," they begin the task of destroying Cohen's operations.

The Squad's plans go well, striking several successful blows at the heart of Cohen's criminal organization, even shutting down his ultralucrative wire gambling business. Cohen, not knowing that the Squad is LAPD, believes someone has betrayed him to rivals and strikes out at those around him, including his etiquette tutor Grace Faraday. Wooters has also been seeing Faraday and tries to help her escape from Cohen, enlisting the help of mutual friend and gangster Jack Whalen to keep her safe.

Realizing the attackers have never stolen his money, Cohen deduces they are cops and figures out that they have bugged his house. He uses it to lure the Squad into an unsuccessful ambush in Chinatown while Keeler is executed by a Cohen hitman while checking his tapes. When Faraday witnesses Cohen murder Whalen in cold blood, she agrees to testify against her former employer. O'Mara forces a crooked judge to do his duty and sign an arrest warrant before leading the Squad to the Park Plaza Hotel to arrest Cohen.

Cohen and his men engage in a lengthy shootout with the Squad, with Wooters and Kennard being wounded in the process. Cohen and his bodyguard Karl Lennox escape, but O'Mara rams their vehicle into a fountain. Navidad helps a dying Kennard shoot Lennox, who was about to shoot O'Mara. Cohen and O'Mara fight each other in a brutal bareknuckle brawl while a crowd of onlookers and journalists gather. O'Mara finally beats Cohen and has him arrested, ending his spread of the mafia into the Los Angeles area. The Gangster Squad is never mentioned for its role, and its surviving members remain a secret. Cohen is sentenced to life imprisonment and is greeted with a beating by inmates who were friends of Whalen. Wooters and Faraday get married, and O'Mara quits his job with the LAPD to live a quiet life with his wife and son.

Cast
  • Josh Brolin as Sergeant John O'Mara. O'Mara is a World War II veteran-turned-cop with a reputation as an honest, hardworking, and no-nonsense man. He is a decorated war hero, having earned the Silver Star and two Purple Hearts. He is believed to have been a part of the OSS as his Army record is partially classified.[4]
  • Ryan Gosling as Sergeant Jerry Wooters. Wooters is an easy going playboy and cop who initially struggles with the responsibility of fighting Cohen's organization but changes his mind when he sees just how ruthless Cohen can be. He too is a World War II veteran, having served in the Pacific.[4]
  • Emma Stone as Grace Faraday. Faraday is Cohen's social etiquette teacher and quasi lover. She is soft-spoken but has a heart for Wooters over Cohen and eventually betrays her lover to the police.[5]
  • Giovanni Ribisi as Officer Conwell Keeler, an electronics expert who joins the Squad because of his expertise in planting wiretaps. He is murdered on Cohen's orders.[6]
  • Nick Nolte as Chief Bill Parker, a friend of O'Mara's who forms the Squad in order to take down Cohen.[7]
  • Anthony Mackie as Lieutenant Coleman Harris, a black officer recruited into the Squad with expertise in knife and gun fighting.[8]
  • Robert Patrick as Officer Max Kennard, a member of the Squad renowned for his skill with a gun. He dies from a wound suffered while trying to arrest Cohen.
  • Michael Peña as Officer Navidad Ramirez, Kennard's protégé.[9]
  • Sean Penn as Mickey Cohen, the most powerful mobster in Los Angeles, with a reputation for sadism and ruthlessness. His desire to expand his criminal empire to major cities back East is opposed by the Squad.
  • Mireille Enos as Connie O'Mara, John's loyal wife.
  • Troy Garity as Wrevock, Cohen's top enforcer.
  • Holt McCallany as Karl Lennox, Cohen's bodyguard who is killed by a wounded Kennard when he tries to shoot O'Mara during a firefight with Cohen.
  • Sullivan Stapleton as Jack Whalen, a gangster who is friends with Wooter and volunteers to protect Grace from Cohen. Cohen shoots him dead when he tries to fight off an attempt on Grace's life.
  • James Carpinello as Johnny Stompanato
  • James Hébert as Mitch Racine
  • Evan Jones as Neddy Herbert
  • Josh Pence as Officer Daryl Gates, a rookie member of the LAPD.
  • John Aylward as Judge Carter, a dirty judge on Cohen's payroll who nevertheless signs his arrest warrant.
  • Jack Conley as Eugene W. Biscailuz, the High Sherrif Of Los Angeles County tasked with protecting Cohen's gambling operation.
  • Jack McGee as Lt. Quincannon
  • Jon Polito as Jack Dragna, a rival mob boss who Cohen has murdered when he suspects him of trying to undermine his power.
  • Wade Williams as Rourke
  • Ambyr Childers as Milk skinned blonde
  • Mick Betancourt as Detective Sgt. Will Hendricks
  • Mac Brandt as Bruiser
  • Brandon Molale as Jimmy "Bockscar" Knox
  • Michael Papajohn as Mike "The Flea"
  • Jeff Wolfe as Giovanni Vacarezza
  • Anthony Molinari as Lorenzo Molinari
  • Austin Highsmith as Patty
  • Neil Koppel as Max Solomon
  • Austin Abrams as Pete
  • Lucy Davenport as Slapsy Maxie's singer
  • Dennis Cockrum as Elmer Jackson, Burbank Police Chief
  • Haley Strode as Keeler's wife, Maria
  • Maxwell Perry Cotton as Keeler's son, Charlie
  • Frank Grillo as Jimmy Reagan, a criminal who Cohen kills by having him pulled apart by cars.
  • Lucy Walsh as Manicurist

Production

Filming

Principal photography began on September 6, 2011 in Los Angeles. Sets were located all over L.A. County from north of the San Fernando Valley to south of the county border. Sets were also recreated in Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City.[10] Filming wrapped on December 15, 2011.[11]

Association with the 2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting

The first trailer for Gangster Squad was released on May 9, 2012.[12] In the wake of the theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado on July 20, the trailer was pulled from running before films and airing on television, and removed from Apple's trailer site and YouTube due to a scene in which characters shoot submachine guns at moviegoers through the screen of Grauman's Chinese Theatre.[13][14]

It was later reported that the theater scene from the film would be either removed or placed in a different setting, since it is a crucial part of the film, and the film would undergo additional re-shoots of several scenes to accommodate these changes, which resulted in the release of Gangster Squad being moved back to a later date.[15] About a week after the shootings in Aurora, Warner officially confirmed that the film would be released on January 11, 2013, bumped from the original September 7, 2012 release date.[16] Just two weeks later, on August 22, the cast reunited in Los Angeles to completely re-shoot the main action sequence of the film. The new scene was placed in a version of Chinatown where the Gangster Squad comes into open conflict with the gangsters as they strike back at the Gangster Squad. Josh Brolin said he was not sad the original scene was cut and admitted that this new version is just as violent.[17][18][19]

Release

The film was originally supposed to be theatrically released in the United States on September 7, 2012.[15] However in the wake of the Aurora shooting and the need to accompany for reshoots, it was pushed back to January 11, 2013.[16]

Home media

Gangster Squad was released on DVD and Blu-ray on April 23, 2013. The Blu-ray includes director's commentary from Ruben Fleischer and several segments about the real life men and stories of the Gangster Squad and Mickey Cohen.[20] As of June 2013, it had made $9.6 million from DVD sales and $6.7 million from Blu-ray, for a total of $16.3 million in sales.[21]

Reception

Box office

Gangster Squad grossed $46 million in the United States and Canada, and $59.2 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $105.2 million, against a production budget of $60 million.[3]

The film grossed $17.1 million in its opening weekend, finishing third at the box office behind Zero Dark Thirty and A Haunted House.[22] It then made $8.6 million in its second weekend (including $10.1 million over the four-day MLK weekend) and $4.3 million in its third weekend.[23]

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 32% based on 203 reviews, with an average rating of 5/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Though it's stylish and features a talented cast, Gangster Squad suffers from lackluster writing, underdeveloped characters, and an excessive amount of violence."[24] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 40 out of 100, based on 38 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[25] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[22]

The reviewers of Spill.com gave it a "Rental," praising the stylish approach but criticizing the dialogue, Emma Stone's under-developed "damsel-in-distress" character, and Sean Penn's laughable makeup.[26] IGN editor Chris Tilly wrote "Gangster Squad looks great but frustrates because with the talent involved, it had the potential to be so much more" and rated the film 6.3/10.[27] Richard Roeper gave the film a B+, saying "Gangster Squad is a highly stylized, pulp-fiction period piece based on true events" and noted the strong performances.

Writing in place of Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times, Jeff Shannon gave the film 2 stars out of 4, saying that Fleischer, better known for his comedic work, was "out of his element, and barely suppressing his urge to spoof the genre". He further criticized the stock characters, and the generally uneven tone of the film, but praised the action highlights such as the car chase, and occasional flashes of brilliance in the performance of Sean Penn.[28]

Historical accuracy

The film is inspired by the real-life Gangster Squad of the LAPD, although much of the film is fabricated.[29][30]

  • The film portrays Cohen organizing the murder of his overseer Jack Dragna, whereas in reality Cohen and Dragna were equals and Dragna died of a heart attack in 1956.
  • William Parker was only 45 years old in 1949, and not in his 70s like Nick Nolte (Parker did not live to become 70; he died at age 61), and was not the one who created the Gangster Squad. The Squad was created by Chief Clemence B. Horrall in 1946, and was in an effort to save the image of the city, not the actual city itself.
  • The film concludes with Cohen being arrested in 1949 for murder and sent to Alcatraz. In reality, he was imprisoned in 1951 and again in 1961 for tax evasion. He was, however, attacked with a lead pipe while in prison as mentioned.
  • While Anthony Mackie and Michael Peña are members of the Squad in the film, the real life group had no African-American or Hispanics as part of it.
  • While it is possible Cohen murdered Jack Whalen in real life, it was not at Whalen's home as depicted in the film. Whalen was shot in 1959 while at dinner with Cohen and three of his associates, although Cohen was not accused or convicted of the murder himself.
  • Cohen's bodyguard Johnny Stompanato was not shot like depicted in the film, but instead lived until 1958, when he was stabbed by Cheryl Crane, the daughter of his girlfriend, Lana Turner.
  • The character Max Kennard was based on real life lawman Doug (Jumbo) Kennard, who was killed in a 1952 drunk car crash after he had retired, and not shot in the line of duty like in the film.
  • In the film, Conwell Keeler is the first member of the Squad to be killed. In real life, he outlived all other members of the Gangster Squad, dying of a stroke in 2012.
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References
  1. "GANGSTER SQUAD (15)". British Board of Film Classification. November 13, 2012. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  2. FilmL.A. (March 1, 2014). "2013 Feature Film Study" (PDF). Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  3. "Gangster Squad (2013)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  4. Vestal, Shannon (April 21, 2011). "Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn, and Josh Brolin Join the Gangster Squad". BuzzSugar.com. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
  5. Sneider, Jeff (July 26, 2011). "Emma Stone in talks to join Gangster Squad". Variety.com. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
  6. "Giovanni Ribisi Joins Warner Bros' 'The Gangster Squad'". Deadline Hollywood. July 6, 2011. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
  7. Fleming, Mike (August 29, 2011). "Nick Nolte Joins 'Gangster Squad'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
  8. Fischer, Russ (June 10, 2011). "Anthony Mackie Joins 'Gangster Squad'". /Film. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
  9. L. Weinstein, Joshua (June 7, 2011). "Michael Pena Joining Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin in 'Gangster Squad'". TheWrap.com. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
  10. Gallagher, Brian (September 6, 2011). "The Gangster Squad Begins Production in Los Angeles". MovieWeb.com. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
  11. Fleischer, Ruben (December 15, 2011). "Day 71 - That's a Wrap!!!". RubenFleischer.com.
  12. Vespe, Eric (May 9, 2012). "Growling Nick Nolte? Check. Foxy Emma Stone? Check. Tommy Gun Movie Theater shoot out? Check! Gangster Squad trailer hits!". AintItCool.com. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
  13. Finke, Nikki. "Warner Bros Pulls Trailer Of Gangster Shooting Up Movie Theater". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
  14. Macatee, Rebecca (July 20, 2012). "Gangster Squad Trailer Yanked From Internet, Dark Knight Rises Following Colorado Shooting". E! Online. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
  15. Franich, Darren. "'Gangster Squad: Warner Bros. pushing back release date". InsideMovies.EW.com. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  16. "GANGSTER SQUAD". WarnerBros.com. Archived from the original on July 31, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  17. Makinen, Julie (July 25, 2012). "Warner Bros. moves 'Gangster Squad' to 2013 after shooting". LATimes.com. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  18. "Warner Bros. postpones 'Gangster Squad' movie after shooting". In.Reuters.com. July 27, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  19. The Associated Press (July 26, 2012). "'Gangster Squad' release date pushed back to January after film draws comparisons to 'Dark Knight Rises' shooting in Aurora". NY Daily News. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  20. "'Gangster Squad' Blu-ray Announced and Detailed". High-Def Digest. March 8, 2013. Retrieved March 8, 2013.
  21. https://m.the-numbers.com/movie/Gangster-Squad-The
  22. Nikki Finke (January 13, 2013). "#1 'Zero Dark Thirty' Widens For $24M, 'Haunted House' Beats Disappointing 'Gangster Squad' For #2; 'Silver Linings', 'Lincoln', 'Life Of Pi' Get Oscar Bumps". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  23. "Gangster Squad Weekend Totals". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  24. "Gangster Squad (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
  25. "Gangster Squad reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
  26. "Gangster Squad - Audio Review". Spill.com. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  27. Tilly, Chris (January 9, 2013). "Gangster Squad Review". IGN.
  28. Jeff Shannon (January 9, 2013). "Gangster Squad". rogerebert.com.
  29. "Gangster Squad: History on Film". HistoryOnFilm.com. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  30. Andrew O’Hehir. "Gangster Squad" whitewashes the LAPD's criminal past". Salon. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
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