Gangster Squad (4/23/2013)

Rated R for strong violence and language.

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

Directed by Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland, 30 Minutes or Less)

I was expecting an updated Untouchables, what I got was unwatchable.

Los Angeles, 1949. Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mob king Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) runs the show in this town, reaping the ill-gotten gains from the drugs, the guns, the prostitutes and—if he has his way—every wire bet placed west of Chicago. And he does it all with the protection of not only his own paid goons, but also the police and the politicians who are under his control. It’s enough to intimidate even the bravest, street-hardened cop… except, perhaps, for the small, secret crew of LAPD outsiders led by Sgt. John O’Mara (Josh Brolin) and Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling), who come together to try to tear Cohen’s world apart.

The problem with Gangster Squad is not the lack of violence — we begin with a man chained to two cars and being pulled apart and it only gets worse from there — but the overuse of the cop vs. mob clichés. From the super tough bad boy cops to the hyper exaggerated despicable mob boss.

Another problem is the pacing. As the film fumbles its way from one shootout to another, I stopped wondering what they would do this time and started wondering how much longer until the credits.

It’s unfair to call the cast a problem; perhaps calling them a disappointment would be more accurate. When I first saw Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Michael Pena, Giovanni Ribisi and Robert Patrick were doing a gangster movie…I was stoked. But their performances were as cliché as their characters.

On a lighter note… Sean Penn is even more ridiculous than I expected.

Despite a cast of gifted actors, lush 1940s production design and costumes, this is quiet possibly the dullest mob-action movie ever. I say “Skip It.”

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
No, this one is rated R for some good reasons.

The first is sex and nudity. There is a scene where a girl is pole dancing and in another scene a girl is kidnapped, slapped around, thrown into a bed & held down by 3 men in an attempted rape. Two characters are seen in bed together naked but covered by sheets. It is implied that they have had sex.

Then there is the violence…and plenty of it. Some of the violence is more graphic than typically found in similar-style movies. There is a lot of shooting throughout the film. Blood is often seen from the wounds and in some cases spurts on to walls and floors. We also see a man literally ripped in half by two cars pulling him in opposite directions. In another scene a drill is used on a man’s head. The actual drilling is not seen, but blood spurts on to a window, and the sound effects make it seem frightening and intense. A man’s hand is broken by an elevator as it ascends and three men are burned alive by an explosion.

The profanity isn’t any better. The F-word is used often, as well as the S-word and several others.

CONVERSATION STARTER

1. The movie begins with the following Edward Burke quote: “In order for evil to flourish, all that is required is for good men to do nothing.” In your own words, what does that quote mean?


2. How did this idea motivate the gangster squad?


3. What is a real life example of the quote?


4. James 4:17 says it this way:
   
   Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.
   
   What are some examples of “knowing what you ought to do” that you experience daily?


5. How can I help you do those things, instead of ignoring them?