Pair up an all-star cast with an incredible true story about cops and mobsters in the 1940's and what do you get? ...You get Gangster Squad. Gangster Squad is the true story about mobster Mickey Cohen (played by Sean Penn), his terrible reign on the city of Los Angeles, and the squad of fearless LA cops who took him down in 1949. The all-star cast I speak of includes heavy hitters such as Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, and Emma Stone; but not to be forgotten is the long list of outstanding supporters, which include Giovanni Ribisi, Anthony Mackie, Nick Nolte, Michael Pena, and Mireille Enos.Not only is the acting amazing in this film, but the shooting and direction is absolutely fantastic! For anyone who is a fan of Guy Ritchie films, it's somewhat comparable to how his films are shot. One scene in particular stands out to me; near the end of the film there is a showdown between Jack O'Mara (Brolin) and Mickey Cohen (Penn) in a hotel lobby. O'Mara and Cohen start at opposite corners of the lobby and walk parallel to each other in opposite directions, each wielding the early mobster's weapon of choice: a tommy-gun. They absolutely obliterate a Christmas display in the lobby as they aim to destroy one another with an astronomical amount of hot lead. The scene is broken up into super slow-motion shots displaying everything from ornaments exploding to bullet casings pouring onto the floor; for any action film fan, the scene is epic.
All in all Gangster Squad is a gritty action thriller that contains great acting, incredible directing, and even the ability to tug at your heartstrings. It's a must see for anyone who is a fan of watching good guys take care of business.
