Gangster Squad beautifully merges two worlds of the Norman Rockwell perfect family and the classic suit-clad gangster scene of 1950s cinema. These two worlds holding hands even; blatantly adulterous. The main characters pay homage to movie stars of the 50’s who played thugs film after film; famous faces like Steve Cochran and Marlon Brando. The swagger; the hats and suspenders; the menacing, piercing eye contact of a villain – hell, all that’s missing is a toothpick.
The high glamour of the age, i.e.; the lost art of swing-dancing, was captured expertly in this film. And how fitting, as G.S.’s leading men profess their love to the city of angels. Wheels, wires, shootouts and cookouts and you have yourself a film noir!
Even seems like Gangster Squad took a few notes from this playbook:
Chase scene from Highway 301 (1950)
Nonetheless, G.S. had its weak parts, one of which being its tendency to lean on race. The African-American Squad member just happens to know a guy on the inside of a heroin shipment, the latino Squad member is called Navidad, and the Chiquita banana lady makes a guest appearance. Enough said, we’ll let it slide for the time period. Ryan Gosling dressing out of an Abercrombie catalog half the time is less excusable.
The biggest drawback to this movie is this idea that every newspaper at the time could possibly “get the scoop” on the inner-workings of feuding mobs. The burning of mob money would not make the front page of the Los Angeles Times because a reporter was not camped out in the broom closet. Overall, too many headlines used as the segue into a thickening plot.
SIDEBAR: I first saw a preview for this in a Dark Knight Rises showing the day after the Colorado Batman shooting. This movie initially had a scene where the gangster squad is seen doing just that; opening fire on a full movie theater. The scene was cut and the hotel stakeout/Christmas tree scene was put in its place. Then came the Sandy Hook shooting, which I believe pushed the release back about another month. I’m sure that after all of this legwork, dealing with real-life tragedies and the heavy hand of a studio exec, everyone involved is just relieved to see the release come to fruition.
So, yes, some parts are cheesy. The initial murders are creatively amusing. For some it will be written off as too trying, cliche, and over-the-top. But you’ve got to understand that in 1950s gangster movies, many parts were cheesy.
Mimi
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