Set in 1949 Los Angeles, “Gangster Squad” is about the Brooklyn mob king Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn). Mickey Cohen runs the show in Los Angeles and he wants everyone to know it. He has judges and cops in his back pocket and believes he is untouchable, but along comes a few of LA’s finest that he doesn’t have in his pocket and they decide to form a squad to take Mickey and his gang down once and for all. The story unfolds from there…
This is based on a true story. The timeline is good, but the story is a bit choppy. Things bounce around a bit and at times don’t quite make sense. The ensemble of actors is good. The right people were picked. Sean Penn is very good as Mickey Cohen; although at times he does not come across as menacing as he should have.
I love Josh Brolin and he does an excellent job of leading the charge, but alas something is missing. The movie does not hold as much excitement as the previews lead you to believe.
The original opening date for this movie was September 2012, but it was moved to January 2013 and I am not sure why.
“Gangster Squad” will be good to watch on Blue-Ray or DVD. Wait for it unless you have nothing else to do.