Review: Gangster Squad

So, just got back from the Saturday Night :D. Today I've watched Gangster Squad. I was waiting for Les Miz,  I thought it's gonna start playing tonight but apparently it is played in the midnight show. Ugh, I want to watch it so bad though! But anyway, me and my friends decided to watch Gangster Squad since it was the only proper movie to watch at the cinema. Jack Reacher and The Impossible was playing too but Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling was somehow more attractive to me. And it's true. It was good. Gangster Squad is definitely a good movie. Real gangsters are someway attracts me. With their hats, suits, guns, cars, music, and of course the women and the dresses. Just like Public Enemies and The Godfather, Gangster Squad is a predictable movie with the good one won at the end. I'm not going to go one by one on the characters, I only going to discuss the characters that leave deep impression on me, and that going to be Cohen, O'Mara, Jerry, and Grace.

The similarity between Gangster Squad and Public Enemies that awed me. It was set at the golden age, 1940s (Public Enemy was set 10 years before at 1930s). It all deliberately labeled with "Inspired by true story", though I doubted that the real situation was like in the movie. It was real though, the gangsters name John Dillinger and Mickey Cohen. And for Mickey Cohen's case, he lived a good life. He was close with some socialites such as Lana Turner, Frank Sinatra, and Marilyn Monroe, just to named a few. Unlike Dillinger who has to live undercover (thanks to Melvin Purvis to that, and Dillinger looks like he is not the type who would buy the police). Cohen survived 11 assassinations attempts, he is untouchable and bulletproof. Cohen really live a good life, but of course he was too greedy and it brings him to the fall. But Cohen was not arrested because he was killing someone like he did in the movie, no, that was too simple. He forced to stopped his Hollywood-lifestyle for the tax evasion he did twice and that was the different with Dillinger whom shot to death by Purvis and Dillinger was actually giving the money he robbed to the people.

Sean Penn undoubtedly portrayed as a magnificent "evil" gangster. He only wanted money, and power, with any ways possible. He wanted to take over the whole west coast, and that was his only crime, of being greedy. This Mickey Cohen left a deep impression to me. I can only remember him pulling of Russo's body and shooting Jack rather than how John punched him off before finally cuffing him. But somehow the untouchable and bulletproof characters from the real Cohen didn't show up during the movie. That Mickey Cohen in Gangster Squad was just a merrily a bad guy who eventually stopped by the good cop. The director didn't show how smart Cohen really is, though it is shown that he was  feared by his men. It gonna be perfect if Penn show more dark side of Cohen, instead of pointing that he was once a boxer the whole movie.

Both Public Enemies and Gangster Squad gave pretty ladies and handsome gentlemen as the eye candy. Marion Cottilard and Emma Stone was definitely the best eye candy with their classical beauty. And of course Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, and Ryan Gosling was the perfect choice to portrayed men with guns. But some differences can be seen, such as the place, Public Enemies took place in Arizona, while Gangster Squad was in L.A. And the different point of view with different kind of Gangsters. 

Talking about the hero, the main protagonist seem lacking parts in this movie. He gave no encouragements to his squad nor the emotional feeling for them. It seems like John O'Mara is only know how to shoot and fight. He has that leader material, but he was just too stiff with this men. So I would like to put Josh Brolin's O'Mara and Daniel Craig's Bond in one category, hero with stiff personality, in the movie which the antagonist left more deep impression for the viewers. Really, Jerry should be the hero. At least he got that constant character. I really got nothing to say again for John O'Mara character, since he really didn't leave anything to impress me. But yes, he was charismatic, he was handsome, he was heroic. But that kind of characters are spread around at every single hollywood movie. The viewers need some more original characters.

Finally, I've come to Jerry. I never knew that Ryan Gosling is that hot. I know that he was idolized by that young girls since The Notebook (Or maybe I was blinded by Johnny Depp and Depp only). But for I never get rid of that little boy image of him, that changed after this movie. Jerry was definitely my favorite character of this movie. He's the only rational man on the group. They should explore more of Jerry and Grace. I shipped them, they look perfect together. Jerry used the gun the least of the group, he only used when needed. And that's why I love Jerry, he only took care of what he needs to take care of, that called not wasting energy on something not important.

What I love about this movie was not the story line, I feel somehow it was not grasping me it lacking of the exploration of characters. I love the cars, the suits, the songs. I just love everything that set at the golden age between 1920's to 1950's. The suits are just beautifully designed, with the perfect make up on Emma Stone's. Classical things are always weakened me. And not to forget the interiors, it was perfectly designed for the 1950's set. The bloopers was minimals, it shows that the movie makers was detailed and that's a good thing for a movie. They could have explored the characters more or at least gives better music score and soundtrack, I admit that I was waiting for a good music that popped out during the movie, just like Blackbird by Diana Krall in the Public Enemies or Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love) in Midnight in Paris. Maybe I was just obsessed with the gangster's years and it euphoria with fancy clothes, nice cars, and wonderful music so that makes me enjoyed watching this movie. Although the story line was not that perfect but I enjoyed watching the movie, and if I was about to score this movie I would like to give 7,5 out of 10. 

R.B