Gangster Squad review by Robert Denerstein

Robert lets the reader know from the opening lines of his review that Gangster Squad, directed by Ruben Fleischer, misses it's mark so horribly that it doesn't even live up to it's own trailer.  He says sitting through the "cliches and bullets" is like watching a bad Brian DePalma film, then notes that it may not even be worthy of that description.

Breaking his review into three parts, he is able to break down the movie into easily digestible chunks peppered by poignant points.  In the first section, he gives information about gangster Mickey Cohen, played by Sean Penn, and the events that inspired the film.  Denerstein places the words "inspired by" in sarcastic quotes and reveals further in the section that the film is cliched pulp fiction with real people's names.

The reviewer goes easy on the cast, not assigning fault to the thespians.  Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Nick Nolte, and Josh Brolin headline the film.  Robert adds that the dialog and by-the-book script didn't challenge the cast members, comparing it to professional athletes having to play amateur games.

He hammers the final nails into the coffin in his last section.  The characters come across flat and static; a crew of archetypes who talk in a language of cliches.  Although backstory and development are there they are quickly glossed over.  I liked that he ended strong and clear, summarizing the review, calling the film "the year's first dissapointment."