{"id":5474,"date":"2013-04-19T23:25:01","date_gmt":"2013-04-20T06:25:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/?p=5474"},"modified":"2021-06-02T00:11:56","modified_gmt":"2021-06-02T07:11:56","slug":"review-gangstersquad-bd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/2013\/04\/review-gangstersquad-bd\/","title":{"rendered":"Gangster Squad Blu-ray Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Ruben Fleischer\u2019s Gangster Squad<\/i><\/b> no doubt blew the opportunity to be a special crime-drama and instead it stumbles trying to emulate other gangster movies in the past. Still, I couldn\u2019t help but enjoy the movie especially the performances from Brolin, Gosling, Robert Patrick and Sean Penn that it makes for a worthwhile viewing even with its flaws.<\/p>\n

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\nGangster Squad (2013)<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Genre(s): <\/b>Crime, Drama
\nWarner Bros. | R \u2013 113 min. \u2013 $35.99 | April 23, 2013<\/p>\n

MOVIE INFO:
\n<\/span>Directed by: <\/b>Ruben Fleischer
\nWriter(s): <\/b>Will Beall (written by)
\nCast: <\/b>Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Emma Stone, Anthony Mackie, Giovanni Ribisi, Michael Pena<\/p>\n

Theatrical Release Date: <\/b>January 11, 2013<\/p>\n

DISC INFO:
\n<\/span>Features: <\/b>Commentary, Featurettes, Deleted Scenes, UltraViolet Digital Copy, DVD Copy
\nNumber of Discs: <\/b>2<\/p>\n

Audio: <\/b>English (DTS-HD MA 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Portuguese (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
\nVideo: <\/b>1080p\/Widescreen 2.40
\nSubtitles: <\/b>English SDH, French, Spanish
\nDisc Size: <\/b>31.4 GB
\nCodec: <\/b>MPEG-4 AVC
\nRegion(s): <\/b>A, B, C<\/p>\n

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THE MOVIE<\/strong> \u2013 3.75\/5<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The crime-thriller Gangster Squad<\/i><\/b> heavily borrows from other, often better, movies that have come before from The Untouchables<\/i> to, in some ways, White Heat<\/i>. It\u2019s a mishmash of the gangster genre put together with more than a dose of comedy to stir the pot for viewers which will put somebody on one side or the other.<\/p>\n

The story is set in 1949 Los Angeles, a town ruled by the volatile and ruthless Mickey Cohen (SEAN PENN), an ex champion boxer who has his hands in any and every dirty, illegal action in town from gambling\u00a0 and prostitution to murder. He also has people on the police force and judge\u2019s offices to keep him and his gang out of trouble and those in his crew who do screw up, he takes care of them in malevolent ways.<\/p>\n

When the movie opens, honest and tough-as-nails cop Sgt. John O\u2019Mara (JOSH BROLIN) had recently returned from serving during World War 2 hoping to set up a great life in L.A. with his pregnant wife (MIREILLE ENOS). However, the L.A. he had left is no longer the same and the corruption on the streets are disgusting and places him in harm\u2019s way even when attempting to do good.<\/p>\n

One day Chief of Police Parker (NICK NOLTE) recruits O\u2019Mara to form a squad to work outside the law to rid the city of Cohen\u2019s misdeeds so that he gets the message and moves out of town. O\u2019Mara of course agrees much to the displeasure of his wife, although knowing O\u2019Mara won\u2019t give up, she helps him recruit members of his team, those who are already not exactly by the book but who are also not on Cohen\u2019s payroll. This \u201cgangster squad\u201d includes: Officers Max Kennard (ROBERT PATRICK), his partner Navidad Ramirez (MICHAEL PENA), genius Conwell Keeler (GIOVANI RIBISI), Coleman Harris (ANTHONY MACKIE) and eventually Sgt. Jerry Wooters (*snicker*) (RYAN GOSLING) who signs up after some resistance.<\/p>\n

The film does go on a side story as Wooters (*snicker*) becomes infatuated for a woman named Grace Faraday (EMMA STONE), who happens to be Cohen\u2019s etiquette coach. Of course, being a debonair man, he uses smooth talk to get her into bed, and of course it actually works. But their relationship must be on the DL (or whatever term they had in the \u201840s) because if Cohen finds out, Wooters (*snicker*) is dead.<\/p>\n

Now with the Gangster Squad complete, O\u2019Mara and his men get going by first striking one of Cohen\u2019s gambling houses in Burbank only to have it result in utter failure when they run into armed guards on the floor and have to run for their lives resulting in O\u2019Mara and Harris getting nabbed, but his men manage to help the pair escape, albeit sheepishly and in not all coordinated fashion.<\/p>\n

Soon enough, the Squad manages to make inroads going after Cohen\u2019s profitable venues as well as planting bugs in his home to keep tabs on his comings and goings including drug shipments coming in to town and going after and destroying it. However, Cohen isn\u2019t an idiot and it\u2019s not long before he finds out who they are where things get personal.<\/p>\n

Gangster Squad<\/i><\/b> was directed by Ruben Fleischer best known for his cult classic, Zombieland<\/i> which recently got a series from Amazon on Demand as well as the dark comedy, 30 Minutes or Less<\/i>. So it should come to no surprise that this crime drama has its fair share of comedic moments which, from my reading, what many viewers disliked. For me, and although it doesn\u2019t nearly capture the reality of the time period and more a parody of it, I actually kind of enjoyed some of the quirky moments.<\/p>\n

One of the other complaints is that Fleischer, and in turn screenwriter Will Beall\u2019s screenplay (based on Paul Lieberman\u2019s book), is that it almost blatantly steals from other gangster movies of the past and in the case of the end scene, the film certain was heavily influenced by The Untouchables<\/i> to the point that it admittedly was robbery.<\/p>\n

Casting wise, Josh Brolin in the lead was good; Ryan Gosling was his normal self (i.e. thinking he\u2019s hot sh*t); Emma Stone is solid in the primary female role and as in her other movies looks gorgeous (superficial I know); and Sean Penn, as always, makes for a fine bad guy, although his make-up (at least I think it was make-up) seemed to be done for a Dick Tracy<\/i> movie… Nobody here really stands out but I felt they filled out their roles well enough and make up for some of the cheesy dialogue.<\/p>\n

Another highlight for the movie is Steve Jablosky\u2019s retro score brining the cinematic version of the 1940s to life. Jablosky, known mostly for this work on Michael Bay\u2019s films like the Transformers<\/i> franchise and The Island<\/i> (which was had great pieces well worth buying), here gives different textures and rhythms which even on their own are cool to listen to.<\/p>\n

However, despite all of the film\u2019s problems from its \u201chomage\u201d to gangster films of yesteryear, I actually kind of enjoyed Gangster Squad<\/i><\/b>. No, it\u2019s not nearly perfect and certainly Fleischer and company blew a great opportunity to make something special, even memorable, but if you don\u2019t take the film too seriously, there\u2019s a fun time to be had.<\/p>\n

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SPECIAL FEATURES \u2013 3.75\/5<\/strong><\/h2>\n

This release comes with a glossy slip cover. Inside is a retail DVD Copy<\/span><\/b> (with one feature), plus a download code for the UltraViolet Digital Copy<\/span><\/b>.<\/p>\n

The Gangland Files<\/span><\/b> is a picture-in-picture feature where \u2013 with an intro from actors Giovanni Ribisi, Anthony Mackie and Robert Patrick \u2013 show some trivia about the era and the real people behind the movie and on gangsters in general. There\u2019s also some behind-the-scenes footage and interviews, but those are few and far between… ** Blu-ray Exclusive **<\/b><\/p>\n

Focus Points: The Set-Up (46:28; HD)<\/span><\/b> contains a series of 15 featurettes, some of which were shown in \u201cThe Gangland Files\u201d PiP. These cover a variety of topics from the gangsters in Los Angeles, behind-the-scenes footage, cast and crew interviews as they explain the roles and plot, etc. With the \u201cPlay All\u201d option, you get a good sense of the production and real life story, and archive\/new interviews with the real people, making for a fine documentary. ** Blu-ray Exclusive **<\/b><\/p>\n

Then and Now Locations (8:03; HD)<\/span><\/b> \u2013 This featurette allows you to see vintage photos of the locations where the story takes place, along with images of those places today. They are also shown during \u201cThe Gangland Files\u201d PiP. ** Blu-ray Exclusive **<\/b><\/p>\n

Audio Commentary<\/span><\/b> \u2013 Director Ruben Fleischer sits down for a lively and informative commentary going over various topics on directing styles and giving praise to the cast.<\/p>\n

Rogues Gallery: Mickey Cohen (46:44; SD)<\/span><\/b> is a lengthy documentary, narrated by William Devane, on the 1940s gangster made for television showing where Cohen came from, his influence during the period and his celebrity status. ** Blu-ray Exclusive **<\/b><\/p>\n

Tough Guys with Style (4:54; HD)<\/span><\/b> \u2013 Josh Brolin and Ryan Gosling, along with the rest of the cast, take us into the gritty underbelly of Los Angeles circa 1949. This featurette is more as an advertisement for the movie than giving great insight into making the movie…<\/p>\n

Deleted Scenes (12:20; HD)<\/span><\/b> \u2013 Seven scenes which didn\u2019t make the grade are included here with a short introduction by Fleischer who doesn\u2019t explain in detail why they were cut or trimmed. ** Blu-ray Exclusive **<\/b><\/p>\n

Preview<\/b> \u2013 The Great Gatsby<\/i><\/p>\n

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VIDEO \u2013 4.5\/5<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Gangster Squad <\/i><\/b>shoots onto Blu-ray presented in its original 2.40 widescreen aspect ratio and a solid 1080p high-definition transfer. The picture here is what one would expect from a new release: shiny with no signs of artifacting or pixilation. The black levels are austere while the video features fine detail from both close-ups and background objects. The color arrangement keeps in tune with the era with a more bronze palette outside of a few scenes such as those at the nightclub which has some starker coloring on the dresses.<\/p>\n

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AUDIO \u2013 5.0\/5<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track offered here is amazing with loud and expansive lossless audio during the action sequences which contains gunfire. Also impressive is Steve Jablonsky\u2019s fantastic score which nicely envelops the room. The center channel is utilized for the center action from dialogue levels which are crisp and clear while the rear speakers contain the ambient elements and side action.<\/p>\n

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OVERALL \u2013 4.0\/5<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Overall, Ruben Fleischer\u2019s Gangster Squad<\/i><\/b> no doubt blew the opportunity to be a special crime-drama and instead it stumbles trying to emulate other gangster movies in the past. Still, I couldn\u2019t help but enjoy the movie especially the performances from Brolin, Gosling, Robert Patrick and Sean Penn that it makes for a worthwhile viewing even with its flaws. The Blu-ray\/DVD combo pack offers excellent audio\/video transfers and for a Warner release, there\u2019s a good amount of features.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Movieman
\n<\/i>Published: <\/b>04\/19\/2013<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ruben Fleischer\u2019s Gangster Squad no doubt blew the opportunity to be a special crime-drama and instead it stumbles trying to emulate other gangster movies in the past. Still, I couldn\u2019t help but enjoy the movie especially the performances from Brolin, Gosling, Robert Patrick and Sean Penn that it makes for a worthwhile viewing even with … Continue reading “Gangster Squad Blu-ray Review”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[2002,592,2001,1287,193,1391,688,614,1128,558],"class_list":["post-5474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blurayreviews","tag-anthony-mackie","tag-emma-stone","tag-gangster-squad","tag-giovanni-ribisi","tag-josh-brolin","tag-michael-pena","tag-nick-nolte","tag-robert-patrick","tag-ryan-gosling","tag-sean-penn"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5474"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5474\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26490,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5474\/revisions\/26490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}