Gangster Squad

Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn), a gangster from the east, exerts his ruthless and far-reaching force to take over 1949 Los Angeles. A policeman on the force (Josh Brolin) is assigned to put together a secret task force (Ryan Gosling and others) to take down Cohen by whatever means possible. This “gangster squad” meets with disaster on its first outing, but finds new approaches in their attempt to save L.A. and rid the city of Cohen.

ClearPlay In Action!

As you can imagine, there is rain of gunfire in this gangster flick, trimmed of as much blood as possible by ClearPlay. Other excised violence includes a man being torn in half, a man being stabbed through the hand, men dying in a burning elevator, and other images of mayhem. ClearPlay also cuts around 80 religious exclamations and profanities, including 25 F–words, and scenes of sensuality such as a brief bedroom encounter, an attempted rape, and exotic dancing. There is implied violence throughout this dark movie, which is only appropriate for older teens and above.

Should I volunteer for the Gangster Squad?…

Gangster Squad is almost the same movie as The Untouchables, but without the solid writing, interesting characters, and sure–handed direction. Although derivative, the movie has some interesting scenes and a strong cast that may reward fans of the genre.

Marty Nabhan— ClearPlay Undercover Reviewer

Rated R for strong violence and language; 113 min; Directed by Ruben Fleischer