'The Gangster Squad' starring Ryan Gosling and Sean Penn - feature trailer review
Gangster Squad Directed by: Ruben Fleischer Starring: Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Emma Stone Rating: R Release Date: January 11, 2013
TRAILER SCORE: 6/10
Thoughts by TSR: If everything had happened as planned we’d already have had the opportunity to see Gangster Squad. Unfortunately, the tragic shooting in Aurora, Colorado led to reshoots to remove the original theater-set climax (something that was the best part of the first trailer). Here we get a short look at the results of the reshoots, and the new Chinatown sequence looks solid too. I have a lot of the same reservations I did a few months ago, but this does make Gangster Squad look like a decently entertaining way to spend a couple of hours.
As was the case in the first trailer, Ryan Gosling remains one of my biggest issues. While he’s one of my very favorite actors, every word out of his mouth feels off. He looks good in the silent moments though, so hopefully that performance comes together. This also made me a bit more concerned that Sean Penn will go completely hammy. His petulant “Los Angeles is my destiny!’ is comical, a reaction I can’t imagine they were going for. As I said last time, the over-stylized digital look is a bit off-putting, but it does boast some excellent work in the costume and production design departments. Sight unseen this was one of my most anticipated films. After seeing two merely passable trailers, however, my interest is much more restrained.