GANGSTER SQUAD... AND WHY CRITCS AREN'T FUN AT PARTIES

January 12, 2013

GANGSTER SQUAD… AND WHY CRITCS AREN’T FUN AT PARTIES

“Watching too many movies… bulletproof this… if this is your first time hearing this, you’re about to experience someone so cold!” The words of Jay Z’s “Oh My God” featured extensively in the marketing campaign of Warner Bros. new film, Gangster Squad almost seem to be forewarning the onslaught of cynical critics unfairly kicking this delightful movie in the gut. With a 33% fresh rate on Rotten Tomatoes, the average moviegoer might assume that the film must be god-awful.That is until, you see that 73% of the audience ratings favor the film. What could cause such a huge discrepancy?

The answer is simple and the predecessor to almost all forms of resentment… misplaced expectations.

“The movie claims to be ‘based on a true story’ but turns out to be as authentic as The Flinstones in Viva Rock Vegas.” -Matt Brunson

Because “Inspired By True Events” is the same as a direct adaptation?

“It’s all surface level a backdrop for a big, dumb action movie that has more in common with “The Expendables” than “L.A. Confidential.” -Greg Maki

And this is where my frustration as a moviegoer begins. I too, adore L.A. Confidential. Along with Chinatown, it is the holy grail of L.A. based crime dramas. It’s gritty, nuanced and authentic portrayal of Los Angeles, coupled with it’s tinges of pulp sentimentality make many feel warm inside. There is no movie in recent memory since Curtis Hanson’s classic that has ever even threatened to kick it off of it’s throne. But for some strange reason, the critics seem to feel justified in kicking the crap out of Ruben Fleischer’s popcorn caper because it has no Oscar dreams. Or maybe they hate it because it doesn’t force us to think of the political and sociological landscape of 1940’s L.A (for goodness sake… it’s called GANGSTER SQUAD. The tone is already set up in the title.)

That’s like keying a Corvette because it’s not a Lamborghini. That’s like burning down an In-N-Out because it’s not a five star restaurant. What in the world did you expect, people?

I’ve embedded the trailer here…

Watch it. Maybe three times. Maybe four times. Heck… maybe just spend the whole day with some graph paper and pie charts and analyze the life out of it, and then please come back and explain to me, how, on God’s green earth, anybody thought that this was going to be like L.A. Confidential? Here’s the trailer for that film.

How did anyone assume that Gangster Squad even had the aspirations of being a serious drama, or even the intentions of portraying itself as a thinking man’s movie? Did the critics just say “I really wish they were making L.A. Confidential” or “I really wish Brian De Palma made this movie” and then proceed to eviscerate the film because of flawed wishful thinking? Let’s also look at director Ruben Fleischer’s filmography. Zombieland (great movie), 30 Minutes Or Less, and this film. Please, intelligently express to me what you were expecting. And that is NOT a knock on Mr. Fleischer, as I do enjoy his film-making style.

“Anyone with knowledge of L.A. history will find the story so wildly inaccurate as to be almost entertaining”- Colin Covert

You guys must be fun at parties… (pic via Buzzfeed)

Funny… I thought being entertaining was the whole point. “Inspired by a true story…” not “based on a true story.” That sort of gives you freedom to do whatever the heck you want.

When I saw the Gangster Squad trailer… I don’t know, maybe my brain is getting dull, but it felt like a modern day story in the vein of something like this…

Or maybe this

“Gangster Squad” is a highly stylized, pulp-fiction period piece based on true events… It’s an admittedly violent but nearly comic-book style telling of some real-life heroes, that stood up to a man that was pure evil.” Those are the words of Richard Roeper who gave the film a B+ review. At least some of these critics get it.

Gangster Squad is unashamed and confident in its homage to run of the mill, pulpy, bullet riddled, posturing gangland entertainment. It markets itself as a connect the dots narrative that is more interested in the flashiness of it all. And by that token, it shines. Every character is colorful enough to pop. They may not have the greatest of depth, but they keep my eyes on the screen and they kept everyone’s butts in the seats. Sean Penn’s portrayal of Mickey Cohen is vicious enough for you to lust after the end of his reign. The motivations of the Characters are pure enough for you to keep rooting for their success, and the charisma factor is just too high not to smile. In the words of Javert, err… Maximus from Gladiator… “Are you not entertained?!”

Is it violent? Yes. Excessively so? Yes. It’s a tall tale set in the Wild West, nothing more and nothing less. It favors simple myth over history with brash confidence and no apologies. The production design is gorgeous, It’s kinetic and rhythmic pace is addicting, and its sense of fun is infectious.

Remember, it was marketed with muzzle flashes, tough guy poses, seductive smiles and slow motion gunfights with Jay Z’s music giving boisterously empathetic narration in the trailer. What else could be expected other than glossy, forceful and imaginative escapism? Immensely entertaining escapism at that. Stop taking things so seriously, and have a little bit of fun. Life is too short.

And finally, to all those people saying it should have been more like The Untouchables… I enjoyed it far more than The Untouchables, so sue me. Go ahead and stone me while you’re at it, but before you cast the first stone, please explain to me how Mamet or De Palma thought this scene worked?

WANNA FIGHT?!

I personally would like to applaud Warner Bros, Lin Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures for producing a greatly entertaining movie that I will gladly revisit over and over again.

If you want the more detailed and serious exploration of similar material, read Paul Lieberman’s source material on the REAL gangster squad.

Buy his book, which the film is based on, here.