Gangster Squad is a 2013 American action-thriller film directed by Ruben Fleischer and written by Will Beall. It is a dramatized account of the Gangster Squad, a group of real-life LAPD officials and investigators; that hunted down crime kingpin Mickey Cohen and his gang in 1949. The following is the true narrative of the Gangster Squad.
The Real-Life Story Behind The Gangster Squad
There was a time when the gangster film was a fixture of old Hollywood, with cops, crooks, young girls, and weaponry. More recently, the most successful models have been ‘LA Confidential’ and ‘The Untouchables,’ Like the latter, ‘Gangster Squad’ has its roots in a factual story.
Screenwriter Will Beall has woven together the true exploits of the 1940s/50s LAPD criminal investigator John O’Mara based on a series of stories by LA Times journalist Paul Lieberman.
At the time, Los Angeles was being overrun by East Coast mobsters, especially the harsh, violent Mickey Cohen, and O’Mara was tasked with cleaning up the kingpin’s gambling, prostitution, and pollution. O’Mara formed the Gangster Squad by assembling a cadre of fair cops, notably sergeant Jerry Wooters, who were eager to take the fight to Cohen and co.
Casts And Directors Have Seen Talking About Real-Life Events In The Movie.
Director Ruben Fleischer has assembled a cast including Josh Brolin as O’Mara and Ryan Gosling as Wooters to bring their narrative to the big screen. Sean Penn (as Mickey Cohen), Emma Stone, Nick Nolte, Giovanni Ribisi, Anthony Mackie, Robert Patrick, and Mireille Enos are all on board.
Brolin found a lot to work with in O’Mara, telling us on set: “He was just like me. He’s in love with California, but he’s returned from the war to much debasement in the LAPD. He loathed it when Mickey Cohen moved in, consumed; and began to destroy Los Angeles and was the Serpico of his generation. He would not be bought and had to make it happen.”
Surprisingly, after meeting O’Mara’s real-life girlfriend, the performer brought his relationship with his better half, Diane Lane, into the presentation. She informed him that her father was heartfelt,’ so Brolin re-read a book he prepared of the numerous messages he wrote his significant other during their first year of marriage (there were 473).
Taking on a narrative with its foundations was a challenge for Fleischer, who needed to ensure he handled the issue sensitively while making a compelling film.
“The genuine characters have arrived on set in bunches and have been electrified. We even had one of the original squad members on set. He observed Ryan Gosling in the role of Sergeant Jerry Wooters and believed he seemed like an aberrant equal. The information is not entirely accurate.”
However, there’s enough of the true tale in the film’s DNA to appease O’Mara and Wooters’ family. “The guardians had never truly told the youngsters the complete tale. As a result, people get to progress a piece of their history, “Dan Lin, the creator, states.
“We had some artistic license with the characters to make it feel more like a film. After that, when the relatives saw us filming, they told us it was surprisingly realistic. Wooters, one of the gang members, lay down with knuckle reinforcements near his bed. For us, it’s a Hollywood detail, but he was a problem in real life.”
They used this ‘artistic license’ in the casting of Sean Penn, who looked to resemble Cohen despite the fake nose.
Box Office Details For Gangster Squad
Gangster Squad grossed $46 million in the United States and Canada, and $59.2 million in other territories; for a total of $105.2 million against a $60 million production budget.
Movie Reviews For Gangster Squad
The movie got a decent survey after its delivery! The movie has garnered a sum of 6.7 ratings out of 10. Regarding the Rotten Tomatoes rating, the movie has garnered a sum of Audience Score of 57%.
What Does The Storyline Follow?
It’s 1949 in Los Angeles, and mobster Mickey Cohen has moved in, determined to control all criminal activities. He has bought local judges and police, and no one is ready to contradict him or testify against him.
Everyone except Sergeant John O’Mara, a former World War II officer whose goal is to settle with his family in a peaceful Los Angeles. Police Chief William Parker hires O’Mara to oversee an extraordinary team whose objective is to bring down Cohen.
O’Mara selects four officers and invites another cop and veteran, Jerry Wooters, to join him, but Wooters declines. Wooters joins them after seeing the killing of a young man by Cohen’s clan, and they decide to demolish Cohen’s group. Cohen considers if an adversary is pursuing him but eventually discovers it is the cops.
