Gangster Squad

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Gangster Squad

R

2013

1h 0m

Crime

Drama

Action

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Popcornmeter

30%

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205 Reviews

57%

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100,000+ Ratings

Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mobster Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) has 1949 Los Angeles in an iron fist, as he accumulates a fortune from drugs, prostitution and gambling. Cohen has an army of paid goons at his disposal, but he also has certain policemen and politicians in his pocket. It's enough to intimidate even the bravest cop, until Los Angeles Police Department mavericks, Sgts. John O'Mara (Josh Brolin) and Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling), form a secret crew to bring Cohen to justice.

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Critics Consensus

Though it's stylish and features a talented cast, Gangster Squad suffers from lackluster writing, underdeveloped characters, and an excessive amount of violence.

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

Sep 7, 2017

D+

It's a lazy, watered down gangster flick that is not nearly as clever or as new as it attempts to be.

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Larushka Ivan-Zadeh

metro.co.uk

Sep 1, 2017

3/5

Gangster Squad is slight pulp fiction that offers all-out, balls-to-the-wall action riddled with as many clichés as bullets.

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Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

Jun 21, 2016

Those who are calling it shallow and cartoony and clichéd are missing the point. It is all of those things, purposefully - gleefully, even.

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Sebastian Zavala Kahn

Me gusta el cine

Oct 9, 2025

4/5

It definitely helps to watch it without taking into consideration the complicated context in which it was released, and rather keeping in mind its clear pulpy, simple and unpretentious inspirations. [Full review in Spanish].

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Michael Leader

Den of Geek

May 3, 2024

2/5

It may look pretty, and it may act tough, but Gangster Squad is as dumb as they come.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Sep 20, 2022

2/4

What a shame that such a talented cast of actors, not to mention the attractive costumes and gorgeous production design, go to waste on this all-too-familiar story.

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Thyaagu C

@Thyaagu Jul 31, 2026

3.25 ⭐️ Stone-Gosling trilogy complete! Nothing big... but enough guns, punches and characters to make the ride worthwhile.

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Mira M

@RT77943893 Jul 2, 2026

I quite liked this movie! It kept a grip on me!

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Oaklee D

@ODie63 May 15, 2026

Doesn't reinvent the wheel but it is a fun little gangster/action flick.

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Snuggles S.

@Snuggles Apr 20, 2026

It's better than both the tomato and popcorn meter saying. FOH

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Harvey K

@Harvey658 Apr 14, 2026

I can't find my tonsils under the couch but my mother has gone out

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Will G

@Kingofthepixies Dec 13, 2025

I think they were looking for something in the vein of L. A. confidential. Some good actors trying and some just phoning it in. Sean Penn is terrible. The script was poor, the direction was on par with a rushed TV episode of something or other. Can't get over Sean Penns awfulness.

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Ruben Fleischer

Director

Josh Brolin

Sgt. John O'Mara

Ryan Gosling

Sgt. Jerry Wooters

Nick Nolte

Chief Parker

Robert Patrick

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Critics Consensus: Gangster Squad Is Style Over Substance

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Synopsis

Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mobster Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) has 1949 Los Angeles in an iron fist, as he accumulates a fortune from drugs, prostitution and gambling. Cohen has an army of paid goons at his disposal, but he also has certain policemen and politicians in his pocket. It's enough to intimidate even the bravest cop, until Los Angeles Police Department mavericks, Sgts. John O'Mara (Josh Brolin) and Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling), form a secret crew to bring Cohen to justice.

Director: Ruben Fleischer
Producer: Dan Lin, Kevin McCormick, Michael Tadross
Screenwriter: Will Beall
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Warner Bros., Lin Pictures, Kevin McCormick
Rating: R (Strong Violence|Language)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 11, 2013, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 1, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $46.0M
Runtime: 1h 0m
Sound Mix: Datasat, SDDS, Dolby Digital

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