Based it appears on actual events to eradicate gangsters from Los Angeles in the late 1940s 'Gangster Squad' interested me because of its strong cast list and the fact that it is set in 1949, the year of my birth. I thought it would be fun to see how the world looked when I was born, even if it is a world seen through Hollywood eyes.
Judging from this film it was a very violent world indeed and one packed with cliche upon cliche. Stylistically there are occasional elements that have been heavily featured in the Australian 'Underbelly' television series, thankfully without resort to the countless topless women shots the television series used to pad out what at times was a thin storyline.
The movie plot is straightforward. A small undercover police unit is established to fight the dominant gangster team on their own turf. Hence violence fights violence. Everyone overacts shamelessly and the cliches mount with each scene.
Had a more subtle approach been tried and some charmed used this could have been a triumph, instead the in your face attitude of it all is a disappointment.
★★1/2
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