Thursday, May 10, 2012

The Gangster Squad gets an awful trailer, looks like L.A. Confidential performed by and for children.

You'll find few who enjoyed Zombieland more than I did.  I put it on my best-of-2009 list and called it perhaps the best zombie film ever made.  But Ruben Fleischer's third film (following the underwhelming but interesting 30 Minutes Or Less) looks frankly idiotic.  Sean Penn is overacting to the point of obnoxiousness.  Ryan Gosling is once again presented as God's gift to women.  Emma Stone is once again paraded around as a piece of ass.  And the film feels like a rehash of any number of 1940s LA crime pictures.  Anthony "I'd be a big star if I wasn't black" Mackie can't even get billing in the trailer, but his presence is appreciated amid the admittedly terrific cast (Josh Brolin, Nick Nolte, Giovanni Ribisi, Robert Patrick, Michael Pena, etc).  Stone's apparent role as the forbidden fruit highlights a certain sausage fest mentality ('manly men doing manly business while hot women wait on call'), while Mireille Enos's seemingly token appearance highlights the 'TV is better for women than movies' cliche.  On television, Enos is the lead in AMC's The Killing.  In movies, she plays Josh Brolin's wife.  The use of contemporary hip-hop song (Jay-Z's "Oh My God") to sell a 1940s period crime drama reeks of demographic pandering while the trailer sells the film as a slightly more adult-skewing version of the 1991 flop Mobsters (L.A. Confidential for kids?).  I'm all in favor of all-star ensemble films and/or period crime dramas.  But putting aside the 'cool cast' factor, this frankly looks awfully silly.  As of now, Warner Bros. has not given The Gangster Squad a release date, so it's likely that the reception for this trailer will be used as a measuring stick of sorts.  Anyway, as always, we'll see...

Scott Mendelson

8 comments:

J.D. Stutts said...

Sean Penn is the most overrated (over-)actor on the planet (at least he has his 'charming' personality going for him *ahem*); also, The Killing blows and needs to be ashcanned...I hope this movie bombs big-time, like Kate Hudson's latest atrocity (seriously, it's beyond awful)...

Erlend Lunde Holbek said...

The only thing I agree with you on is Emma Stone - if this is all she will be doing in the movie, why did she take it? Except for that I really enjoyed this trailer.

Brandon Peters said...

As a cast member of Zombieland, i'd say its cuz she likes working with the director or owes a favor maybe.

jermsguy said...

This has a Billy Bathgate feel to it.

Andrew Davies said...

Emma Stone looks miscast in this film. She's a good actress but I think the only reason she got the role was because of Fleischer and Gosling. And I agree that Gosling has to stop being presented as God's gift to women. After saying anyone who wouldn't say they would give everything up for Emma Stone, he's on my you know what list.

Jeremy Flores said...

Production values reminds me of All The Kings' Men

Scott Mendelson said...

That was my thought too, but I presumed it was too obscure a reference. A 20-year old critically-panned gangster movie that bombed in theaters... I'm surprised even *I* remember Billy Bathgate, let alone anyone else.

Scott Mendelson said...

That crossed my mind and I suppose it makes sense. I just hope she has more to do in the actual movie that just play the 'prize to be won'.

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