Gangster Squad will finally be released on January 11th 2013, after Warner Bros. had postponed the release of the film to accommodate reshoots because of a scene of a movie theater shooting in the completed film that became problematic in the wake of the Aurora, Colo. massacre. Now in lieu of the recent tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, the film’s makers are hoping that audiences will not associate their bang-bang, shoot’em up Gangster film to the recent tragedy. One producer on the film said, “we respect those tragedies” and hope that audiences do not associate our film to those types of tragedies. They argue that the film has something for everyone whether it be action, romance, suspense or laughs. The star of the film Josh Brolin said, “There has always been violence in movies and there will always be violence in movies and whether it lends to the one psychotic that is out there that is thinking the worst thoughts that you can possibly think is always going to be a mystery.”
In the film, Brolin plays a kick *ss, ‘take no prisoners’ Sgt. John O’Mara, who leads a squad of six LAPD police officers, including Sgt. Jerry Wooters played by Ryan Gosling, to break the law in order to protect them from Mickey Cohen, played by Sean Penn, and his gang. The film also stars Anthony Mackie as Det. Rocky Washington, Giovanni Ribisi as Det. Conway Keeler and Michael Peña as Det. Navidad Ramirez. The film chronicles the real-life fight to keep East Coast Mafia types out of Los Angeles in the 1940s and 50s. “This movie is about people standing up for their beliefs and doing what is right….It is a celebration of these cops who rid LA of organized crime,” said the film director Ruben Fleischer (previously directed Zombieland). Dan Lin a producer on the film remarked, “We really wanted to make this movie our love song to Los Angeles… we are telling a period story set in 1940 Los Angeles, but we wanted to make it feel contemporary.”
The filmmakers of Gangster Squad also wanted to stress the importance of seeing African and Hispanic Americans play lead roles in a film about the LAPD in 1940. A producer on the film pointed out that one of O’Mara’s best friends was Tom Bradley who was also a police chief and then mayor of Los Angeles. They said they wanted to make sure that the casting and construction of the story was reflective of the city. Moreover, Will Beall, who wrote the film and was inspired by his own service in the LAPD before becoming a screenwriter, wanted to have his characters reflect the squad in the police environment that he worked in.
But the cast faced many challenges in making this period piece, gangster film. Ryan Gosling joked that it was really challenging for him when he realized he wasn’t going to get a tommy gun. He said, “I thought for sure I would have one, but instead I got a little lady gun and Josh kind of hugged the tommy gun.” But all kidding aside Gosling did admit it was challenging to balance what was best for a dramatic story and trying to honor the real man he portrayed. “I think it is important to note that this is a real person and that the man himself was a much braver, more admirable character, than the version of him that I play in the film,” Gosling said. Emma Stone, who plays Grace Faraday, the love interest to both Gosling’s and Penn’s characters, said she struggled with playing the forgotten girl on Penn’s arm. She said, “I said about a line to him [Penn], but for the most part he is doing his business, while I am off to the side, so I was watching him more than anything. So, however you felt as an audience is how I felt as an actor,” she joked. Brolin said he struggled with the fight scene that he shared with his co-star and long-time friend Penn. “Fist were flying wildly during the fight. [But we were just] hoping that they got something that was usable…but I think both of us being the current and ex-smokers that we are, it was the most challenging on an oxygen level,” Brolin said.
Brolin and Penn are both natives of California, which the producer of the film said they sought since California and Los Angeles are such big characters in the film. Brolin is a 7th generation Californian, while Penn is a native Angelino. Penn’s grandparents actually own a bakery in Boyle Heights where Mickey Cohen once lived.
-Melissa Unger