Gangster Squad

An impressive cast is assembled to play one lousy game of cops and robbers. Sean Penn mugs and squawks through the role of Mickey Cohen, real life L.A. gangster who didn’t really do anything depicted in this moronic movie. This is about a late ’40s, mostly fictional effort to dethrone Cohen led by a gutsy cop (Josh Brolin). His squad includes Ryan Gosling (in his worst performance yet) and Giovanni Ribisi (pretty much doing his Giovanni Ribisi thing), and they “leave their badges home” to take down the monster. And a monster he is, badly acted by Penn who can just be the worst man in his trade when he tries. Gosling uses a soft and high-pitched gangster voice that renders him silly. Emma Stone is on hand in what is a rather unlikeable role, yet we are supposed to like her. (She sleeps with Cohen, then two-times him, so she’s stupid and unfaithful.) Sure to stand as one of the year’s worst films.