Ruben Fleischer, the director of Zombieland and 30 Minutes or Less, has taken a break from comedies and made what looks like an absolutely kick-ass crime drama, chock full of really strong actors: Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Nick Nolte, Robert Patrick, Michael Peña, Giovanni Ribisi, Anthony Mackie, Emma Stone, and Sean Penn.
Here’s the synopsis:
Los Angeles, 1949. Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mob king Mickey Cohen (Penn) runs the show in this town, reaping the ill-gotten gains from the drugs, the guns, the prostitutes and–if he has his way–every wire bet placed west of Chicago. And he does it all with the protection of not only his own paid goons, but also the police and the politicians who are under his control. It’s enough to intimidate even the bravest, street-hardened cop…except, perhaps, for the small, secret crew of LAPD outsiders led by Sgt. John O’Mara (Brolin) and Jerry Wooters (Gosling), who come together to try to tear Cohen’s world apart. Gangster Squad is a colorful retelling of events surrounding the LAPD’s efforts to take back their nascent city from one of the most dangerous mafia bosses of all time.
I liked (not loved) Fleischers earlier films, but this looks fantastic. The tone, the look, and the cinematography are all much more distinctive than either of his previous efforts. The film was previously slated for October 12, 2012, but was bumped by Argo, Ben Affleck’s next flick. There’s no official release date at the moment.
Apple has the trailer in HD, if you want to see it all big and stuff.