GANGSTER SQUAD

A supreme waste of talent, with a dream roster of actors including Michael Pena, Giovanni Ribisi, Robert Patrick and Anthony Mackie, where not one of them is given a shining moment - even Emma "can do no wrong" Stone and Ryan "so freakin' talented I wanna cry" Gosling don’t quite cut the mustard, with only their undeniable chemistry holding it together. It’s Penn and Penn alone who deserves the accolades, and that’s only for the sheer amount of enjoyment delivered in every one of his scenes (behind that prosthetic nose of course). Penn is clearly having way too much fun with his megalomaniac Cohen. With this cast at Fleisher's disposal, the film is nowhere near as ambitious as it should have been, because unlike its characters, it plays everything by the book.

While ‘Gangster Squad’ has its share of laughs, violence and brutal moments, it ultimately falls short of expectations from its audience. It’s easily digestible and nicely superficial, but not one that stays with you for long. As you walk out of the cinema, you're unable to shake the feeling that you’ve seen it all before - perhaps in 1987 when it was called ‘The Untouchables’.