Gangster Squad – La La Confidential

Gangster Squad never equals the sum of its parts. Featuring a stacked cast—Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, and Emma Stone, to name a few—it's never more than a middling mob flick.

And that's a problem. Why? Well, there are dozens of films in this genre, many of which capitalize on their premise far more than this does.

Gangster Squad is essentially a 21st Century Untouchables without any of the style or substance that made that movie so great.

Thus, despite strong efforts from the aforementioned cast, the material is never elevated. Hence why critics hated it, 30% on Rotten Tomatoes with 207 reviews; and audiences avoided it.  On a budget of $75 million, it grossed just over $105 million worldwide.

One wouldn't move up very high on the ladder of underworld henchmen with those sorts of receipts.

So, sit back, peel the cap off a Blah Blah Blah IPA from 21st Amendment Brewery, and live dangerously in the City of Angels! I, the Thunderous Wizard (@WriterTLK), Capt. Cash, Mayor McCheese, and Chumpzilla are putting together a team of unflappable lawmen to take on the mob.

This Week’s Segments:

• Introduction/Plot Breakdown – You lose everything and you win the war, you're a hero. You lose everything and you lose the war, you're just a fool. (00:00)
• Lingering Questions – After a word from our brothers in beer at Hop Nation USA, we discuss the exact moment Sean Penn believed he'd win the Oscar for this. (37:26)
• The "Alcatraz" Trivia Challenge – The Double Turn Podcast rumbles in a Chinatown "Street Fight," and then I challenge the field to trivia about the movie. (58:19)
• Recommendations – We offer our picks for the week and next up: We continue "Hops and Star Powered Flops" with the woefully miscast Prince of Persia. (1:08:39)

And, as always, hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram to check out all the interesting factoids—the controversy with the film's first trailer and more—from this week’s episode!

You can find this episode of Hops and Box Office Flops on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean, Spotify, Acast, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, Vurbl, Amazon Music and more!