Gangster Squad Blu-ray Review

The Blu-ray video presentation of "Gangster Squad" is an exceptional rendering, capturing the movie's distinctive visual style in high definition. The 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer achieves remarkable clarity, notably through a reserved chromatic palette rich in sepia tones and muted primaries, effectively enhancing the film's period aesthetic. While some sequences make bolder use of color with deeper saturation, the blacks are impeccably deep and the contrast is well balanced, ensuring no distortion in image quality. Although a touch of softness is inherent in some scenes, close-ups maintain appreciable texture and subtle refinement. Delineation in low-level scenes ranges broadly but generally remains satisfactory.

The video quality showcases striking detail and retains natural edges with fine textures from production design to costumes, particularly under natural light. Interiors and nighttime scenes are lush with incredible depth and sharpness. The use of light and shadow is evocatively handled by cinematographer Dion Beebe, ensuring even scenes drenched in darkness emerge deeply textured. Notably, the blend of warm hues, inky blacks, and saturated colors such as the red of evening gowns and the sheen of classic suits maintain a sumptuous allure. Technically speaking, the presentation is pristine—with no hints of grain, macroblocking, ringing, banding, noise, or aliasing present. While alternate shots reveal minor break-up issues, these instances are negligible.

Overall, despite occasional blandness in flesh tones and minimal crush issues, the video transfer is sleek and enticing. Both daytime clarity and nocturnal definition are stellar, ensuring viewers are enveloped by the beautifully rendered visuals. The quality of this Blu-ray release is a testament to superb filmmaking and an adept technical transfer.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack for "Gangster Squad" delivers an impressively dynamic and immersive listening experience. Extending over a broad dynamic range, the audio clarity is superb, and the soundtrack effectively utilizes the entire surround platform to enhance the film’s elements. The music score intricately integrates with discrete and ambient sound effects, creating an involving and sometimes active surround mix. The subtle background sounds, off-camera cues, and spatial dimensions contribute to an enveloping surround experience, with low-frequency effects emanating intense power through the subwoofer during action sequences. Dialogue maintains clear distinction and balance, firmly planted in the center channel, which ensures intelligible voices amidst the chaos.

This DTS-HD MA track excels in creating a cinematic soundscape with balanced highs and robust lows, avoiding any distortion. The track's bass frequencies stand out, providing significant depth and weight, punctuating each scene with appropriate intensity. Whether it’s the booming gunshots transformed into thunderclaps or the subtler elements like the foreboding tones of Steve Jablonsky's score, the LFE channel performs with staggering subtlety. Rear speakers contribute effectively with pinpoint directional effects and immersive soundfield, resulting in thoroughly engaged auditory experiences. Even during peak action sequences, dialogue remains clear, avoiding the pitfalls of muddled sound that often plague such films.

Overall, the audio presentation is exceptionally well-executed, with strong stereo separation across front channels that lend an expansive feel to even mundane scenes. Delicate ambient effects and strategically positioned scoring bits across the rear channels envelop listeners within the on-screen action, ensuring a captivating auditory frame. The balance between explosive power during action sequences and nuanced ambient sounds underscores its technical prowess, making this soundtrack an exemplary addition to the Blu-ray format. Whether for avid audiophiles or casual viewers, this clean and dynamic audio track undoubtedly enhances the overall enjoyment of "Gangster Squad."

The "Gangster Squad" Blu-ray's extras section is rich with an array of insightful features and behind-the-scenes content, though with some variability in depth and engagement. The inclusion of director Ruben Fleischer's somewhat uninspired yet informative audio commentary and the comprehensive "Focus Points" videos provide detailed explorations of the film's production. While "The Gangland Files", an interactive Picture-in-Picture segment, offers a multifaceted viewing experience complete with interviews and trivia, it redundantly overlaps with other features. Additional highlights include the historically informative "Rogues Gallery" on Mickey Cohen and the reflective "Tough Guys with Style". Deleted scenes with Fleischer's introduction add further context, though not all are impactful.

Extras included in this disc:

• Audio Commentary: Director Ruben Fleischer discusses the film’s development.
• The Gangland Files: PiP experience with interviews, videos, and trivia.
• Focus Points: Fifteen featurettes covering various behind-the-scenes aspects.
• Deleted Scenes: Seven deleted scenes with director introductions.
• Rogues Gallery: Mickey Cohen: Informative profile on gangster Mickey Cohen.
• Then and Now Locations: Comparative photo reel of film locations.
• Tough Guys with Style: Cast reflections on 1940s Los Angeles.

"Gangster Squad," directed by Ruben Fleischer, aspires for greatness by drawing from a rich history of gangster cinema but ultimately falls short. Set in 1949 Los Angeles, the film centers around mob kingpin Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) and the LAPD’s off-the-books squad led by Sgt. John O'Mara (Josh Brolin) and Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling). Despite the stellar cast and high production values, the film is hampered by shallow character development and an over-reliance on gratuitous violence. Penn's performance, while intense, leans more towards caricature, overshadowing the depth that could have been explored in Cohen's character.

The film’s narrative feels like a patchwork of better movies such as "L.A. Confidential" and "The Untouchables," yet it lacks their coherence and impact. Scenes intended to thrill come across as clichéd and the violent sequences, though visually arresting, add little substance to the storytelling. Furthermore, the romantic subplot between Gosling’s Wooters and Emma Stone’s Grace Faraday is underdeveloped and distracts from the film's main arc. The lack of genuine chemistry makes their interactions feel forced and unconvincing.

Despite its drawbacks, "Gangster Squad" does possess a certain visual flair; Fleischer's direction captures the essence of the late 1940s with stylistic panache. However, the film struggles to maintain interest beyond its surface-level appeal. As an action-packed spectacle, it might serve as a guilty pleasure for some, but for those seeking depth and originality in a crime drama, it proves to be an underwhelming experience.

“Gangster Squad” aspires to capture the gritty essence of Los Angeles' underworld, but it falters under the weight of its own ambitions. The film is replete with clichés, from tough-guy melodrama to historically inaccurate plotlines, making it difficult for viewers to engage on a deeper level. Despite a talented cast, led by a cartoonish Sean Penn, the script and performances fail to evoke the classic gangster films it so clearly emulates. Director Ruben Fleischer’s strong visual aesthetic and the overall capable acting do offer moments of respite, but they can't fully compensate for the underdeveloped material that leaves audiences yearning for more substantive narratives from the genre.

On the technical front, Warner's Blu-ray release of “Gangster Squad” is exemplary. The video transfer is immaculate, showcasing stunning high-definition visuals that truly pop, especially during the film’s many action sequences. Additionally, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is a standout feature, delivering an immersive auditory experience that heightens the film's tense atmosphere. The supplemental package is robust, offering plenty of extra content for enthusiasts who enjoy diving deeper into the production aspects, though it might not add much value for those unimpressed by the primary content.

In conclusion, while “Gangster Squad” may not satisfy those seeking a gripping, nuanced gangster tale, its exceptional Blu-ray presentation makes it worth a rental for its technical prowess alone. The disparity between the film's lackluster narrative and its superb audiovisual execution offers a unique viewing dichotomy. Those interested in high-quality video and sound presentations will find much to appreciate, even if the film itself may leave something to be desired.