MovieChat Forums > Gangster Squad (2013) Discussion > Nearly IDENTICAL to...

Nearly IDENTICAL to...

posted 8 years ago by JoeDub87
7 replies | jump to latest

The 1996 film MULHOLLAND FALLS directed by Lee Tamagori. I reaize "Gangster Squad" is based on a book (supposedly) and all that jazz... But damn I couldn't help but be blown away by how similar they seemed.

They played the trailer to this prior to the movie I saw at New Beverly Theater a few nights ago and, while I haven't seen it before, looked AWFULLY familiar, reminding me of a movie I've seen in recent years. That movie being, of course, Fleisher's "Gangster Squad".

And I found it FUNNIER that Nick Nolte is even in both films! And from the trailer, there were even scenes that looked eerily similar in so many ways.

Take a look for yourselves:

http://youtu.be/-yaTz-zj_lU

[–] spookyrat1 7 years ago

The squad is the same subject of both films, but Gangster Squad IMO, appears to use The Untouchables template right down to the same sort of themes and characters. Just interchange Ness for O'Mara, Capone for Cohen and your on your way.🐭

[–] huwdj (4562) 7 years ago

Yep. I'm thinking the pitch went 'Let's remake L.A. Confidential but make it more like the untouchables - we can even match up the cast roles - how can it fail!

[–] DracTarashV2 (4475) 6 years ago

Concerning its themes and aesthetic, the film is quite reminiscent of a bunch of those gangster/cop period films made 20-35+ years ago. Is it as good as any of those? No better or worse than stuff like Mulholland Falls imo (actually, i don’t dislike it but I find MF more exhausting to watch). I do, however, think this film is self-aware, hard-hitting and more highly stylized than usual compared to many of them. But yes, on the whole GS’s tone is much closer to that of The Untouchables than other films of its kind; it’s stylish, gritty, vibrant, and yet a lot of it feels overblown. Plus, Penn’s performance drew comparisons to De Niro as Capone for a good reason.

Granted this could have been a far more sophisticated and, I suppose, epic film. I get why some would feel there was wasted potential here. Nonetheless, this film makes no pretenses, i.e. it is aware of what it is and it’s unapologetic about it. Derivative and uninspiring? Given that this genre has been overdone, I don’t see that as an issue. In fact, the way it’s executed is why I find it more than watchable.

All in all, the film is solid entertainment, it looks fabulous (1940’s LA looks glorious here and it’s easily one of my favorite depictions of said era in a modern film), and its pacing and tone is slick. By no means great, albeit I admire what they went for. Lastly, stellar cast!

[–] R_Kane (15828) 5 years ago

Let’s not forget the 1992 TV series, The Hat Squad, produced by Stephen J. Cannell, who created The A-Team. All these are based on the same historical material, some of which material overlaps with other Mob movies, like Bugsy.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

It reminded me more of a West Coast The Untouchables, although not quite as good (but still way better than its 32% Rotten score on RT, and middling reputation suggests). Penn seemed to be channelling De Niro's 'Al Pacino' here, and even the identities of the heroes who ended up getting killed mirrored that of Charles Martin Smith's nerd and Sean Connery's old timer in that earlier film.

Anyway, I still rather enjoyed this film. I like films set in this period, like for instance L.A. Confidential (which is admittedly a way superior take on the post-war L.A. crime scene), thanks to the mix of glamour and sleaze, the hardboiled characters and the equally hardboiled dialogue, plus the gorgeous art direction, and the upbeat pop tunes of the era. Warner Bros has always excelled when it comes to the gangster/cop genre.

[–] Jones70 (6195) 5 years ago

yeah I agree

[–] HarlemEagle42 (16170) 5 years ago

Gangster Squad is more fun to watch but as I remember it, Muholland Falls had a better story and more intriguing mystery behind it.