Gangster Squad releases a batch of behind the scenes stills accompanied by commentary

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

GANGSTER SQUAD has six reasons to be awesome shown above, and plenty more in its back pocket besides – it’s a period cops and robbers story.  It stars Emma Stone.  You get the idea.

New behind the scenes stills have been released accompanied by commentary from director Ruben Fleischer – there are a few light spoilers to be had in regards to cool moments being revealed and one plot development that marks the turning point for Gosling’s character, but nothing that I imagine would really hamper anyone’s enjoyment of the flim.

Check them out below, and then be sure to check out the film itself on January 11th, 2013.

“This was our very first day of shooting. Josh Brolin plays John O-Mara, a hard-nosed cop headed into the hornet’s nest—mob boss Mickey Cohen’s HQ. He’s trapped in an elevator with two thugs, but he fights his way out.”

“A police chase ends with a crash through a skylight and directly into this studio during a pinup shoot with Bettie Page.”

“Me and Nick Notle, who plays the police cheif, Bill Parker. In the script, he’s likened to Richard the Lionheart. Only Nolte could pull that off.”

“In this scene, Ryan Gosling’s character, Jerry Wooters (a cop), introduces himself to Grace Faraday, played by Emma Stone. Obviously they have great chemistry.”

“One of my favorite locations: Clifton’s, a real restaurant that’s been in Los Angeles since the thirties. A time warp.”

“It was hard to re-create vintage LA—there are so many tall buildings now. We had to go to the outer reaches of the city, to neighborhoods like Sylmar.”

“A turning point for Gosling’s character: A little kid gets killed by Cohen’s assassins in a shoot-out. This is when he decides to get on board—as it says in the script, ‘the long-sleeping cop comes to life.’”

“The full squad: Brolin, Robert Patrick, Anthony Mackie, Michael Pena, Gosling and Giovanni Ribisi. Six amazing actors—and some of the funniest dudes ever assembled.”

Plot recap: Los Angeles, 1949. Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mob king Mickey Cohen (Sean 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 (Josh Brolin) and Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling), who come together to try to tear Cohen’s world apart. “The 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.