Gangster Squad poster

Gangster Squad (2013)

Film · 1h 53m · Rated R

Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller

A secret squad of detectives wages a gritty, pulpy war against a ruthless mob kingpin in 1949 Los Angeles.

Tense, with dry wit. A full-attention watch at a brisk pace. Emotionally it carries some weight.

Not on a US subscription service as of Oct 26, 2026.

Gangster Squad parents guide

Nothing past what an R promises: moderate sex and nudity, and strong violence.

Scare
Not scary
Jump scares
None noted
Gore
Light gore
Some blood or injury, briefly.
Violence
Strong violence
Violence is frequent or intense.
Sex and nudity
Moderate
Moderate means a sex scene or nudity on screen, even brief, or sexual violence that is described or implied but never shown.
Language
Strong
Frequent strong profanity or slurs.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

Three questions

Is Gangster Squad scary?
No. Gangster Squad is not a scary watch.
How gory is Gangster Squad?
Light gore and strong violence.
What is Gangster Squad rated, and is it OK for kids?
Moderate sex and nudity, strong violence, and frequent strong language. The R is earned, so not for kids.

What is Gangster Squad about?

Los Angeles, 1949. Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mob king Mickey Cohen 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 and Jerry Wooters who come together to try to tear Cohen’s world apart.

Does it have a happy ending? (spoiler-safe)

Yes. It lands on a happy note.

Cast and crew

Directed byRuben Fleischer
StarringJosh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Emma Stone, Anthony Mackie

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Uses the TMDB API; not endorsed or certified by TMDB. Intensity, content, tone and pace tags are CouchRot's own.