Gangster Squad Trailer analysis

Gangster Squad as you can tell by the name and the trailer is a gangster film set in 1940's. The trailer establishes that the town is run by one man Micky Cohen. However a police squad is put together to stop the rise of Cohen and put a stop to his rule over 1940's Los Angeles. Throughout this post I will be analysing the Gangster Squad trailer and looking at what is what and see how this can influence my film trailer when I come to do it.


The first screenshot you can see on the right is a establishing shot of Los Angeles. This establishing shot shows the audience where the film is set. The way that is shot gives the feeling that the date of the film is older than the present day. So therefore it being 1949 is no surprise from the opening shot. The shot is also done during the night which tells me as the audience that what is about to happen  is going to be bad or breaking the law. This is also given out through the connotations of black. The black also gives out that it is unpleasant and frightening.

The next shot following on is the shot of the main antagonist within the trailer which is Micky Cohen. The fact that he has punched a punch bag and then the shot after him looking from behind one gives out the connotations that he is an unpleasant man and the hint that he is someone who is likely to break the law. Also the shot is done under a dark filter. This also strengthens these connotations and it also puts the age on the film also.

After the Mickey Cohen shots there are a series of quick cuts between several people begging to Mickey Cohen for mercy and promising not do things. However from the screenshot on the right we can see that Mickey Cohen is not one for Mercy. This picture summarises him as a character only after a few seconds as a cruel, unforgiving and dominant individual. The anguish that is shown on the faces of the burning men also emphasise these connotations.

This next shot you can see on the left is the two policemen looking very concerned with what is happening in the city. They look concerned, slumped, and sore. This shows the audience in my eyes what the effect Mickey Cohen has had on the feeling of the public in the trailer. The dark clothing of on one of the characters also gives the feeling of bored, bland and no confidence. This is what the effects of Cohen's reign might have on the public.

After the last screenshot there are several shots of Cohen with the female/damsel in distress (as you will see later in the trailer). She is wearing bright clothing and Cohen is showing her off and this is telling me as the audience is that he is confident and he has many advantages to being the head on the town. Then it moves on to the negative effect of Cohen reign as there is chaos. Shooting and crashing which results in the shot on your right which looks like one of the protagonists holding a boy who may have been killed because of the result of this chaos. This gives out a feeling of depression and sadness in the trailer as this is a low point for the city. It looks like Cohen has taken control fully of Los Angeles.


This screenshot you can see on the left is of the point in the trailer when they are forming the squad. As you can see from the facial expressions their is a slight smile from the character which is over the shoulder. This from an audiences point of view is showing that their is hope that is given to them if they forge war on Mickey Cohen. The flower as well is white on the shirt. The shirt is quite a dull colour and the flower is white which may also show the little hope that is given to them because of this. The background is all bright and the same colour as the females dress in a previous dress. This shows me that Mickey Cohen might own the "joint" that they are talking in.


After the last screenshot there are several quick cuts between individuals shots of the characters who will be part of this team to take down Mickey Cohen. These shots show them and then see them showing their skills. After them the screenshot appears. From these shots we can see that these people are some of the best in the business. We can tell from their expressions and their tone of voice that they are serious, concerned and a feeling that they can pull it off. This is showed through the facial expression that is seen in this shot of Ryan Gosling. It shows concern but he does feel there is a chance of pulling it off.

There are a series of shots showing off violence between the gangster squad and Mickey Cohen's gang. These shots are in dark and these connotations immediately tell me that something bad/violent is about to happen. Then the violence follows with several shots of the gangster squad taking action. The connotations of a shot of a gun very early is also that violence is about to follow which like I said does. The violence that takes place show that the gangster squad aren't messing round and they are eliminating the opposition.

The scenes that follow the last screen shot the female/damsel in distress take the stage. She is wearing a bright red dress which shows that she is another positive in the story for the male she talks to. The lack of clothing also shows that she is looking for a male to take her away from the violence which is also later said by her. The cuts that follow show them both smiling and being happy and them going to bed together. This shows us as an audience that the character that Gosling plays has an extra incentive as such to get the job done. Also the two shot that takes place as you can see show the relationship between the two characters in the story. This tells us that they are engaged in conversation and are together somewhere else in the film which is showed a little later in the trailer.


After this we find that the chaos/fighting starts to take place. From several shots including this one their are men from Mickey Cohen's gang being killed/wiped out and From the screenshot on the right this shows use that the policemen are taking no mercy. The shot is at a low angle so it is showing that the policemen have the authority at this point and are stronger whereas the audience we take the view of one of Mickey Cohen's man on the floor. This shows he is weaker at this point in the trailer.

The next few shots after that look like the plan taking action however it starts to effect family and relationships. Through the shots the females look very concerned and worried with what might happen in the future. The fact that the plan and the real identities have come out so therefore they look concerned with that as well. As you can see with the shot at the side the female is wearing darker clothing with shows what the persona of that person is and with what I said before the worried factor shows through the clothing also. The way that she speaks and Josh Brolin speaks they both talk quietly and cautiously which shows what type of situation they are in.

From this shot and the few before this them are coming to the end of the trailer and a mass of action is being put together. The shots before this show the fights breaking out between Cohen's gang and the cops. The cop are shown in a bright light with the lighting whereas the criminals are in the dark which shows who is right and wrong. The shots also display the policemen as the bigger/better men. In the shot to the left we can see Cohen beating up an individual. Even though he is wearing white the shirt and trousers have been drained in colour and this shows that Cohen maybe losing his power and authority in Los Angeles.

The shot on the right is one of five individual shots at the end of the trailer. The go through Brolin, Gosling, Nolte, Stone and Penn. Each shots is of them in a worrying state or in a pressured situation. You can tell this from the facial expressions of each individual actor. The final shot of Sean Penn who plays Mickey Cohen is angry so this therefore also further implies that he is losing his power.

The final shots of the trailer are of explosions and Mickey Cohen's men fighting back. This dark setting also implies that Cohen's men are sly, sneaky and lethal. The fire that also shows that they are deadly. The final screenshot on the left shows Cohen himself going toe to toe with the policemen. The dark setting that this gun fight take place further implies Cohen darkness spreads wherever he is. The light from the guns shows that the guns will supply the freedom from the Cohen darkness/domination.