In honour of the first trailer for Gangster Squad that hit the web this week, we’ve got a feature on those bad ass mother truckers that keep the cops in business! Gangsters!
We all know that mobs and gangs are dangerous and ruthless, but what about when gangsters had style, honour and loyalty, when they were smart and calculating, when protection was bought and instead of threatened? BTTF has assembled (Avengers pun! Boom!) the leaders to our classic and most lethal mobsters in cinema!
The Boss – Al Capone (The Untouchables)
Robert De Niro plays the notorious gang leader in Brian De Palma’s 1987 crime epic The Untouchables. Capone controls Chicago by supplying low quality alcohol at high prices during the prohibition era.
Al will lead our ragtag gang of criminals and buy off the police and politicians to keep the business running smoothly.
The Brains – Tom Reagan (Millar’s Crossing)
Gabriel Byrne’s Reagan plays two rival mob bosses against each other in a violent war in the Coen Brothers’ Millar’s Crossing. Tom ends the bloody gang war himself through his own intellect and a few strokes of genius.
Tom Reagan will be Capone’s right-hand-man, he’ll keep the boys in check and make sure big Al doesn’t take any wrong turns that could see them all thrown in the slammer.
The Brawn – Michael Sullivan Snr. (Road to Perdition)
Tom Hanks expertly plays the main role in Sam Mendes modern crime classic Road to Perdition. Sullivan Snr is an enforcer for the Rock Island Irish mob in the 1930’s, after his son witnesses the murder of a gang associate by Connor Rooney, Sullivan flees to Chicago with his son, seeking work from Capone in order to discover the whereabouts of Connor and to avenge the murder of his wife and other son.
Sullivan Snr. is loyal, cold and violent. He’ll form a strong bond with his leader and get his hands dirty in order to protect his adopted mob family.
The Money – John Dillinger (Public Enemies)
Michael Mann’s biopic of 1930’s Robin Hood, John Dillinger sees Johnny Depp take the charismatic leading role. Dillinger boasted he could rob a bank in 1min 40sec flat, but only ever stole the banks money in an era when the public had lost faith in the systems that ensured economic growth.
With Dillinger’s specific set of skills, the mob will never be short of funds, even if some Eliot Ness or Melvin Purvis ceases a costly supply of prohibited alcohol.
The Rookie – Mickey Cohen (Gangster Squad)
Gangster Squad sees Sean Penn take up the mantle of Mickey Cohen, the entrepreneurial gambler who arrived late in the prohibition era and took to Los Angeles to build his empire.
Cohen is reckless and violent but dangerously smart, surviving countless attempts on his life and harbouring an arsenal of weapons, enough to support our mob for a lengthy war.
See the stylish and and exciting debut trailer for Gangster Squad below…