Gangster Squad (Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture) and Gangster Squad (Original Motion Picture Score) are the soundtracks for the 2013 film Gangster Squad directed by Ruben Fleischer starring Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone and Sean Penn. Both soundtracks were released through WaterTower Music and Varèse Sarabande labels on January 8, 2013. The first album featured songs performed by Peggy Lee, St. Vincent, Pee Wee King, Hoagy Carmichael, Delta Rae, Kitty, Daisy & Lewis, Imelda May and few songs performed by the Gangster Squad Movie Band, whereas the second album features the film score composed by Steve Jablonsky.
Contents
Background
The film score was initially intended to be composed by Carter Burwell. However, due to creative differences, he was replaced by Steve Jablonsky. The score was written during the overlapped schedule where Jablonsky was handling multiple projects. For Sean Penn's character Mickey Cohen, he made a "weird sound" which Fleischer liked and did "strange things" to create the pulsing sound. The score was considered to be different from his loud and bombastic works for the Transformers film series, as Fleischer intended for a "muted and understated" sound to provide a cool and tough vibe, while being era-appropriate.
Release
The film's soundtrack and score album was released through WaterTower Music and Varèse Sarabande labels on January 8, 2013.
Reception
Peter Debruge of Variety described it as a "might-makes-right music". James Southall of Movie Wave wrote: "This is the type of film that can inspire good music (even in more recent times Mark Isham managed to produce the outstanding The Black Dahlia – and a few hints here and there suggest it too may have been in the temp track) but in the creativity-sapped world of Remote Control Productions, that was never very likely, and while the album is far from unlistenable, pretty much all of it sounds like a thin retread of something better – so all it's likely to do is inspire you to listen to one of those scores instead."
Chris Bumbray of JoBlo.com found Jablonsky's score being "Hans Zimmer-ish". Amon Warmann of WhatCulture wrote: "Steve Jablonsky's score is perfectly attuned to each scene." Nick Pinkerton of Houston Press wrote: "each fresh bloodletting hyped by Steve Jablonsky's score or peppy period tunes counterpoised for ironic effect." Barry Paris of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote: "Steve Jablonsky's good score helps cover the warmed-over "Bonnie and Clyde" slo-mo massacres and similar stuff stolen from "L.A. Confidential" (1997) — a high-speed chase in Packards! — leading up to the orgiastic final armageddon in which both sides are better armed than al-Qaida."
Personnel
Credits adapted from liner notes: