Gangster Squad takes audiences back to the 1940s when big gangsters such as Al Capone and Bugsy Siegel ramrodded control over people and businesses that offered lucrative opportunities.

It’s 1949 in Los Angeles and mob king Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) has deserted his birth state of New York to take over control of L.A. Hiring a bunch of goons isn’t hard in times when jobs are tough to find, and being part of a mob is attractive to all sorts of guys.

Mickey is a smart dude, and if there’s any doubt about the extent he will go to be mob boss just watch the opening scene here. That’s when he chains a closed-mouthed pigeon to two different cars facing the opposite way from each other and demands the cars take off in different directions. Mickey grew up in a boxing ring where anything was fair. His mentality involves believing the more brutal the fight, the bigger the purse.

Mickey knows his own goons aren’t enough for his plan, and in those days it was easy to buy off the cops. So he gets a few of them on his payroll but hits pay dirt when he also locks in Judge Carter (John Aylward) along with other supposed trustful servants. Citizens are upset and demand Carter do something about the violence that rocks the streets every night. Carter can’t control the situation but wants no one to harass, arrest or bother Mickey Cohen.

Fortunately, L.A. police Chief William Parker is not afraid to take a stand. Nick Nolte -- stuffed so tightly he looks like a polar bear in a neck brace -- plays Parker, who has a plan up his sleeve. He puts together a squad of six men with impressive backgrounds and daring stamped on their foreheads.

Sgt. John O'Mara (Josh Brolin), a man of principle just back from the war, is chosen to head the Squad. He’s married to Connie (Mireille Enos) who is expecting and knows her husband to the core. She realizes John faces imminent danger but that his desire to make L.A. a better place to live is very important to him. The motto “Fight fire with fire” serves her well as she looks over the profiles of the five other squad members and recommends what turns out to be the perfect picks for men with both brain and brawn.

Finishing out this squad are: Sgt. Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling) who resists joining the squad until Mickey’s attacks get personal; Officer Conwell Keeler (Giovanni Ribisi), a technology whiz before his time; Officer Coleman Harris (Anthony Mackie), a pro with a switchblade who wasn’t afraid to stand up to neighborhood thugs; Officer Navidad Ramirez (Michael Pena), a rookie being educated by Officer Max Kennard (Robert Patrick), a ghost of the wild west who can outdo a machine gun with a six-shooter.

Gangster Squad, based on the book by Paul Lieberman, comes across as a little thin on plot -- unless a film including 70 percent violence happens to be your thing. What stands out is the great ensemble team director Rueben Fleisher assembled to pull it off.

Each character gets his own personal story that’s swiftly and engagingly worked into the crime drama scenario by screenwriter Will Beall. All six of the squad members are portrayed by actors who deliver excellent performances. We get to know the characters’ families or what makes them tick, which comprises the vulnerable side of their protection. The most drama arrives with the character of O’Mara, who must worry about the safety of his wife and unborn child when the mob is on to him. There’s also tension when Wooters falls for Mickey’s gal, Grace Faraday (Emma Stone). He’d rather get shot than miss a kiss with her.

I found Gosling terrific as a subtle officer and suitor to Grace. Brolin is the best he’s been in a long time. Stone seems to up her game with every movie. She makes a beautiful mafia dame of the 40s but is also quite believable with her daring actions in the film. Penn turns in another raucous performance making every painful scene torment from the beginning of Gangster Squad to the end. I couldn’t help being glued to the screen.

(Released by Warner Bros. Pictures and rated “R” for strong violence and language.)

Review also posted at www.reviewexpress.com.