- Title: A History of Violence, The Departed, Training Day, The Town, Gangster Squad
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What the hell is Gangster Squad doing on this set? The 2013 film wastes a talented cast on this idiotic take on a 50s cop (Josh Brolin) attempting to take down Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn). What a piece of shit. The rest of this collection is actually quite good, making you wonder who decided to try and polish this turd by putting in in their company.
Ben Affleck‘s The Town is the second-weakest entry in the set, but the look at Boston bank robbers is at least occasionally compelling. While flawed, 2001’s Training Day is worth a look for the performances of Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke as the older detective introduces his new partner to his world.
The other two entries in this list both made my end of the year lists. Martin Scorsese‘s The Departed, about an undercover cop (Leonardo DiCaprio) and a mole (Matt Damon), was #10 on my list of the best of 2016. And A History of Violence is an amazing film starring Viggo Mortensen as a small-twon business owner who brings all kinds of unwanted attention after stopping a robbery in his dinner. A great film in a great year for film, it ranks #3 in my list of the best movies of 2005.
[Warner Bros. Home Video, $14.62]