Why a 2013 Crime Thriller Had to Replace Its Most Violent Action Sequence

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The 2013 film Gangster Squad was forced to undergo significant re-shoots after a real-world tragedy. Originally featuring a scene where criminals opened fire inside a movie theater, the production team replaced the sequence entirely following the 2012 Aurora shooting, ultimately delaying the film's theatrical release by several months.

Directed by Ruben Fleischer, Gangster Squad follows a fictionalized version of a covert LAPD unit tasked with dismantling the criminal empire of Mickey Cohen in 1949. While the film boasts a high-profile cast including Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, and Sean Penn, it faced a major public relations and creative hurdle just weeks before its scheduled September 2012 release. The Aurora, Colorado, theater shooting prompted Warner Bros. to pull the film's trailers and delay its debut until January 2013 to excise a scene depicting a submachine gun attack on a cinema audience.

The production team returned to Los Angeles in August 2012 to film a new climax set in Chinatown. This change required the involvement of cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, as the original crew was unavailable. Despite the high-budget adjustments and a production cost of $60 million, the film received mixed critical reception. Reviewers often praised the visual style but criticized the script for its underdeveloped characters and reliance on genre tropes. Ultimately, the film grossed $105.2 million worldwide, failing to achieve the critical acclaim its talent suggested it might reach.

Beyond the production delays, the film takes significant liberties with history. While the real-life Gangster Squad existed, it was formed in 1946 by Chief Clemence B. Horrall, not Bill Parker. Furthermore, the real unit was entirely Caucasian, unlike the diverse team portrayed on screen. Many character arcs are also heavily fictionalized: the real Conwell Keeler lived until 2012, whereas his film counterpart is killed in action. Similarly, Mickey Cohen was imprisoned for tax evasion rather than murder, and his primary racket was bookmaking rather than the broad criminal enterprise depicted in the movie.

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