Who doesn’t want a good shootout every now and then? On raids of the century and a breathless game of cat and mouse between cops and (perhaps somehow sympathetic) gangsters? These motifs are repeated again and again in film history for good reason. They offer action, drama and plenty of space for quick sayings.
Everything can remain down-to-earth and evilly real, like in the gangster classic Heat. Or we turn the dial up a bit further, grab Gerard Butler for one really dirty cop role and are re-releasing the material with Criminal Squad. You can stream the action-packed result on Amazon Prime from today.
Criminal Squad pits a group of clever bank robbers against a team of dirty cops
It’s something like the Holy Grail of bank robbers: the Federal Reserve Bank of Los Angeles. A seemingly impregnable fortress. It couldn’t be described more attractively for a team of gangsters (including Pablo Schreiber, Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson and O’Shea Jackson Jr.) who can steal from just about anyone. So plans are made for that Coup of the century.
The bank robbers are currently in an awkward position. Their latest heist didn’t go exactly as planned, and now an elite team of specialists from the LA Sheriff’s Department is hot on their trail. At the top is the “gangster cop”as he is called by the ordinary police officers: Nick Flanagan (Butler).
Flanagan and his people are unscrupulous and sometimes take action less legal meansto grab their prey. The best thing would be to just go into hiding and never pick up a weapon again. But the big raid beckons – and the gangster hunters are lying in wait.
Criminal Squad on Amazon Prime is explosive entertainment
Criminal Squad takes inspiration from gangster milestone Heat. This makes the two less like the original and the remake and more like two unequal cousins, both of whom have their individual strengths and stand completely freely and confidently on their own.
Criminal Squad decides to do so in matters Toughness and gangster action to rush forward unrestrained and not hold back for a second. It’s dirty, captivating and sometimes really painful. Especially because the boundaries between law, justice and crime are becoming increasingly blurred here. Butler’s Flanagan has long since left the morals of a righteous cop behind.
There is an arms race on both sides, both literal and metaphorical – with weapons, with plans, with tricks and deceptions to stay one step ahead of the other. This creates a permanent tension that increases almost to the point of being unbearable and finally all in one explosive, grand finale discharges.
So if you’re in the mood for classic, tough gangster action again, Criminal Squad is the answer with a streaming subscription on Amazon Prime a perfect candidate.
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