Director Ruben Fleischer breathed new life into the zombie genre by infusing comedy into his weird and quirky “Zombieland.” He successfully fused the odd mix of contradicting elements of horror and hilarity.

He’s not so successful with a similar attempt to blend genres in “Gangster Squad.” His decision to take a modern approach to a 1940s-style gangster story gives the film a jumbled feel. The modern touches seem out of place, while the mob story lacks energy and tension.

There are some very good elements in this tale based loosely on the real story of the police officers who took a stand against organized crime in Los Angeles during the late 1940s. The team worked off the books and without any regard to the law. Anything was acceptable as long as the mob didn’t get a foothold in Southern California.