Worst heroes ever. Following up a film as divisive as "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" is no easy task. The [relatively] new DC Extended Universe has been off to a rocky start as the greatest gladiator match in the history of the world was loved by some but shunned by many. Trying to regain their reputation and appeal to the masses, "Suicide Squad" entered the scene with its creative and brightly colored marketing that seemed to showcase that the DC Extended Universe can be as fun and exciting as the moviegoing audience wants it to be. With a large ensemble cast and a director who is known for intense action sequences, "Suicide Squad" was looking to be an even bigger hit than "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice", which grossed $872.7 million worldwide by the end of its theatrical run. But with early negative reviews from critics, is "Suicide Squad" another film that the mainstream audience will not enjoy?
"Suicide Squad" stars an ensemble cast, which includes Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Ike Barinholtz, Scott Eastwood and Cara Delevingne, and is directed by David Ayer. Picking up soon after "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice", government operative Amanda Waller (played by Viola Davis) creates a team of "the most dangerous people on the planet" in order to deal with any future threats from other metahumans, naming the group Task Force X. When an evil enemy threatens the safety of the planet, Waller sends out Task Force X to complete a suicide mission in exchange for reduced sentences and the possibility of freedom. While "Suicide Squad" began with a strong and hyper-stylized first act, the film begins to dwindle down an insane rabbit hole, for better or worse, leading to an overall disappointing, but not bad, film. Director David Ayer's style and direction is what hooks us into the film but the choppy editing, stale action sequences and a story that's equally as uneven as the characters in the film is what prevents "Suicide Squad" from being spectacular.
The thing that makes "Suicide Squad" work as a film is its incredible cast of characters. Seeing the chemistry between these "Suicide Squad" members is worth the price of admission and worth sitting through a messily put together film. It is clear from the get-go that the actors portraying these charming and, for the most part, likable characters have grown accustomed to each other and have a real connection off set, which clearly shows on screen.
To the surprise of some, Will Smith delivers one of his most memorable [and fun] performances in years with Deadshot, a man who kills people for a living but still maintains a moral center. As the team's reluctant leader, he, for the most part, leads the team through peril and mayhem, trying to save the world from an evil entity. Although straying away from his comic book counterpart, Smith made the character of Floyd Lawton his own and brought a sense of humanity to a film that is entirely made up of lunatics, scumbags and a half man, half crocodile monstrosity. Still managing to be an action hero, Smith effortlessly carries this cast of characters without dominating over the other cast members with his endless charm and charisma.
When it was announced that Margot Robbie was cast as Harley Quinn in "Suicide Squad", the fans went wild, and for good reason. This, without a doubt, is the most distinguished and most memorable performance of the entire film. Robbie owns every second of her screen time with her immense beauty and out-of-left-field remarks that have become the trademarks of Harley Quinn's character. While being crazy, Robbie, along with writer/director David Ayer, was able to bring out a side of Harley that we haven't seen before, which does give the film some merit. Although wearing a different outfit than we are used to seeing her in, Margot Robbie definitively is Harley Quinn and fleshes out her character beautifully on screen in "Suicide Squad". This is one of the best and most accurate portrayals of a comic book character we have ever seen [although her inception was in "Batman: The Animated Series" and not the comics].
Moments after the first official look at the new Joker was revealed online, the Internet exploded with comments of both love and hate for the new look. Covered in tattoos and sporting a grill, this new interpretation of the beloved comic book villain was very divisive to say the least. New reports of Jared Leto staying in character and creeping out the other cast members added to the Internet's curiosity with this new version of the Joker and interest only kept building and building after each promotional material was released. And thankfully, Jared Leto gives the character his all and gives us a Joker we truly have never seen before. While being manically insane, the Joker's actions in "Suicide Squad" may be seen as too logical for the crazy Clown Price of Gotham but was an interesting departure from the other characterizations of the iconic villain. Being more of a criminal underworld mobster rather than an anarchy-loving psychopath that he was in "The Dark Knight", Leto was able to stretch his acting muscles and fully embodied himself in David Ayer's Joker. Stylish, unpredictable, intelligent and, most important, out of his mind, the Joker continues to be one of the greatest comic book villains ever and Jared Leto honors the character greatly.
However, with that being said, the film does not utilize the Joker's character enough to merit such an appearance. Only appearing in a few scenes that adds subtext but not much to propel the story forward, the Joker's character, in the end, was sadly unnecessary. Making him the overall villain of the film or a wild card that the Suicide Squad have to deal with would have made for a compelling villain. Jared Leto as the Joker is fantastic but his purpose in the story of "Suicide Squad" is rather lackluster.
While the Joker wasn't the villainous presence that we thought we'd see, Amanda Waller, brilliantly portrayed by Oscar-nominee Viola Davis, was the most menacing presence in a film inhabited by a killer clown, an expert marksman, a man-eating crocodile behemoth, a man who can summon fire and an ancient witch. Conniving, ruthless and remorseless, Waller proved to be one of the most dangerous and most threatening comic book villains we have ever seen [although not a traditional villain]. Always commanding every scene she is in with power and authority, Davis makes herself an important member of this huge ensemble cast and is one of the highlights of the film. Her devious nature and her get-it-done attitude is what fans expect when seeing a live-action version of the Amanda Waller from the comics.
As field operative working under Waller, Rick Flagg, played by Joel Kinnaman, is the official leader of Task Force X and gives the crew of misfits their impossible suicide mission. For a character that could have been less charming or less interesting than the other colorful characters in the Suicide Squad, Kinnaman manages to hold his own against the likes of Will Smith, Margot Robbie and Viola Davis. Being central to the film's narrative, Flagg is another beacon of humanity in an otherwise insane group of character who are looking out for themselves rather than helping those around them. Without being lost in the shuffle of cast members, Kinnaman stands tall and mighty as the authoritative and strong Rick Flagg.
One of the biggest surprise performances in "Suicide Squad" came from Jai Courtney, who portrayed Captain Boomerang in the film. It seems that when Courtney is given the right material to work with and a director who knows how to work with his actors, he is able to give a good performance. In films like "A Good Day To Die Hard", "Divergent" and "Terminator: Genisys", Courtney has always been a stoic uninteresting leading man that offered nothing special and nothing memorable. However, Jai Courtney has surprised all of us with his performance as the grimy, quick witted Captain Boomerang who offers much of the film's comic relief. Annoying [but not in a bad way], slimy, scheming and pink unicorn obsessing, Captain Boomerang and Jai Courtney's performance were one of the few surprises the film threw at the audience with full force and we, without flinching, caught it.
Besides some of the main Suicide Squad members, the one that surprisingly gets the most backstory and context is El Diablo. Without revealing too much of his past, El Diablo began as a Los Angeles gang member and was soon imprisoned in Belle Reve Penitentiary after surrendering to the police. It was a genuine surprise to see how much time was devoted to El Diablo's character and his eventual character arc in "Suicide Squad". Jay Hernandez, who portrays El Diablo, managed to remain cool and calm in some scenes while exploding with rage and energy in others, making him one of the most likable and sympathetic characters in the entire film. In a narrative that is propelled by violence and "bad guys", El Diablo at times seems to stand alone, not wanting to bring himself any lower than where he already is. A surprising character with a surprising amount of heart and context. El Diablo may become a fan favorite for those who've watched "Suicide Squad".
Another famed Batman villain makes his film debut in "Suicide Squad" as Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje brings Killer Croc to life on the big screen. Having a condition that covers him in reptilian skin, Killer Croc's role in Task Force X is being the tank of the group; a heavy hitting badass who can take on almost anyone in a physical confrontation. Akinnuoye-Agbaje manages to bring a great sense of physicality to the role that was both imposing and threatening. Although his design does not resemble his comic book counterpart, Killer Croc was a much needed addition to the Suicide Squad and a character that has left a strong impact in the eyes of the audience.
Wielding a sword and speaking primarily in Japanese, Karen Fukuhara appears on the big screen in her debut role at Katana, a samurai who carries a magical sword that traps the souls of her victims and acts as Rick Flagg's bodyguard. While her Japanese pronunciation could use some work, she proved to be a strong presence on screen. However, besides a brief mention of her backstory, she is not given enough to work with to make her a memorable or even worthwhile character. The film, sadly, would have worked with or without Katana being a member of Task Force X. Without any clear motivation or substance [again, aside from a brief description of context], Fukuhara unfortunately was not able to spread her wings and become a memorable part of the squad. Remaining a background character for the majority of the picture, her threatening appearance is all Katana had to offer in "Suicide Squad", which grievously does not amount to much.
Staying outside of Task Force X, Enchantress, played by English fashion model Cara Delevingne, awakens after thousands of years and posses the body of archaeologist Dr. June Moone. Once becoming the ancient spirit, she ceases to be Dr. Moone and completely loses herself to the Enchantress, which poses a dangerous threat to the Suicide Squad. While most of her lines are dubbed over and/or spoken in another language, Delevingne becomes the character Enchantress through her physicality and facial expressions. Twisting and contorting her body in strange, almost dance-like, movements, Delevingne proves to be a rather curious villain, which is why it is sad to say that she not as compelling of a character as the film wants her to be. Enchantress, while having a unique design and interestingly brought to the silver screen, added virtually nothing to increase our interest in the film's narrative. That is not to say that Delevingne's performance had something to do with it. It is simply the writing and placement of her character that seems rather lackluster. Without spoiling her purpose in the plot of "Suicide Squad", it is unfortunate to say that Delevingne, like some of the other actors in the film, was not able to shine as brightly as they should have due to a a few misguided creative choices made by the director and/or studio.
The one character in "Suicide Squad" that is given the least amount of screen time, backstory and care is Slipknot, played by Adam Beach. With an already large ensemble cast, the sole purpose of adding Slipknot into the roaster of the characters is rather simple [once you see the film]. Besides his one purpose, there is nothing interesting, memorable or even likable about Slipknot's character that is sadly worth mentioning and remembering.
This band of misfit character, again, is what drives this film forward and makes it extremely enjoyable to watch. It is clear that director David Ayer understands how to direct his actors and how to execute genuine chemistry in his films (i.e. "End of Watch", "Fury"). Watching these characters bounce off one another is the strongest aspects of Ayer's vision of "Suicide Squad" and is something we haven't seen from the DC Extended Universe. There is a particular scene where the entire squad are all having drinks in a bar and talking to one another, which is easily one of the best scenes in the entire film simply because Ayer allows this excellent cast of actors to just be their characters and give us time to breathe through this non-stop action rollercoaster ride. The casting along with Ayer's directions to the cast members shines the brightest and is the most respectable aspect of "Suicide Squad".
In films like "End of Watch" and "Fury", it is clear that David Ayer understands how to create a great sense of style and how to construct a dramatic action scene. The opening first act of "Suicide Squad" is nothing but style and it sucks us into this crazy world of equally crazy characters. With each member of Task Force X getting their own title cards and name tags creates an almost animated environment, which oddly works for a film of this caliber. The silly, gimmicky, cartoonish setting Ayer creates in the first 30-or-so minutes of "Suicide Squad" is what we were promised from the promotional marketing and made us genuinely excited for this strangely put together film. However, as mentioned before, as the film enters its second act and takes its cast of characters through the fictional streets of Midway City, Ayer's trademark intense action scenes take hold but don't deliver a powerful enough punch as they did in "End of Watch" and "Fury".
While conceptually interesting and shot beautifully by Roman Vasyanov, the action sequences are edited with non-stop cuts and confusing angle changes. While fast-paced editing worked efficiently in films like "The Bourne Trilogy", "Suicide Squad" comes across as lazily scrapped together and unimaginatively constructed. It also seems that the studio took a first look at the footage and decided it was too intense for a PG-13 rating and took a note from "The Expendables 3" by cutting the film down to make it fit the necessary criteria to get more people into the seats. At times montaging through flashbacks and backstories, the editors seem to have lost themselves in the hours of extra footage David Ayer shot for the film that never made it into the final cut. It is clear that many scenes that we saw in the promotional material never made it into the film and could have possibly made "Suicide Squad" better than it was. While Ayer once again manages to bring us intense and dramatic action set pieces, the film's editing washes away all sense of energy, excitement and drama to a point where these incredible action scenes look and feel mundane and commonplace.
While this may detract others from liking the film's style, Ayer's use of music in "Suicide Squad" was one of the aspects that I enjoyed the most. In the first act, every character is introduced with a different song, which makes the film feel very exciting and refreshing. Many have already pointed figures and said that "Suicide Squad" is simply copying off of the success of Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy", however the film's musical taste and use of music is very different from how the filmmakers of "Guardians of the Galaxy" utilized their 1980's rock/pop soundtrack.
After adoring "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" and loving every single one of the promotional materials Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Comics have released of "Suicide Squad", it is difficult and disheartening to say that the film was a little lackluster. While not a bad movie per say, it still could have done many things to make it great. I still believe that David Ayer was an excellent choice to direct "Suicide Squad" and I give him credit for creating a film that is so unapologetically his own style and his own vision. Gathering a cast of amazing actors to portray Task Force X, the film, whether you like it or not, will stand out amongst the other comic book films that we have gotten in the past few years as a weird, messy, uneven yet extremely entertaining flick. While no masterpiece and by no means a failure, "Suicide Squad" falls short of its promise but still delivers us a fun, energetic and strange 2 hours of entertainment that is definitely worth the price of admission. I'm giving "Suicide Squad" a generous 7 out of 10, simply because of David Ayer's relentless style and energy along with its incredibly charming cast.
See it in theaters today in 2D, 3D and IMAX 3D.
