Year: 2016
Director(s): David Ayer
Writer(s): David Ayer
Region of Origin: US
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Rating: PG-13
Color, 123 mins
Synopsis: A secret government agency recruits a group of imprisoned supervillains to execute dangerous black ops missions in exchange for clemency, which inevitably leads to chaos. (Source)
In theory, Suicide Squad represents a combustible amount of rich possibilities perfect for smart, counter programming and an irreverent middle finger to superhero status quo. And who better to helm a film about broken and desperate criminals than director David Ayer, whose street savvy direction has always used grit to serve as a reflection of humanity’s darkest frailties. Neither concept or Ayer can salvage this mess of a film however, one so obviously mishandled by studio intervention and warring with itself between each schizophrenic frame. The only difference between this and BvS, is that you can actually see a good movie buried in here somewhere, amidst the strong performances and an affection for the film’s misguided miscreants. Moments of fun and what could’ve been occasionally pop up, but what remains is a hollow, mind-numbingly tone deaf film that relishes every chance it gets to squander its best traits.
In the wake of Superman’s death, the world is bracing for new superhuman threats. Enter intelligence operative Amanda Waller, whose plan is to assemble a team including the worst of the worst, forcing criminals with nothing to lose the opportunity to do something good. The other obvious advantage being, that if they die during a dangerous mission, no one will miss them. This team of unwitting baddies includes Joker’s imprisoned lover Harley Quinn, skilled mercenary Deadshot, pyrokinetic gangster El Diablo, a thief named Captain Boomerang and a cannibal creature named Killer Croc. When a metahuman named Enchantress takes Midway City captive, the team is sent in to save a high priority target. Along the way, Joker is trying to reunite with Harley, while the team’s own aversion to each other and their mission may be their downfall.
To say that the film is overstuffed and schizophrenic would be an understatement. There’s barely no plot here, with the first act being an extended montage of character introductions which are messy and choppy, before the team engages in a tedious and repetitious cycle of punch/shoot/kick action against faceless hordes protecting a generic portal in the sky. In fact, the film in general feels like an endless montage of ideas with fleeting character beats which don’t have time to breathe, cramming in relentless pop tunes that don’t mix to force a tone that’s strictly at odds with the hinted struggle of each character. Even worse, there are far too many characters than the film knows what to do with, and at any given time, half the screen is filled with people who are standing still and not doing anything with their powers. The diversity on display and the powers at disposal could’ve at least lead to some ingenuity, but alas, they doesn’t. Instead, the film ends up being a barrage of overstimulation, with plot threads and some admittedly smart ideas being wasted at every turn. When the film finally crawls to its end, we still have no bearing on half of these characters, their true potential and why we should care – that sucks for
There are two performances that anchor this mess. As the film’s center, Will Smith’s Deadshot gets most of the focus and thrives within a tragic character. Smith’s charm and charisma is on full blast, even as a bad guy who’s taken the wrong route to protect the ones he loves. There’s a scene at the end that pays off his emotional arc and hints at what the film could’ve been, while an earlier moment in which he shows off during an “audition” is genuinely fun. The other bright spot is Jay Hernandez’s El Diablo. He’s the only character who wants to escape his dark past and is one of the few sincere characters in the film. He really comes into his own towards the end to give us someone we actually want to cheer for.
The rest of the performances are a mixed bag, some are good, but are buried under incomprehensible editing and a fractured narrative. As Harley Quinn, Margot Robbie owns the role and could easily carry her own film, but here, her character is stuck behind a psychological prison relegated to comic relief. Admittedly this is a big part of who Harley is, but her toxic relationship with the Joker relegates her to nothing more than property, and we never fully understand why she wants this. At this day and age, her representation feels dated and lazy, is it really too much to ask for a reexamination of the character and an earnest look at the implications of her tortured romance? As for the Joker, Jared Leto isn’t terrible, but his style and makeup are so distracting and goofy, he comes across as tame and too theatrical for his own good. There’s no sense of danger or anarchy within him, he just seems like a try-hard gangster who likes to wear makeup, and we never believe his love for Harley – they have no chemistry together. Amanda Waller is really interesting, an ambiguous character with shady motivations, and Viola Davis brings a welcome amount of grit to the film. She may be the darkest of them all, and I’m curious to see more from her. The rest of the cast, Cara Delevingne’s Enchantress, Karen Fukuhara’s Katana and more don’t even feel like they’re in the same film, and barely have any speaking lines. It’s a shame.
In the attempt to overcompensate and deliver a crowd pleaser in response to BvS’ bleak slog, Suicide Squad is another stinker, again taking the wrong approach to the wrong movie. Without a genuine threat and characters who fail to live up to their infamous personas, the film plays out like a cartoon that doesn’t understand its power. In truth, it doesn’t seem fair to review the film or hold its faults against it, because it doesn’t even feel finished. For a film about villains who’ve commanded fear without compromise, a goofy film that takes half-measures with its approach doesn’t seem right.
SG
