John H. Foote
When you enter into a movie theatre to watch one of the most anticipated movies of the year–if not the most–your expectations are obviously sky-high. But worry not! ‘Suicide Squad’ delivers on everything–well, almost–that it promises.
In ‘Suicide Squad’, director David Ayer (whose previous works include ‘Fury’ and ‘End of Watch’), brings together a galaxy of stars like Oscar nominee Will Smith, Oscar winner Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman and Oscar nominee Viola Davis to play some of the most vile super villains in a sort of The Dirty Dozen (1967) way. The premise has Amanda (Viola Davis) creating a crack squad of bad people in the hopes they can do some good and take on the powerful forces threatening her city. We learn about each of the squad over the course of the film and watch them bond into a deadly fighting until they become aware that they are being used–but are more than happy to wreck some more havoc. In many ways, it is the anti-The Avengers, but watching them is so much fun and so wildly entertaining we forget these characters are killers, maniacs, and dangerous human beings.
The two aspects of Suicide Squad that are highlights of the film: one, Margot Robbie and two, Jared Leto.
Margot Robbie is magnificent as Harley Quinn–a once-upon-a-time psychiatrist who fell in love with the Joker while treating him in the asylum to which he was sent and turned into the creature she now is. Acrobatic, deadly, insane but sexually alluring, Quinn is the most exciting villain in the film and she steals the movie each time she shows up on-screen. Smiling, chewing bubble gum, turning her baseball bat into a weapon, wearing skimpy outfits, Robbie struts through the film with a confidence that is startling to see. There is an evil mischief in her eyes, but also a struggle because she was once a noted psychiatrist who made the terrible mistake of falling in love with the Joker. That said, she likes being a bad guy, despite the voices she hears in her head, despite her impulses, despite the inherent danger she is in by being a member of the squad. It is truly a star making performance.
Jared Leto has the enviable and arduous task of portraying the Joker. It’s especially difficult because he is following up Heath Ledger Oscar-winning portrayal of the Joker in ‘The Dark Knight’. But Leto excels in it. He plays the psychopathic maniac who enjoys inflicting pain and chaos with chutzpah. The amount of effort that must have gone into his make up–that involves an array of tattoos, green colored hair and painted face–pays off.
Will Smith is a good for the ensemble as Deadshot, a man who has never missed a shot and has extraordinary aim and control under pressure. With his crackling good wit and move star presence, it was terrific to see the actor fit so easily into a film where he is not necessarily the central character.
Read More: Every Member of Suicide Squad, Explained
One of the interesting points to note is that after complaints of ‘Batman v Superman’ being too dark, there’s a clear effort from the writer/directer to keep the tone light and funny. Though, that doesn’t always work. At places the humor feels forced. But that’s not the only flaw that the film has. Apart from the three main characters–Quinn, Joker and Deadshot–others are thinly written and don’t have much to contribute.
Overall, ‘Suicide Squad’ is a welcome addition to DC universe. [SPOLIER ALERT] And if one has to go by Ben Affleck’s surprising–and terrific–cameo in the film, Warner Bros. is seemingly planning to pit Batman and the Joker again in their upcoming Batman series of films (that Affleck himself is directing).
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
