The Suicide Squad (2021)

“Do whatever the f**k you want”

Now that’s a dangerous statement, but these are the words that may have saved one of DC and Warner Brothers’ biggest movies this year.

The Suicide Squad is directed by James Gunn, and has a star-filled cast including Idris Elba, Margot Robbie, John Cena, a voice-over by Hollywood heavy-hitter Sylvester Stallone (yep, Rocky is now a shark in the DC movie universe), and more! All this talent comes together for what might actually be the best comic book movie adaption I’ve seen since Joker. Albeit a very different outing than the clown prince of crime’s harrowing dark character study.

The Suicide Squad jumps from the shadow of its original outing with guns blazing. The ill-fated David Ayers caper starring Will Smith definitely smeared fecal matter on the franchise and while I wanted that movie to be at least watchable, it really wasn’t a good movie. No amount of tweaking can set that right. So with the franchise on its knees, the words were uttered to James Gunn, “Do whatever the F**k you want.” Now, as I said earlier, this is a dangerous chemical reaction that could have turned out to be a disaster, but thankfully James Gunn and his cast really turned it around! Not that I ever really doubted this flick, but I had more of a B-movie, cult-classic hope for it rather than the entertaining spectacle that it is. It takes all things that make movies great and puts them in a blender and boom, cinema magic.

So I’ve gushed enough about this, and you still haven’t heard a thing about what this movie is about. So without further adieu, I give you the breakdown of The Suicide Squad (without any spoilers).

A bunch of villains from DC comics ranging from cult classic characters that have been around forever (for example, Peacemaker), to less talked about throwaway characters like Captain Boomerang are brought into the fold of Amanda Waller and Task Force X. More commonly known as the Suicide Squad!

Why a name that is equally edgy as it is campy? Well from comic book lore the Suicide Squad isn’t the Justice League. They go on dirty black-ops missions in countries you have never heard of to do the government’s nasty work no one wants to talk about. If they die along the way? (and they die regularly) no one really cares. If you’re asking “could they just run away?” Correct, they would try, but Amanda Waller is cunning and has a contingency for that too. A bomb is injected into the base of their skulls and with one press of a button, pop goes the weasel.

Which this movie also contains. A creepy giant weasel who eats children is portrayed by the director’s own brother, Sean Gunn.

Now with that background out of the way, what are the Suicide Squad up to this time? They are going to the island (that totally isn’t Cuba) Corto Maltese, to stop a secret experiment from breaking out. And honestly, that’s all you’re getting from me. I’ve seen some reviews and previews, even trailers that definitely gave too much away. So if you can go into this blind for the reasons I will now state.

This movie has been a godsend for me as it combined a lot of the movies I love, and I don’t mean just their formats or plot lines, I mean their heart and tone, such as Apocalypse Now, Inglourious Basterds, and even Godzilla! Now honestly if you’re a movie buff and all those things combined don’t make you want to see this I don’t know what will.

The characters’ narratives and personalities gel together in ways I’ve never really seen before, the plot is consistently pulling the rug from under you, and when I say anyone can die, I really mean it. This movie keeps you on tenterhooks as director James Gunn can and will kill any and all characters, the surviving roster was quite surprising. The next thing that really took me by surprise was how well humanized these characters were. By the end of the movie, I felt every emotional beat from Ratcatcher II to King Shark. They all had real character development. They felt and cared and had their conflicts amidst the chaos around them. I mean, they made me feel for a shark? Stephen Spielberg made a movie about a shark and I still don’t really know why he kept eating people. I also didn’t care. But with King Shark, I know why and I also felt bad for him. He may even be one of the most empathetic characters in the whole roster.

So, I really hate this part. The worst part of being a critic is being nit-picky, but hey you guys read this far to know so I owe you one right?  There was one point in this movie where it should have wrapped up. If it were a film with a studio behind it trying to hold the value of the product in its pocket and the director’s vision ransom, it probably would have. I’m sure there is a cut somewhere that has its ending right at this moment, but no it goes on. At that point, the best of the movie’s laughs and emotional beats have been done. It becomes a little jaded and the ending itself is kind of wrapped up with a little bow and the serving ensemble walks off into the distance that feels a little tone-deaf.

Also, there was one major inkblot on the script, Margot Robbie’s character Harley Quinn. While this movie does have some spectacular scenes with her, it’s rather obvious she had to be shoehorned into certain scenes that seem separate from the rest of the movie. As a DC cash cow, she has been milked for all she’s worth. While I love the character, she could have not been in this movie and it would have been all the better and more streamlined.

Idris Elba’s character Bloodsport was a standout and surprisingly enough so was Rat Catcher II. Even the Polka-dot Man was a certain kind of awesome. The cold demeanor of Viola David’s Amanda Waller makes me think no other actress can pull this off as well as she does. If you want to go out and see a movie that will have you splitting your sides laughing with gory fun the whole way then The Suicide Squad is the flick for you!

Now normally in a review I give you some further reading and viewing and playing, so I’m not gonna change that!

Here are some personalized ads that may scratch your itch for gun-toting fun without stealing your privacy or cookies!

Want to watch something similar? Well, Netflix is currently showing Army of the Dead by Zack Snyder which also contains a bunch of ne’er-do-wells lifting money from a zombie-ridden casino in Vegas. Sick of zombies? Try Inglorious Bastards a WWII film with a hard R rating by Quentin Tarantino for some nazi slaying fun!

Wanna read some Suicide Squad comics but dunno where to start? Try Suicide Squad vs. The Teen Titans or Suicide Squad: Kicked in the Teeth!

Wanna play with up to four teammates and make your OWN suicide squad doing black ops stuff on a remote island that totally isn’t Cuba and villains who totally aren’t Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg amalgamation? Try the highly tactical single-player/multiplayer action RPG Ghost Recon: Breakpoint! Want to guide a bunch of morally ambiguous mercenaries through an island to displace a dictatorial? Try the old-school classic Jagged Alliance 2. If that isn’t close enough. Just hang tight for Rocksteady Studios Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League due out in 2022!

Rating:

Thomas C:

The Suicide Squad is a great comedy-action flick that delves into the absolute ridiculous with both feet! With great character moments and acting by almost everyone. . While not for everyone The Suicide Squad is still one to watch!

Jack Savage:

 

“F*ck.” – everyone in the movie

 

Trailer: