Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn (2020)

Directed by: Cathy Yan | 110 minutes | action, adventure | Actors: Margot Robbie, Rosie Perez, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Ewan McGregor, Ella Jay Basco, Chris Messina, Ali Wong, David Ury, Sara Montez, Izabel Pakzad, Daniel Bernhardt, Kc Strubbe, Jacky Shu, Paloma Rabinov , Derek Wilson

Margot Robbie returns as Harley Quinn after ‘Suicide Squad’ in ‘Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)’. In ‘Suicide Squad’ she was by far the nicest character, but still only a cog in the (chaotic) whole, in this film directed by Cathy Yan and written by Christina Hodson (‘Bumblebee’), she claims the leading role. And there is no other way; Margot Robbie is Harley Quinn, just like she is Tonya Harding. Through an animated intro, we learn about Harleen Quinzell’s childhood and briefly revisit how the relationship with Joker in ‘Suicide Squad’ came about and ended. Then we return to Gotham City. Location: Roman Sionis’s (Ewan McGregor’s) nightclub, where Harley drowns her heartbreak and seeks distraction by bullying club-goers.

So far, she hasn’t told anyone about the painful breakup with Puddin’, but buying a hyena as a pet and her inviolability as “the girlfriend of” isn’t enough. After hearing some gossip about her inability to be alone, Harley goes blind. She needs closure. Everyone should know that she’s single again and to make it clear to Joker that she’s over him, she makes sure that the place where he stole her heart is razed to the ground. Unfortunately, she is no longer sure of her safety either; she has declared herself an outlaw and it shows.

But Harley wouldn’t be Harley if she didn’t waltz through that with ease. Bad guy after bad guy beats them – almost without consequence. ‘Birds of Prey’ feels especially comic book-like in those action scenes, which of course there is nothing wrong with. Until it turns out that she has upset chief gangster Roman Sionis. Cornered, Harley makes him an offer: the diamond stolen from him? She will find it for him. It’s not for nothing that ‘finder of lost things’ is on her “business card”.

The diamond has been stolen by nimble-fingered teen Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco) and both Black Canary (a nightclub singer who reluctantly becomes Roman’s chauffeur through Harley’s help) (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) and afflicted cop Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez). are after her. Then there’s a not so secretive crossbow killer, preferring to be called The Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), who has her reasons for getting her hands on the diamond. These four women and one girl must eventually team up to defeat the male half of Gotham City.

What is striking in ‘Birds of Prey’ is that the somewhat chaotic narrative structure (done by Harley Quinn himself) works remarkably well. The mess that Harley makes of it simply suits her character and her mental state. Thanks to the cleverly written scenario, it is all easy to follow and each character gets a decent background. Another plus is that Harley Quinn is less portrayed as a sex symbol, which can be explained when you know that this DC film was co-produced by Margot Robbie, who indicated that her clothing in ‘Suicide Squad’ was far from comfortable. It also makes sense for the story: Harley dressed in ‘Suicide Squad’ to please her sweetheart, now she’s an independent woman who makes her own choices.

But the rest of the film is also consistent in tone, it is clear that those involved, both in front of and behind the camera, had a lot of fun and that all noses were in the same direction. ‘Birds of Prey’ is a colorful affair and you will never be bored, but the underlying idea – women can no longer be undermined, abused, ignored and bully by men – is evident. A powerful message in an extremely entertaining superhero film.