The Suicide Squad (2021)

Directed by: James Gunn | 132 minutes | action, adventure | Actors: Margot Robbie, Taika Waititi, Joel Kinnaman, David Dastmalchian, Jai Courtney, Sylvester Stallone, John Cena, Idris Elba, Mikaela Hoover, Michael Rooker, Alice Braga, Nathan Fillion, Pete Davidson, Viola Davis, Sean Gunn, Flula Borg, Mayling Ng, Stephen Blackehart, Steve Agee, Tinashe Kajese, Jennifer Holland, Fernando Martinez, Dee Bradley Baker, Storm Reid, Jared Leland Gore, Peter Capaldi

Following the successes of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2’, James Gunn’s future as a successful writer and director was shattered in 2018 when obnoxious tweets, which he had posted between 2008 and 2011, surfaced in the media. Disney was forced to fire Gunn, who was in the director’s chair for ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3’. Warner Brothers/DC Films took the opportunity by asking him, a few days after his resignation, to make a film with any DC character. His eye fell on John Ostrander’s Suicide Squad. James Gunn’s resignation from Disney turns out to be a blessing when looking at the extremely amusing film he has shot here.

‘The Suicide Squad’ is not a sequel and not a reboot of David Ayers’ ‘Suicide Squad’. It is a standalone film where James Gunn has had full freedom to do as he pleases. For this film he uses a few characters from the earlier ‘Suicide Squad’ and introduces some new ones. This is where the agreement with the previous version ends. Gunn’s ‘The Suicide Squad’ is a sledgehammer, an adrenaline pumping monster that cuts its way uncompromisingly through everything that stands in its way. And then with style. The film is proof that how stories are told is just as important as which stories are told. Because, let’s be honest, the plot is childishly simple: Amanda Waller sends Taskforce X to a fictional island to destroy a secret weapon with the help of a rebel army.

So Amanda Waller is back, as are Harley Quin, Captain Boomerang and Colonel Rick Flag. Deadshot has been replaced by Bloodsport. Furthermore, the team is strengthened by Peacemaker, Ratcatcher 2, King Shark and the Polka-Dot Man (yes, really) among others. The characters now have more depth that makes you care about them, even though they are evil and deviant by society’s standards. People make wrong choices because they are human. It is this humanity that enriches the film. Harley Quin is especially well portrayed. Not only is she beautiful and completely insane. She is independent and does not need a man to save her. Bloodsport and Peacemaker are the two hard cores in the group, the drive behind Taskforce X while Ratcatcher 2 is the beating heart. She keeps the team in touch with their humanity as Amanda Waller does everything she can to take it away.

Idris Elba (Bloodsport) has a natural rawness that he incorporates nicely into his character. John Cena (Peacemaker) is less complex and shows a limited emotional spectrum. Harley Quin is in Margot Robbie’s DNA and it shows in the ease with which she plays with the character. Although Sylvester Stallone has been asked to make a slightly smaller contribution, his hum as King Shark is very welcome. Also Alice Braga, as leader of the rebel army, unfortunately has a minimal presence. Since the film is not character driven, the acting is not important. And it shows. From the dialogues you can’t expect more than what is needed to the maximum to help the film through the jungle while leaving a trail of destruction.

Where in most superhero films there is hardly a drop of blood, here it gushes from all sides. However, it is not disturbing and fits the story perfectly. The visual element, combined with the music, is what really makes the film: beautiful and non-traditional camera shots, great battle scenes and visual additions that boost the movie experience.

“The Suicide Squad” has revived its name and, unlike the previous version, is a valuable addition to the DC Extended Universe. The simplistic plot and the wooden acting is by no means disturbing because the entertainment value is quite high: the action scenes are grand and visceral and the music gives the whole a dimension to die for. DC Entertainment has done well to appreciate the quality of James Gunn and should be grateful to Disney for the dismissal: because he has built a gem here. PS Disney has hired James again in 2019 for ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3’.