The Suicide Squad

The Suicide Squad
Starring Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman
Directed by James Gunn

This a tale of two men. One man wanted to make a movie focusing on the baddies of the DC Universe who are forced to do good otherwise the implant in their heads will explode, leaving them...well...headless. Another man wanted to make a movie focusing on the anti-heroes of the Marvel Universe, a ragtag group of intergalactic miscreants who are forced to come together to save the universe. The first man - David Ayer - directed "Suicide Squad," which was a slightly less-than-adequate film that spent too much time with expository dialogue and character introductions to leave any lasting impact (although it did earn an Academy Award) and neutered the superherovillains (one word) with a PG-13 rating. The other - James Gunn - directed "Guardians of the Galaxy," the first film that stretched the mold for the MCU that could've ended the cinematic universe, but instead became a standout film filled with great performances, an unending compilation of the best music of the 80s, and the perfect blend of humor, heart, and action. Ayer's film was even compared to "Guardians" in tone, theme, and musical style, but never reached the heights of success that "Guardians" did.

So after a beef with Disney over past tweets, Gunn was fired from making the third "Guardians" movie, and was immediately swooped up by Warner Bros. to direct a proper "Suicide Squad" film - one that gave Gunn complete and total visionary control to do whatever he wanted, kill whoever he wanted, and provide as much blood, gore, and violence that you'd expect from a gang of antiheroes. The result is something that fans have been clamoring for - THE Suicide Squad, a film that Gunn was tailor made to direct. While it does have its flaws, it's heads above the original, providing a fun summer action thrill ride with unforgettable performances and the trademark humor of its director.

To prevent an anti-American military overthrow of the island country of Corto Maltese, Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) sends in her self-appointed Suicide Squad - villains at the Belle Reve prison who are given incentives to be heroes: complete the task and get time reduced from their sentence, or rebel and have their heads blown off by the chip she put in their heads. Consisting of team leader Bloodsport (Idris Elba) - a mercenary who has a technologically advanced suit that produces weapons only he can use - the team also consists of Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Peacemaker (John Cena) - a jingoistic killer who wants peace no matter how many men, women, and children have to die to get it, Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian) - a man who was in an experiment gone wrong resulting in him shooting out polka dots from his body, King Shark (Sylvester Stallone) - a man-eating human-fish hybrid, and Ratcatcher II (Daniela Melchior) - a millennial bank robber who controls rats, especially her pet rat Sebastian. As the team gets deeper in the trenches, they learn of a deadly secret that the Maltese government is hiding, an unstoppable intergalactic being that could enslave the entire world, unless they can band together and prevent the end of all things.

Serving as a soft reboot/soft sequel that doesn't require you to watch the humdrum activities of the first (seriously, I don't remember much about it except for Margot Robbie and Will Smith doing their thing, so much so I can't even recall the other Suicide Squad members), "The Suicide Squad" isn't afraid to embrace its R-rating right from the start, as we get to witness limbs and faces get blown off in glorious gorious fashion that only sets the stage for what's to follow. While the film is a little over two hours, it never feels that way, as the action and dialogue continue at a rapid pace from start to finish, leaving no unnecessary filler on the floor. It's an absolute thrill ride that's firmly rooted with committed performances and feels like it was something that everyone enjoyed doing, which shows. Unlike Ayer's film, this one feels like a real hoot to film and it seems everyone is more at ease with the overall process.

Leave it to James Gunn to take a film that's wholly about the process of chaos to be able to produce something that's chaotic as well as structured, exploding in anarchic ways but keeping it grounded with the crew that we get to know and love throughout their tenure (as I said before, Gunn was given full liberty to kill whoever he wanted, so while you get emotionally invested in these characters, don't be surprised to see some - or many - perish in the most bloody ways possible). Gunn's ability to command large ensembles is legen (wait for it) dary, and he continues to make the most of his unbridled talent here, producing not one but two groups of Suicide Squad members (one more successful than the other) that makes them both equally enjoyable and memorable.

The performances showcase the actor's commitment to the project, as every single one of them proves that they really want to be there. Margot Robbie has a firm grasp on Harley Quinn by now, and she effortlessly showcases her insanity as well as her cunning and fearlessness. Idris Elba (who originally was supposed to replace Smith as Deadshot) does perform the generic character of Bloodsport as a Will Smith-type character who's a villain but a nice guy who only wants to do right for his daughter, but still oozes charisma and deadpan humor. John Cena is also tailor made for Peacemaker, a "douchey Captain America" as he puts it, who is fun fodder for Elba's Bloodsport. Joel Kinnaman allows Rick Flag to be more fun, humorous, and spontaneous than his flat first outing, and you can see the enjoyment Kinnaman has for this project in his performance. David Dastmalchian embraces the uniqueness of Polka-Dot Man and his mother issues while maintaining a sincere desire to really be a superhero, and Daniels Melchior's Ratcatcher II is truly the heart of the film, so much so you can't imagine her being a bad guy due to her overwhelmingly nurturing nature. Yet the standout performance is that of Sylvester Stallone's King Shark (and, accordingly, Steve Agee's mocap performance), a man/shark hybrid who's only real goal is to devour anyone he sees (friend or foe). He's not the most intelligent, and Stallone gives him not just that fun side but also a very heartfelt side as well, and even though Gunn didn't want to turn him into the next Baby Groot, he's still insanely lovable.

The meat-and-potatoes with a film like this comes from the ensemble and how they interact with one another, and each one makes their characters their own but also incorporates the others perfectly, and Gunn once again strikes gold after bringing the "Guardians" together. When the action comes hot and heavy (especially a humorous attack on a gorilla squad), these unlikely heroes have each other's backs - for the most part. While the film does tend to follow the traditional superhero movie tropes (especially in the final act against the big bad), it doesn't deter from the sheer fun you experience getting to watch it all unfold with a cast and crew who are totally committed beginning to end, a rarity for a superhero film in the DC Universe.

Bringing in James Gunn was a stroke of pure genius, and he gives "The Suicide Squad" the attention needed to introduce (or re-introduce) the world to the ragtag team of antiheroes by providing enough blood, guts, and gut-busting humor to fulfill your needs.

The Score: A+