A Choir of Devils: The Suicide Squad Review!

Don’t get attached, unless it’s for the film overall. The Director takes a look at James Gunn’s R-Rated Magnum Opus “The Suicide Squad.“

Before the film was even released, David Dastmalchian described the chess pieces that make up the characters on the board that is James Gunn’s film as “Characters that are worthless are very worth while.“ And in a sense, there’s probably the thesis statement behind his execution (in more ways than one) for the gory film we’ve been presented with this whole time.

OPERATION: JAMES GUNN

James Gunn, Circa 2017.

It can’t be overstated that Gunn was the target of a smear campaign by Mike Chernovich a few years ago that lead to him being fired by Disney for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, due to his very off kilter and admittingly disgusting jokes he made during the early 2010’s. No doubt, his career was in limbo, and it created this broader conversation of whether or not a person’s past words or actions would necessitate them having the privilege to have a career in any field. Which.. is very interesting, because that’s - in a sense - where Gunn’s mind has been his entire career.

One can empathize with those who are immediately turned away from Gunn due to the nature of his jokes, as the subject he would joke about are a big trigger button for many and they see it as crossing a major moral line; however, the refusal to see empathy in people who are crass and have shades of gray in them can also be hugely damaging. And Gunn’s films highlight the look into damaged or deranged characters. From the heartbreaking love of Grant and Starla’s relationship and how it grew toxic in Slither, to the mental instability of Frank in Super, and of course the colorful Guardians of the Galaxy. His whole thing is about finding empathy in the irredeemable, as he himself viewed himself as irredeemable for so long. When given a chance with The Guardians of the Galaxy with Nicole Perlman’s script, he put a lot of himself and got the chance to show his potential, and when Vol. 2 came around, he turned it into a battle with egos: quite literally with Kurt Russell’s portrayal, but also the egos that could bubble up with the success of such a mega blockbusters.

So it’s 2018, and Gunn was fired for jokes he made in the past that haven’t aged well at all. And similar in a way to Amanda Waller, Warner Brothers snatched him up, and gave him a chance to get out of director jail with a near impossible mission: make a sequel to one of the more reviled superhero films in recent memory, but do it your way, and it has to be good.

It’s a tall order, but he had one major thing on his side: total creative control.

GUNN’S A BLAZIN’

Savant (played by Michael Rooker) sizes up his brothers and sisters for the next few days.

So now that we’ve got the general background out of the way, how does the rest of the film stack up?

To put it bluntly, the film is explosive from start to finish. Right from the first 15 minutes, it’s made abundantly clear that no matter how big a name your character is, they probably aren’t going to make it out of there alive, as well as the excess of violence. There’s been a lot of comparisons with Deadpool in the film in terms of how it uses violence, and while I won’t say that it’s bloodier than those two films (even though it is), I will say that the way that violence is used in this film never fails to astound me. It’s arguably more creative with its action than most superhero films in recent memory.

Plus, special mention has to be given to Henry Braham and his symbiotic relationship with Gunn, as this is the second collaboration with him, and they’ve already perfected their style. There are some really spectacular shots and sequences aided with both of their eyes coming together, and some standouts include a fight scene seen through the reflection of Peacemaker’s helmet (they set up the chrome, reflective design really well), and in my opinion, the most ridiculous shot I’ve ever seen in a superhero film where Harley Quinn is pulling a creature off of King Shark while an office space is flooded, and the building around them is falling down. The color pallet is a perfect mix of exciting hues and desaturated grays that never fails to be easy on the eyes, and just the way Gunn manages to make each big set piece feel like a spash page ripped straight from the Jon Ostrander comics he was inspired from is a testament to Braham’s skill. I absolutely cannot wait for Andy Muschetti’s The Flash, because you KNOW he’s going to do great work with a visionary like him.

And then I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention John Murphy’s electric score, treating the film less like an orchestrated superhero fanfare, but more like a garage band given the chance to make a punk album with a huge budget. From the first moment that electric guitar sets in, you’re immediately strapped in to the tone the rest of the film takes on, and when it blends really well, like with the tracks “The Squad Turns Back“ and “Ratism,“ it’s honestly one of the most unique and original scores in a superhero film by far.

A CHOIR OF DEVILS

Look at all these jokers… But like — the Joker isn’t in this, FYI.

But that’s to say nothing of the spectacular cast at play here, too! Of course the old guards from WB’s Suicide Squad back in 2016 are great here, in many instances being much improved on (such as Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flagg being a huge stand out in my eyes, with a much more fleshed out personality, and Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller being absolutely terrifying in this go-around). But the many casualties of the film do a great job of managing to have enough personality and depth that you genuinely do feel for most of the people who are reduced to bloody pulps.

My personal favorite standouts though are Idris Elba as Bloodsport, Daniela Melachoir as Cleo Caza (Ratcatcher 2), John Cena as Peacemaker, and David Dastmalchian’s Polka-Dot Man.

Elba manages to distinguish himself from the long shadow the Fresh Prince himself cast in the first film as Deadshot, and what could’ve just been a pallet swap of a character is improved by his attitude and aggression he presents throughout, while still preserving some part of humanity in his soul that doesn’t steal the spotlight from anyone.

But if we’re talking humanity, Cleo is absolutely that in the whole film. From Daniela’s absolutely innocent and spellbinding performance (save for one joke that doesn’t land personally), I believe we are on the lookout for a true talent in the coming future. The big climax of the film (and that’s saying a lot) gives her a moment to truly flex her acting skills, and it makes me choked up every time I watch it.

It’s easy for a character like Polka-Dot Man to become a joke — I mean, have you READ that name? Say it out loud: Polka-Dot Man. It’s ridiculous, right? Now imagine having to play that character? But yet somehow, Dastmalchian manages to make him into an absolutely terrifying, tragic, and sympathetic character with his gentle performance, which I can only describe as if Norman Bates was raised on Mr. Rogers. True props to everyone involved for making such a ridiculous character a major stand-out in a cast full of titans.

But if we’re talking about titans, we gotta talk about Harley Quinn herself: Margot Robbie. I introduce the character first, because Margot has pretty much taken ownership of her in the same way that Tony Stark is Robert Downey Jr., Christopher Reeve is Superman, and Zachery Levi is Shazam. This is undoubtably Margot’s best performance as the character, finding the perfect balance of The Animated Series’ personality with Amanda Conner’s & Jimmy Palmiotti’s insanity, even if I personally think her writing was a bit stronger in Birds of Prey. She has a standout scene that shows the potential her character has as an action star, and it’s one of the most visually exciting sequences in the whole film.

Now I’ve ignored talking about John Cena in this section so far, and that’s because of the fact that I’ll admit, fellow Renegades… I’ve never really seen him as an actor. Granted, he’s an amazing guy, and I have no doubt that he throws a lot of himself into his roles, but call it growing up as a zoomer, but I’ve only ever seen John Cena as a meme. It’s in the same way I don’t really take Michael Jordan seriously, or even Vin Diesel. So understand that when I say that this is John Cena’s best performance I’ve seen BY FAR. He’s the perfect blend of Charleston Comics ridiculousness with the more jingoistic portrayal Alan Moore wanted him to have when he conceptualized The Comedian in Watchmen. He really shows his acting chops, and I cannot wait for next year in HBO Max’s Peacemaker to hate him even more.

TROUBLE IN PARADISE

The squad comes to a terrible realization deep in the Corto Maltese jungle…

Now this reviewer has seen the film at least two times in theaters, and plan on watching it multiple times later on, but this means that I’ve taken the buzz off and have noticed some minor squabbles that I have noticed with the film.

For one thing, like I mentioned before, when you’re dealing with a comedy, there’s more than likely going to be some jokes that don’t land for everyone, and for me, it was one in particular with Cleo that felt very out of character. I imagine there’s more for others, but when the film does throw everything at the wall, there’s a part of you that will notice when some work and when some don’t.

Not only that, but I personally felt that some of the players here were wasted, in particular Alice Braga’s character - which while a cool inclusion - felt superfluous to the overall plot and would’ve been better suited if Gunn had given her a bigger prominence in the third act insanity we get with how off the wall the action gets. In fact, some concepts in Corto Maltese feel a bit wasted, in particular a revelation involving Harley Quinn that I would rather not spoil, but it does feel like it could’ve been a bigger part of her character evolution from Suicide Squad, to Birds of Prey, to this film. When you see the film, you’ll know what I mean.

But the biggest thing I had a minor problem with early on was the pacing. The film does like to break up into chunks with title cards, and the first time around, I did get a bit exhausted with it because the plot does screech to a halt on multiple points. However, I do acknowledge the fact that the second time around, this complaint didn’t feel as prominent, and honestly felt like it flowed like reading a trade from a limited comic series as each title card felt like a progression of issues. It just doesn’t stop me from feeling like the non-linearity was not needed at some points.

THE SUN SETS ON THE SQUAD!

Daniela Melachoir’s Ratcather 2 shines as bright as the device that calls the rats to her, as well as the film itself!

But you have to understand, I really am grasping at straws to an extent with the complaints. When I have to talk about TITLE CARDS to think of things “wrong“ with the film? I think that just shows how much of a fun time this was.

There was a clear effort to not repeat the flaws of what came before: whereas last time was a studio driven and market approved cut that stripped away every ounce of director David Ayer’s vision for Task Force X, this time we get a no holds barred R-rated splatterpiece that could only come from former Troma filmmaker James Gunn. It’s honestly very rare that a film of this scale can be dictated by one singular vision at the helm of almost every aspect of its inception, but between this and The Snyder Cut earlier this year, we’re getting a stronger case for more creator driven comic book films that I get the feeling we’re about to see more of in the coming decade.

I had a huge smile on my face the whole runtime (save for some dramatic turns that shocked me), and even taking the flaws I have with the final product in mind, I can’t help but adore every waking moment of this. James Gunn has crafted my personal favorite DCEU film by far, and continues to find humanity in the inhumane.

It’s like what one character says, “Rats are the lowest and most despised creatures of all. If they have purpose, so do we.“

By the end, everyone has found purpose. And James Gunn has as well: to keep making art, to show that we all, no matter how lowly and despised we are, have purpose. We all have that light in us.

9/10
A MODERN CLASSIC

The Suicide Squad is available on HBO Max for 31 days, so go give it a watch, damn it! Thanks for reading along, please share this review around, and keep an eye out for some more podcasts in the near future! Especially a discussion episode real soon on this film!