SPLATTERdrome

Release Date: August 5th, 2016

Director: David Ayer

Screenwriter: David Ayer

Genre: Action/Comic Book

 

 

It’s been less than five months since Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice left superhero fans nervously scratching their heads and already DC is back in theaters with Suicide Squad, a film whose reception is somehow already more polarizing than its predecessor. Relative quality aside the public response is hardly surprising; DC has again chosen to release an ensemble project rather than reboot anyone from its stable of popular characters in preparation for 2017’s Justice League, a curious choice especially since the Suicide Squad comics are not particularly well known to the general public. In any event, here we are with Round Three in the post-Christopher Nolan era of DC films so let’s dig in.

 

Suicide Squad is the story of US government official Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) and her scheme to covertly assemble Task Force X, a collection of particularly volatile criminals housed in a top secret Louisiana black site. Notable among them are Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) and Deadshot (Will Smith), these two enjoy the majority of the screen time and are the only acting performances that succeed to any degree; the rest of the crew are thinly written to the point where some are introduced and sent into the action with a single block of dialogue. Waller succeeds in getting this group together but also accidentally unleashes Enchantress (Cara Delevingne), a powerful witch of vague origins who is determined to extinguish all human life. Task Force X is set to the task of foiling Enchantress while the Joker (Jared Leto) intermittently appears in an effort to reclaim his lover, Harley Quinn.

 

The film begins with an explosion of manic energy created by rapid cuts, loud pop songs, and a garish, dossier-style introduction sequence intended to familiarize us with the principle characters. In many instances (Boomerang, Killer Croc, and Slipknot) a short clip during this section is the only backstory we’re ever supplied with as the focus shifts rapidly to Harley Quinn and Deadshot thereafter. This is the film’s primary failing, writer/director David Ayer simply does not devote an appropriate amount of time towards developing almost any member of his ensemble cast. 

 

Ayer’s most earnest attempt at creating a character history involves the origin story of Harley Quinn and her liaison with the Joker. Flashback scenes are intercut with the main action to show Harley (then known as criminal psychiatrist Harleen Quinzel) before her villainous turn and those events which influenced it. However, much like the parallel romantic narrative of June Moone/Enchantress and Colonel Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) the concept of these characters being deeply in love is repeatedly dictated to the audience but never convincingly shown. Moone and Flag share a kiss one evening after a few beers and suddenly they’re inseparable. The Joker and Quinn don’t get much more, we briefly see startlingly beautiful Dr. Quinzel somehow becoming smitten with Leto’s grill-wearing, white trash Joker and it’s not long before she willingly falls into a vat of toxic chemicals in order to prove her devotion. It’s unapologetically sloppy writing and editing, Ayer is betting that his audience will accept these romances at face value and supply the implied emotional weight because he can't be bothered with it.

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The first act of the film is spent introducing characters and setting up the basic plot, this takes quite some time considering how much material Ayer is stuffing into the film. By the time we’ve reached act two the squad has been assembled and is set off on their first task, a convoluted search-and-rescue mission which results in no particular gain. This is easily the least inspired section of the film, a plodding, unoriginal shoot-em-up which neither thrills the eye nor engages the imagination. Task Force X stumbles through a deserted city unloading endless rounds of ammunition at faceless minions for what feels like an eternity. Try to stay awake though or you’ll miss the gratuitous shots of Margot Robbie’s rear end which are thrown in about every eight minutes. 

 

Each obstacle the group encounters is overcome in an implausible fashion, characters are repeatedly forced through flimsy story arcs in order to provide solutions to plot points (i.e. Diablo’s sudden, inexplicable affection for his companions and subsequent martyrdom). Its a series of hollow revelations and random turns (including a group therapy session in an abandoned bar) which do not advance the narrative or meaningfully expand on any of the characters.

 

The climax of the film occurs when Task Force X finally reaches Enchantress and another CGI-heavy battle unfolds. Enchantress, like most everyone else in the film, is too underdeveloped to be effective but the way she’s presented near the end makes things even worse. The character is portrayed by an actual living actress and yet the filmmakers give her a computer generated body which is often moving in a bizarre gyration. Due to an over-reliance on digital effects what is intended to be a dramatic final confrontation becomes, to steal a phrase from Alec Guinness, more machine than man. It’s a remarkably unsatisfying conclusion.

 

I want to briefly touch on Jared Leto’s performance as the Joker since it was one of the elements of the film I was most interested in seeing. His makeup and costuming are effective and unique, there’s a modern gangster meets the Thin White Duke aesthetic going on but the costuming is about all that sets him apart from previous portrayals of the character. I was shocked at how much Heath Ledger there was in Leto’s performance, mostly with the intonation and cadence of his voice, that low growl Ledger made famous in The Dark Knight. Leto’s performance is forgettable and that’s a massive missed opportunity; he’s primed to shine in this role and I can only assume he was hindered by the script and/or his director.

 

I was surprised to learn that Ayer is the sole credited writer on this film, it feels like several creative influences were at odds considering how unfocused the result is. Suicide Squad doesn't succeed with much besides its bottom line, you won’t find interesting characters or tight story, even the action scenes fall flat. Ultimately this project will be remembered as a showcase for Margot Robbie, she alone (although Will Smith has his moments) breaks through a rigid, overstuffed script and gives the audience glimpses of a playful, dynamic character. She has undoubtedly earned a future in whatever comes next for these films, as far as Ayer and his glass menagerie of a cast, time will tell.