The best thing I can say about director David Ayer’s “Suicide Squad” is it’s a film that started with the best of intentions. All you have to do is look at the cast. The impressive lineup boasts multiple Oscar winners.
Unfortunately, what started as a great concept on paper turned into a train wreck. Usually, this is the point where I’d provide a brief synopsis of the film. Honestly, I don’t want to torture you or waste your time, so lets just say it’s about a group of bad guys who, because the government sees them as expendable, are “recruited” and forced to take out a bad guy.
If that sounds okay to you, well then thank you. It took a lot of time and effort to condense the mess of a “plot” into one clear condensed sentence. Honestly, the premise isn’t the problem, it’s the execution that gets extremely messy.
The film seems to start in the middle. Our major baddies–Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) and Deadshot (Will Smith)–are already behind bars. What follows is a hot mess of video game style stats reintroducing Quinn and Deadshot along with nearly the rest of the gang. The montage includes fun facts and other details you don’t have time to read. What makes it more confusing, there are some squad members who were apparently an afterthought. Poor Slipknot (Adam Beach) shows up out of nowhere only to meet his maker less than a few minutes later.
At this point, you’re probably thinking, I thought the Joker (Jared Leto) was in this film, and he is, barely. Not that the Joker needs to be the star of the show, but his small side story has so many holes, and burning questions, you have to assume he once played a much bigger role.
The one thing this wreck of a film has going for it is its cast, and every single star in the film is stellar. Margot Robbie, in particular, as the delightfully deranged Harley Quinn is phenomenal. In fact, I would go and see a movie that centered on her character. Even Jared Leto, during his very brief appearances, is a Joker I wouldn’t mind seeing again…and probably will.
The problem is the film lacks focus. With so many amazing performances, they forgot to create a plot that ties them all together, which really is a shame. These characters and the DC Universe deserved a much better film.
…just for fun:
