Movie Review: “Suicide Squad” is a hot mess, just like standout Harley Quinn

Movie Review: “Suicide Squad” (PG-13)

“Suicide Squad” was put together by Ayer (“End of Watch,” “Fury”), and given the gritty nature of the source material, you would think this property would fit firmly into the “Training Day” screenwriter’s wheelhouse. Sadly, from a story standpoint, Ayer’s script is sloppy, and as the director, Ayer has a hard time rising above the chaotic, convoluted nature of the script.

“Suicide Squad” finds shifty government official Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) working with military man Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) in an effort to assemble a ragtag team of criminals so that they might send said criminals into the heart of the city to put a stop to a bizarre supernatural happening.

This “Suicide Squad,” as they would come to be known, would be comprised of deadly marksman Deadshot (Will Smith), love-sick psychiatrist Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), fire-slinging Diablo (Jay Hernandez), wired Boomerang (Jai Courtney), vicious Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), and blink-and-you’ll-miss-him Slipknot (Adam Beach). This team of supreme baddies would ultimately be joined by sword-wielding Katana (Karen Fukuhara) on their way to putting a stop to a mysterious villain who, as you probably already guessed, is out to destroy the city. Along the way, the Suicide Squad will have to tend to the usual government-official bullying and occasional run-ins with the diabolical loose cannon that is the Joker (Jared Leto). A couple members of the squad even come face to face with the Gotham-based vigilante that is Batman (Ben Affleck.)

“Suicide Squad” deals with a theme that Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” dealt with in a far superior fashion: Namely, escalation. In other words, if there are beings like Superman and Batman out there fighting for justice, then it would be safe to assume that there would also be villains on hand for our fearless heroes to put away. In the case of this particular movie, those villains will serve as anti-heroes that cold and wicked Amanda Waller will presumably keep in her back pocket for a rainy day.

“Suicide Squad” attempts to reach for the dark and brooding nature of Zack Snyder’s cinematic take on “Watchmen” all while maintaining the lighter nature of James Gunn’s playful, fittingly lose sci-fi joyfest, “Guardians of the Galaxy.” There’s even a bit of “Escape From New York” thrown in for good measure here, but sadly, “Suicide Squad” hasn’t the cohesion of any of the previously mentioned movies.

“Suicide Squad” is one hot mess. In fact, it’s more of a hot mess than central player Harley Quinn. This movie as a whole feels clunky and stitched together. Despite a handful of notable visual moments, the editing is sloppy, the action sequences are disappointingly uninspired, and the entire film has a wildly uneven pace. Furthermore, “Suicide Squad” is plagued by distracting flashbacks, boring exposition, and a shockingly uneventful climax that is as odd as it is dull. And it’s all punctuated by a collection of high-profile tunes that seem more interested in soundtrack sales then complementing the images on screen.

Having said all of that, “Suicide Squad” is strangely watchable to a certain degree, and a lot of that watchability factor can be attributed to a handful of entertaining character beats and a wonderfully game cast. It helps that the majority of the star players who make up the Suicide Squad have genuine rapport.

Will Smith is a movie star through and through. He has charisma to spare, and he brings that charisma in spades. His Deadshot is the one character in this picture that offers up anything close to resembling a true arc. Deadshot is a bad man to be sure, but he’s also a dad out to make his daughter proud. If there’s any sort of moral center at the heart of “Suicide Squad,” it’s Deadshot.

Margot Robbie is an absolute joy as Harley Quinn. While her misguided desire for the Joker ultimately turns her to the dark side, Harley Quinn benefits from a fierce independence, an undeniable inner strength, a grand sense of humor, and a gleefully sadistic attitude. For all of Harley Quinn’s obvious sexual bravado and flirty nature, Robbie manages to bring far more complexity to this dysfunctional character than was probably on the written page.

While Smith and Robbie (who also worked together on con/romance “Focus”) are certainly “Suicide Squad” cast standouts, Jay Hernandez also hits the right notes as tragic Diablo. He’s the tough and silent type, but there’s a reason for his silence, and Hernandez is able to convey a surprising amount of poignancy in a very little amount of screen time. Jai Courtney proves to bring a lot of energy to the table as well. While there is very little in the way of character backstory, Courtney is lively and manages to bring a level of personality to his Boomerang that was sorely lacking in his performances in both “A Good Day to Die Hard” and “Terminator: Genysis.” It’s clear that this particular actor is more adept at playing bad guys (see “Jack Reacher”).

Another bright spot in “Suicide Squad” is the vicious powerhouse that is Viola Davis. As the ruthless Amanda Waller, Davis is clearly having a blast as a “Queen bitch of the universe” type. Even though she’s only the woman responsible for assembling the “Suicide Squad,” she might actually be more deadly than any of its members.

On the flipside, Adam Beach’s talents are virtually squandered here. His Slipknot serves no purpose to the plot, which would be fine if Beach were given isolated moments to shine. Unfortunately, he isn’t given anything to do. Meanwhile, Joel Kinnaman feels completely miscast as hardened Rick Flag. His moments with June Moone (Cara Delevingne) are passable, but when he’s in the company of the squad, he simply doesn’t measure up.

Finally, we can’t get through this review without touching on the iconic villain that is the Joker. To Leto’s credit, he makes this legendary character his own, but there are times where this feels more like an interpretation of Scarface than the Joker. Again, Leto certainly loses himself in the part and there’s no doubt that he brings a fiery energy to the role, but ultimately,  this portrayal doesn’t hold a candle to the classic Joker portrayals of the past (specifically Romero, Nicholson, Hamill, and Ledger). What’s more, the Joker’s inclusion in “Suicide Squad” simply feels shoehorned in. Organically speaking, his character serves very little purpose here.

It’s hard to know where “Suicide Squad” went wrong. It’s been reported that Ayer was still writing the script while he was deep in the casting phase, and it’s never a good thing for a movie to enter any side of production without a solid foundation. Others have suggested that misguided studio intervention is the culprit. Whatever the case may be, I don’t think that “Suicide Squad” is the train wreck many have perceived it to be. There are enough spirited performances and amusing character beats to make this film more worth watching than “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” But still, there’s no denying that “Suicide Squad” is a convoluted mess of a movie. It’s a shame, because this one had real potential. Here’s hoping that once the inevitable sequel gets underway, it offers up a fulfilling story worthy of its talented and undeniably engaging cast.

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