THE SUICIDE SQUAD: A Wonderfully Gory And Heartfelt Romp Into Chaos
James Gunn‘s The Suicide Squad grabs the audience’s attention instantly with a blood-soaked and laugh-filled opening sequence that throws us right into the middle of the action. The comedic tone and gory style of the film is quickly established through character introductions and well-placed moments of humor that always feel natural to the character. The Suicide Squad is a perfect blend of gore, action, and heart.
A team – known as Task Force X and unofficially The Suicide Squad – chosen for their unique abilities by Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) is sent to handle the mystery-cloaked Project Starfish in Corto Maltese. The members of this supervillain team include: Robert DuBois/Bloodsport (Idris Elba) Abner Krill/Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian), Cleo Cazo/Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior), Christopher Smith/Peacemaker (John Cena), Nanaue/King Shark (voiced by Sylvester Stallone), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) and Colonel Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman).
Expert Blend of Heart and Gore
The Suicide Squad balances the high levels of creative gore with wonderfully heartfelt and emotional moments of character introspection. As the film progresses and the body count rises, we learn more about this makeshift family and see true bonding among the teammates. Ratcatcher 2 and Polka-Dot Man are at the forefront in this regard. Cleo offers friendship to King Shark in an especially memorable scene played beautifully by Daniela Melchior.
The bonding between various members of the squad leads to more moments of humor while showcasing glimpses of the character’s personal struggles and personalities. Character backstories always feel natural, like the conversations that come up when trying to make new friends.
When Abner first uses his powers, he apologizes to the group and we feel his vulnerability through David Dastmalchian‘s wonderful performance. We also see how this new group, especially Ratcatcher 2, provides a safe space to talk about the parts of himself he keeps hidden.
The gory moments are always creative and gut-punching, perfectly fitting for this beautifully chaotic group of misfit supervillains. Be ready for exploding heads, bloody limbs, and some decapitations. The Suicide Squad embraces its violence and creates surprising and exciting moments.
Natural and Wonderfully Absurd Humor
The Suicide Squad takes time to allow each character to be seen and appreciated while also maintaining a unique sense of humor and style for each one. The humor in the film always feels fitting for the characters it comes from. James Gunn‘s dialogue captures the differences between these well-developed characters each with their own issues and reasons they deserve to be loved and respected.
Maintaining a sense of humor for each character allows the film to dig deep into who every member of the squad is as a person. The film’s mission briefing scene introduces us to each character with simple moments that highlight their personalities. The wonderful writing and performances within this early scene establish the quality we will continue to experience throughout the film.
David Dastmalchian‘s performance wonderfully highlights the pain and shyness of Polka-Dot Man. John Cena‘s dead-pan delivery of asking if Project Starfish has connections to buttholes establishes the no-nonsense attitude and comedic style of Peacemaker. Idris Elba‘s reactions to the absurdity surrounding him establish Bloodsport perfectly. Sylvester Stallone‘s delivery and Steve Agee‘s motion-capture work combine perfectly to establish King Shark’s desire to be appreciated for more than his psychical strength. Daniela Melchior‘s performance establishes the calm and friendly personality of Ratcatcher 2
The humor of The Suicide Squad always feels new, exciting, and welcome. Every comedic beat feels specific to the character and moment, allowing the humor to flow throughout the film as its own important element of the complete package.
The team overseeing the mission from the prison has their own style of workplace humor shown the best as they bet on the survival of the squad members. Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt, Steve Agee as John Economos, and Tinashe Kajese as Flo Crawley stand out in these moments of the film. Their performances wonderfully capture the tensions of working for Amanda Waller and the humor that can come from working in close proximity.
Margot Robbie once again shines in the role of Harley Quinn. She wonderfully balances the character’s unique sense of humor, personality, and way of viewing the world with her strength, values, and not taking shit from anyone attitude.
Blend of Comic Book Absurdity and Real-World Issues
The Suicide Squad is a perfect representation of a comic book on the big screen. The film never tries to cut ties with its comic origins by diminishing its wackiness for grit. The film creates a wonderful world where people can wear helmets that resemble toilets, throw polka dots at people, and save the world while also highlighting issues of government self-interest, depression, abuse, and addiction.
The Suicide Squad is one of the year’s best films because it is not afraid to embrace the weirdness of the comic book world, and treating those characters with respect by exploring the darkness of their individual problems and moments of joy.
Another aspect of The Suicide Squad that is especially strong is its costume design. Costume designer Judianna Makovsky does wonderful work creating costumes where the vivid style of its source material is given room to shine. The costumes are filled with bright, boldly popping colors that add to the whimsical and engaging tone of the film.
James Gunn‘s work as writer and director is stunning throughout The Suicide Squad. His film captures characters audiences might not know and gives them new life through stellar writing combined with amazing performances from everyone. This film is filled with unique set-pieces and action shot in creative and beautiful ways. Each fight scene has a unique style setting it apart and embracing different eras of cinema.
The use of color and shadow throughout the film is wonderful and always captures the mood of each scene perfectly. Ratcatcher 2’s backstory glowing along the walls of the team’s shared bus transports us to another time and place. The use of warm colors here gives the scene a glow showcasing the warmth of remembering those we love the most.
Conclusion
The Suicide Squad is a magnificent blend of gore, heart, and humor that engages its audience instantly with strong characters, performances, and breathtaking visuals. Daniela Melchior and David Dastmalchian‘s performances as Ratcatcher 2 and Polka-Dot Man stand out, but the entire cast gives memorable performances highlighting the uniqueness and humor of their characters.
Have you seen The Suicide Squad? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!
The Suicide Squad was released in theaters on August 6th. The film is also available on HBO Max from August 6th until September 5th.
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