The Suicide Squad

Military propaganda movie audaciously parodying America’s imperialism

By Tharishi Hewavithanagamage

The Suicide Squad is back! Intended to be a soft reboot and standalone sequel to Suicide Squad (2016), ‘The Suicide Squad’ is the tenth film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). This film is written and directed by James Gunn and stars an ensemble cast including Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, Peter Capaldi, Sylvester Stallone and Viola Davis among others.

The film starts off with Amanda Waller sending two Task Force X teams, one led by Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) and the other led by Bloodsport (Idris Elba). They are sent to the island nation of Corto Maltese, tasked with destroying ‘Jötunheim’, a Nazi-era prison and laboratory that holds a top-secret experiment called ‘Project Starfish’. But when things go awry, the super-villains must stand together and save the day. But can they?

Right off the bat, this movie oozes James Gunn’s sense of style, comedic flair, incessant profanity and really intense R-rated sequences. Much like his work in the Marvel Universe with the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ franchise, the filmmaker brings a very colourful and jovial vibe to the DC universe, which is usually known for its gritty, dark and fun-depraved atmosphere. James Gunn is unique and his personality fits the narrative of the tale. His vision provides audiences a refreshing and altogether thrilling experience with a bunch of powerful and off-the-hook villains.

The film packs a lot of visual flair and striking imagery. The gory kills and the giant kaiju starfish, Starro the Conqueror stand out strong as eerily realistic masterpieces, brought to life by amazing visual effects. The movie is given more life using colourful and impressive set pieces and a cool soundtrack. The carefully choreographed action sequences are chaotic and intense but also fun to watch. Surprisingly, the plot of the movie maintains good momentum and only occasionally lags. What’s even more fascinating is the satiric nature of the finale. Although every character in the movie is a villain, there’s always the question of who the ultimate villain is. In a bold move, the final series of events indicate that the true villain is in fact [SPOILER ALERT] the United States government. In a genre that serves heavy military propaganda, ‘The Suicide Squad’ is quite audacious in choosing to parody America’s imperialist efforts.

Skipping out on watching the first movie (the unfortunate flop that it was) certainly won’t affect watching the new film. While Gunn’s version doesn’t carry over the plot from its predecessor, Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, Viola Davis’s Amanda Waller, Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flag and Jai Courtney’s Captain Boomerang make a comeback. The combined efforts of both the old and new faces bring the haphazard dynamic that is expected of a crack-team aptly called ‘Suicide Squad’.

The movie also doesn’t spend too much time explaining the new characters and only provides the most important details. Some characters like the Weasel and T.D.K (The Detachable Kid) are purely cast for the laughs they can generate. Amidst all the killing and violent deaths, character development occurs but is delivered as backstories in simple, nostalgic moments. Gunn allows viewers to see the ‘super-villains’ in a new light by delving a little into their past. These special backstories are insightful and emotional, which makes some deaths more impactful.

When looking at the main characters, the film offers a talented cast to work with. Idris Elba plays Robert DuBois a.k.a Bloodsport, who was jailed for shooting Superman with a kryptonite bullet. While the character is similar to Will Smith’s Dead shot, Elba’s character is more grounded, has more depth and is somewhat likeable. Working alongside Elba with a similar narrative is Daniela Melchior’s Cleo Cazo a.k.a Ratcatcher II, and the pair is the foundation for the emotional core of the film. John Cena adds his own flair to his ultranationalist character, The Peacemaker, while David Dastmalchian brings a timid sweetness to the largely underestimated but powerful character, the Polka-Dot man.

However, the scene-stealers are King Shark (voiced by Sylvester Stallone, performed physically by Steve Agee) and Ratcatcher’s comrade, Sebastian the rat. Not only do they bring a sense of cinematic pleasure, but they push forward the ideas of family and friendship. To be clear they are still deadly and will kill or rip people apart. It’s also intriguing how the true (and very unlikely) heroes of the day were the rats. Although they were controlled by Ratcatcher II, to be fair the rats did most of the hard work.

Returnee Margot Robbie is obviously eye-catching in her role as Harley Quinn. She is given ample space and material to work with and showcase her innate combat skills. It’s also interesting to see how Gunn keeps her character consistent with the growth and maturity she gathers from ‘Birds of Prey’. Viola Davis on the other hand delivers a stellar and terrifying performance as Waller, whereas Joel Kinnaman supports the cast with a steady and effective performance as Rick Flag. Unfortunately two of DC’s most formidable villains, The Thinker (played by Peter Capaldi) and Starro felt heavily marginalized and their true capabilities withdrawn.

It goes without saying that James Gunn’s version is a massive improvement on the original. The film gave returning characters a chance to redeem themselves, while the new characters laid their foundations should they reprise the roles in the future. The delightfully fresh film, with never-before-seen characters on the big screen is proof that the DCEU, given the chance, can create and deliver incredible movies. This time the deviant filmmaking and creativity behind ‘The Suicide Squad’ allows it to stand strong in a league of its own within the larger DCEU.