The Suicide Squad

THE SUICIDE SQUAD

Director : James Gunn

Year : 2021

Genre : Superhero

Rating : ****

It was meant to be the turning point for DC's floundering Extended Universe but David Ayer's 2016 critical disaster 'Suicide Squad' was a dour and thoroughly uninteresting mess that utterly wasted the potential of it's fun, colourful trailer as well as a pretty impressive ensemble cast. Such was the audience disappointment with 'Suicide Squad' that 5 years later, DC have decided to completely redo their most famous gang of villains with more profanity, more laughs, much more gore and the directorship of one of the great mavericks of modern cinema.

Starring a host of great character actors including Idris Elba, John Cena, Sylvester Stallone, David Mastchalchian, Daniela Melchior, Michael Rooker and Peter Capaldi as well as returning stars Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman and Viola Davis, James Gunn's 'The Suicide Squad' is a very different viewing experience to David Ayer's 2016 effort in every way imaginable. And not just in terms of violence. It's characters are more rounded with much better chemistry and motivations, the plot is far more coherent, the visuals are more colourful and pleasant and, as is expected with a James Gunn film, it balances laughs and shocks with relative ease. 

As would be expected, 'The Suicide Squad' tells the story of a group of criminals who are sent on a deadly mission to save the world. Led by the fearless Colonel Rick Flagg (Kinnaman), the squad, which consists of the sharpshooting assassin Bloodsport (Elba) the rodent controlling Ratcatcher 2 (Melchior), the multicoloured killer Polka Dot Man (Mastchalchian), the psychotically patriotic Peacemaker (Cena) and the giant humanoid man-eating King Shark (motion captured by Steve Agee and voiced by Stallone) must work together to infiltrate a recently overthrown island country and destroy a mysterious scientific discovery simply known as PROJECT STARFISH.

It is easy to forget that prior to hitting the big time with the 'Guardians Of The Galaxy' movies, James Gunn started his career with the infamously expoitative Troma Pictures before making such scrungy movies as B-movie classic 'Slither' and the ridiculously over-the-top 'Super' and it is clear that he brought his blood-drenched past with him for 'The Suicide Squad'. Showcasing scenes of heads exploding, arms and legs being ripped off, multiple disembowellings, stabbings, beheadings and people being literally eaten alive on screen, this is a far cry from the family friendly exploits of Starlord, Groot, Gamora, Rocket and Drax. In fact, I'd put money on this being the most extreme superhero movie ever made, more so even than the purposefully irreverent 'Deadpool' movies which now look laughably tame in comparison. Unlike the previous director Ayer, Gunn isn't afraid to kill his characters however major or minor at a moments notice and when they do die, they go in ways that would make David Cronenberg himself proud. 

However, while it is indeed gruesome, 'The Suicide Squad' is also a very funny, very engaging and a surprisingly affective watch that had me more than invested in the plight of its characters both good and bad. The performances are great throughout, particularly those of Idris Elba who shows just how good a James Bond he could be if society would get over the idea of a black 007, Margot Robbie who once again captivates as the ubiquitous Harley Quinn and Daniela Melchior whose sensitive and highly likeable work as Ratcatcher 2 proves to be the films emotional core. But, and I hate to sound like a predictable 'Jaws' fan here, it is the monosyllabic King Shark who completely steals the movie for me. Every scene with this gigantic bumbling creature is just wonderful and Sylvester Stallone's trademark low voice is the perfect accompaniment to the impressive visual effects which bring this dim-witted monarch of the deep to life. Hilarious, hungry and utterly adorable, King Shark easily stands out as my favourite character of 2021 so far. 

In the past I have highly criticised DC for their low-standard output but over the past few years, they have really come into their own by allowing directors to bring their distinctively unique visions of their beloved characters to the screen - 'Shazam!', 'Joker' and 'Wonder Woman' for example - without studio restraint and 'The Suicide Squad' is no different. Make no mistake, only James Gunn could have made a movie as insanely violent and as riotously irreverent as this and it was a creative gamble that would either spell big bucks or big losses for the company. Sadly, it is clear from the dwindling box office numbers that DC's creative gamble hasn't paid off this time and the likelihood of seeing a Gunn-directed sequel is unfortunately very low. However, a movie should never be judged on it's profits (or lack thereof) and for what it is, 'The Suicide Squad' is a bloody good time whose crazy combination of gratuitous gore, gonzo giggles and gorgeous graphics are sure to guarantee a cult following in the future.