The Suicide Squad filmmaker James Gunn has a gift, and it is a unique one at that. He can provide the most out-there concepts, with thousands of gallons of blood and gore and still pull the heartstrings of his audience. There’s no one out there quite like him and he could not have been a better choice by DC and Warner Bros. to take over the Suicide Squad franchise and fill it with his patented touch.
Of course, director David Ayer released his Suicide Squad in 2016 to mixed reviews and less than stellar box office. Although I enjoyed the flick, it was considered a blemish on the DC legacy, and the Squad was handed to a new master. With Gunn, they employed a storyteller who is quite adept at world-building, especially in the superhero arena. His Guardians of the Galaxy (Volume 1 and 2) are absolute delights and who else but Gunn could get us to be emotionally invested in the goings-on of not the most wholesome of heroes? Two of them are a raccoon and a tree.
With The Suicide Squad, he also got to flex another of his strong muscles and that is his innate sense of the marriage of music and cinema. When you head into a Gunn movie, you know there will be multiple moments of rocking out and it provides a priceless next-level connection between the viewer and what occurs onscreen. His soundtracks to both Galaxy movies are hits, and the one he orchestrated for his latest film should be as well. It accompanies the action, but the tunes he chooses also add layers to what we witness that nothing else can quite provide.
The story starts off similarly to the last go-around, what with Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller making some of DC’s most delectable villains the anti-heroes with chances to reduce their prison sentences and do some good in the world. Leading the charge once again is Colonel Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) who doesn’t get to choose his team but is tasked with leading them into the most perilous of situations. Thus, their nickname.
This time out, there was a coup in an island nation off the coast of South America. Although not ideal, the family of dictators that previously ruled had control of an entity that should not land in the hands of the wrong people. The charismatic leader who has taken the reins of the country, Presidente General Silvio Luna (Juan Diego Botto), has plans for whatever is in that secret locale where medical tests that the Nazis started in World War II were able to continue after the conflict concluded.
Waller has made the team’s mission clear. They are to take out El Presidente and then that facility and whatever is inside it. The team she has provided for Flag include Joker’s beloved ex, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie, returning from the first film and fresh off the success of her solo movie, Birds of Prey), Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Peacemaker (John Cena), Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior), Polka Dot Man (David Dastmalchian), King Shark (voiced by Sylvester Stallone)—who is exactly what one would think, a giant shark—as well as Jai Courtney’s Boomerang, Weasel (Sean Gunn), Nathan Fillion’s T.D.K. and Savant (Gunn’s frequent collaborator, Michael Rooker).
It is largely a different ensemble than the first Suicide mission and this time out, there is palpable chemistry between the team that was sorely missing from the first film foray. Although everyone is a traditional baddie, there is a type of thick as thieves feel to this crew that is extraordinary and an utter blast. This is a fun film in every sense of the word. Just pure joy.
Elba, as always, is terrific. There are few actors out there who command the screen the way that he does. Robbie, as history has shown, was born to be Quinn and even though Birds of Prey was divine, it’s as if one can sense the joy the Australian actress has with the character more in her third turn as the beloved good girl gone bad. Cena is a terrific addition and has found a role worthy of his particular talents in the superhero movie realm. One could argue that Melchior is the heart of this group, and it is her backstory that truly brings this team together when it matters most. Never been the biggest fan of rats? After The Suicide Squad and Melchior’s sensational turn, you will believe in her furry friends.
Meanwhile, Dastmalchian is like an “X” factor and emerges as what will likely be a fan favorite. Polka Dot Man has mommy issues and the way that Dastmalchian portrays him, one just wants to give the guy a hug. Speaking of adoration, Stallone does for sharks what Bradley Cooper did for raccoons in Guardians of the Galaxy. There is an innocence meets apex predator stew to his performance that is utterly endearing.
Gunn has done it again. He has taken what should be seen as a disposable group of evildoers, that’s what Waller would have you believe and elevated them to beloved status in the eyes of those witnessing the gory, bloody, and brilliant mayhem created by the man behind the camera. It is the rarest of talents if you think about it. This is a hard “R” when it comes to violence and the result of said violence. Yet, there is a lifeline going through his film that is refreshing, and yes… will result in the most sincere of responses from the viewer. Prepare to smile. A lot.
Bonus features abound and what better way to commence them than with the one possessing the moniker Gotta Love the Squad. After all, we do adore this Squad. This featurette does a terrific job of taking us back to where it all started—the pages of DC Comics. The eleven-and-a-half minute history lesson is led by the man himself, original Suicide Squad comics writer John Ostrander, as well as Gunn, and a few surprise folks. There’s also a bevy of brilliant panels from past comic issues dating back to the beginning.
The man behind the camera has a way about him that when you witness one of his cinematic journeys, the viewer knows instantly who was wielding the lens. The Way of the Gunn spotlights the visionary filmmaker and it’s great to see a featurette where the cast and crew share the same fevered sentiment of utter respect and awe (and love) at their leader. There have been countless of these that I’ve experienced over the years. Few possess that unbridled passion for a project that speaks volumes to what Gunn elicits from his cast and crew.
A terrific look at the making of The Suicide Squad doesn’t arrive in the form of a “Making-of” featurette. Instead of a broad picture, DC and WB smartly decided to focus on breaking down a quartet of important scenes—for a myriad of reasons. Scene Breakdowns looks at the creation of It’s a Suicide Mission, My Gun’s Bigger Than Yours, Harley’s Great Escape, and The Fall of Jotunheim.
Personally, the Harley breakdown is the absolute best. Then again, it is also one of my favorite scenes in the entire film. Each finds cast members and key crew adding their insightful and entertaining two cents on how movie magic was achieved. Instead of what usually feels like a rote “this is how we made the movie,” 15-minute, behind-the-scenes featurette, I sure hope more studios attack that angle of the bonus feature library this way. Get specific. Show me exactly how these major scenes came together. The takeaway was much more resonant.
One of the most beloved characters to come out of The Suicide Squad was King Shark. Voiced by Sylvester Stallone, what’s not to love? Bringing King Shark to Life is a just shy of six-minute feature on how filmmakers managed to bring the comic book anti-hero alive on the big screen with a stew of CGI, character design, Stallone input, a stand-in (Steve Agee, he also portrayed John Economos—who worked for Amanda Waller (Viola Davis).
Speaking of interesting cinematic souls, Starro: It’s a Freakin’ Kaiju! Is a blast of a tribute to the “last boss.” The featurette looks at the VRX utilized to not only create the character but to fill them with life.
Again, DC and WB’s originally shine when it comes to the film’s trailers. Normally, home video releases contain one or two trailers for the film. Not Gunn and his The Suicide Squad. For the Blu-ray, I adored the Retro Trailers. They are three “fake” teasers put together by Gunn and his team. They each take an angle that is a wee bit different than the tone of the actual film. There is the Squad done as a War Movie, Horror Movie, and a Buddy Cop Movie. Each is as hilarious and wildly entertaining as the last.
There are eight deleted and extended scenes that total seventeen and a half minutes and a pretty long (and great) Gag Reel that clocks in at over 10 minutes.
Last, but not least, viewers are going to want to dive into the audio commentary track with Gunn highlighting his genius as you watch his brilliance come to life in front of you. Gunn is as informational as he is entertaining. The filmmaker even points out Easter eggs!
Film Grade: A-
Bonus Features: A-