8/4/16

Suicide Squad

Written and directed by David Ayer ("End of Watch"), this ultra-violent action-packed comedy brings a PG-13 sensibility to what could have been an R-rated movie (lots of blood, torture and killing, but very few bad words...smile...). We see a bunch of super-villains who are imprisoned for various horrific crimes. Black Ops Commander Amanda Waller gets the bright idea to use their superpowers to pull off a dangerous mission for her secret agency A.R.G.U.S. in exchange for shortened prison terms. (Wait'll you see who rounds them up for her! If I told you where this takes place, you'd figure it out.)

Then things get messy...

Here is a small part of this big, talented cast:
  • Viola Davis (Emmy for "How to Get Away With Murder") Amanda Waller is determined to fight fire with fire, She intends to use "meta-humans" to bring some really, really bad guys to justice. I still haven't made up my mind about her.
  • Joel Kinnaman ("The Killing") Rick Flagg is Amanda's go-to guy. He may have serious doubts about the project, but he obeys orders and is a heck of a soldier.
  • Will Smith ("Concussion") Deadshot never misses. He is a paid assassin who, above all, wants to provide a stable home for his school-age daughter. When Smith is on screen he brings sense to a complex script. Whew! 
  • Shailyn Pierre-Dixon ("The Best Man Holiday") Zoe is the little girl Deadshot loves best. She tells her daddy, "I know you've done bad things, but I love you anyway." 
  • Margot Robbie ("The Legend of Tarzan") is Harley Quinn, the first recruit we see, flaunting her amazing body while imprisoned in a cube of steel bars. It's hard to discourage her; that sunny personality is a breath of fresh air. 
  • Jared Leto (won an Oscar for "Dallas Buyers Club") The Joker doesn't really have a sense of humor, just an undying love for Harley and unlimited resources to protect her. 
  • Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje ("Trumbo") Croc does little more than snarl until they need him, then he really comes through! 
  • Jay Hernandez ("Max") Diablo is like Marvel's Hulk, he doesn't "ignite" until he is angry. So the trick is timing...
  • Cara Delavingne ("Anna Karenina") is June Moone/The Enchantress. Both of these characters contribute more than their share of plot for this one.
Buried in this massive melee, we see several types of love: Parent/child; Man/woman; Brother/sister. And to my relief, we come to care about the outcome.

This is PG-13, so expect overwhelming gunplay, blowie uppie stuff, Computer Generated Imaging, urban warfare in a dystopian setting and a LOT of action. The 3D only made me duck once during a debris-laden helicopter crash, so to me it only had marginal value. The script is full of humor, and the characters are unique, to say the least; HOWEVER, if you have any hearing problems, you should wait for the DVD or see this in a theater equipped with closed caption devices. A word to the wise...
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Take a look for yourself:
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Posted by Jayflix at 3:17 PM