David Ayer does not find a tone for his film and is content with the more bureaucratic solutions of the genre

Rating: 6/10 (2 May 2020)

After Christopher Nolans Batman trilogy and new versions of the Dark Knight and Superman himself in Zack Snyder's films, it's time to be introduced to humanitys most feared villains, the worst of the worst, the 'Suicide Squad'. Being the third film in the Extended Universe DC, it is written and directed by David Ayer, responsible for directing the excellent Fury (2014) and Harsh Times (2005) and for scripting the also great Training Day (2001).
In this storyline, after Superman's death, Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) brings together Task Force X, a team of dangerous criminals trapped in Belle Reve prison, consisting of the elite hired killer Pistoleiro (Will Smith), from the former Harlequin psychiatrist (Margot Robbie), former pyrokinetic gangster El Diablo (Jay Hernandez), opportunistic thief and alcoholic Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), genetically modified Crocodile (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) and specialized killer Amarra (Adam Beach). They are placed under the command of Colonel Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) to be used in high-risk missions for the United States government. Each member has a bomb implanted in the neck, designed to detonate if any member rebels or tries to escape.
Ayer's script wastes no time and has been concerned from the beginning with presenting the criminal record of each of the criminals to the audience through Amanda Waller's explanation. We know that the Gunman is the most wanted hired killer in the world, but that he has his greatest vulnerability in his daughter. The Harley Quinn appears as the former psychiatrist of the Joker in jail, with whom she ended up falling in love and having an insane relationship. She was complicit in the murder of Robin by the Joker - suggested earlier in 'Batman vs Superman' - and being as beautiful as she is unpredictable. Captain Boomerang is presented as one of the greatest thieves in the world and does not know how to work as a team. El Diablo thought he was the king of the world, no one said no to him, until a family tragedy caused him to be consumed in guilt and decided to surrender to the police. Crocodile, a genetically modified being, is an experienced cannibal and fighter. And then there is The Magic (Cara Delevingne), the archaeologist June Moone, who fell into a cave by accident and found something she shouldn't have, giving rise to the most powerful meta-human known. In addition to being able to do almost anything through her magic, she is able to teleport, self-regenerate and fly. Her list of powers is almost endless.
The first quarter of the film is interesting because it shows a little of the squad's criminals at work in the past, showing their supernatural abilities or not, and it also shows some of the affective bonds of some of them. It is also revealed that the Gunman, the Crocodile and the Harlequin are captured by Batman (Ben Affleck, in a cameo), and that Captain Boomerang was arrested by the Flash (Ezra Miller). These small participations, together with those already shown in 'Batman vs Superman', serve to glimpse the future Justice League film, which will include the participation of the entire superhero team.
From the presentation of each one and showing the ties that they have with the heroes of the Justice League, the script starts to focus exclusively on the development of these characters and this is where the greatest deficiencies of history are clear. Since we are talking about villains / criminals, it was necessary for the public to create a certain empathy for these characters so that they would have a certain audience audience. With such serious flaws in the development of the story, it turns out that the audience does not empathize with virtually any character. There is no evidence on the scene that these guys are as bad as what is written in the comics.
The one that wins the most dramatic arc is the Gunman of Will Smith, evident consequence of the actor's contract, who always asks for a certain time on screen, in addition to the position of protagonist, who, yes, ends up assuming within the feature with a background story involving his daughter who loves him even though he knows he does bad things. Your character was very well built and works as the link between all the elements of the Squad. Another highlight is Viola Davis, who creates an unscrupulous Amanda Waller, who does justice to the strength that the character has in the comics. Another one that is one of the great successes of the film is the Harlequin of Margot Robbie, which has an intrinsic sensuality (in fact, several scenes are keen to highlight the body of the actress), and which has some good jokes in her psychotic personality, end up yielding some of the best moments of the feature, except when she participates in embarrassing romantic moments with Jared Leto's Joker.
In fact, the Joker is a case in point, with possibly a meager fifteen minutes of scene in the entire film, the character is more irritated than it proves to be threatening. If Heath Ledger composed a cold killer, full of believable and terrifying tics, Jared Leto is nothing more than a decoy with his green dyed hair and his fake laugh. The device villain's make-up on his teeth and barely explored teeth, with his more underground 'gansta' style and crime lord on Gotham's streets disappoint. It is known that several scenes with the Joker were cut from the final edition of the film, which could improve the general perception about the character. However, in 'Suicide Squad', the Joker does not play opposite another great figure besides the Harlequin. In his quick appearances, he is neither a member of the squad nor an opponent of the team. It serves as the Harlequin's romantic (and unjustified) interest. And like the other characters in the film, it's not clear whether Ayer's idea was to sew Harley Quinn's motivations or exploit his sick dependence on the crime clown. In both cases, it fails miserably. If we removed all the scenes from the Joker from the film, the plot would have no narrative damage.
Most frustrating of all is the feeling of an opportunity that has been misused. The idea of the characters being connected and creating greater bonds as the missions were executed, is well-intentioned, but the missions (in fact a mission) do not prove to be the most threatening and cause an inevitable anticlimax. The plot only gains a little more rhythm in the final half hour, in which the group has to face the sorceress Magic, who, like her brother, are defeated with extreme ease and without the group actually acting together. Generic action scenes without twists and an unmotivated threat take all the little dramatic burden built up to that point. Quick editing does not let any character development happen. A scene was soon cut without ceremony.
It is important to highlight that the soundtrack is one of the great points. The composer Steven Price does his best to bring urgency to the film combined with music tracks ranging from Panic! at the Disco, Kehlani, Leslie Gore, Rick James, even Kevin Gates, Twenty One Pilots among others. Although not as efficient as the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' soundtrack, it is an eclectic soundtrack and well used for every situation shown on the screen.
Trying to incorporate some factors of the success of 'Deadpool', released shortly before in theaters, the studio requested that reshoots happen, trying to make the final result less serious, but badly written and loose jokes are always lost within a plot that it tries to bring a considerable level of seriousness. We have a mix of tone and rhythm caused also due to these reshoots and later insertions, which greatly prejudices the final result. The feeling is that once again DC Comics misses the opportunity to build an eloquent script that highlights the dark universe of its characters. In contrast to Marvel's colorful portfolio, DC has in its hands an entire pool of tormented heroes and villains who have been exploited much more efficiently in the past. David Ayer had the potential to oxygenate superhero films, with handpicked characters from Batman's excellent villain gallery, but David Ayer does not find a tone for his film and is content with the more bureaucratic solutions of the genre.