Bad Company

Rating: 7/10 (6 August 2016)

(RATING: ☆☆☆½ out of 5 )
THIS FILM IS RECOMMENDED.
IN BRIEF: Another sci-fi superhero fantasy that follows the formula alright but just isn't super.
GRADE: B-
SYNOPSIS: A band of rowdy misfits battle evil forces.
JIM'S REVIEW: Bad is good. Let me re-phrase that...bad is kinda good. David Ayer's well-made but dull Suicide Squad is essentially a war film with "flying men and monsters", including a wicked woman who is "a whole lotta of pretty and a whole lot of ugly". There is a lot of chaos on screen, but most can be found in the film's muddle of a script. Its characters are "bad to the bone", but so is the weak screenplay.
Is it as bad as most critics are saying? No...absolutely not, but it is not as good as it could have been. With a better script and a better villain (more on that later), the film could have been an all-out hit. The backstories of these misfits are the most entertaining parts of the film and Mr. Ayer's introduction of these personalities is concise and affecting. But his action sequences generally disappoint, with sub-par CGI and in-your-face rootin'-tootin' shoot-outs and gunfire, the kind of violence without consequences. Some of the jokes between the killer crew land, most don't. Much destruction and mayhem is present without the blood splatter and body count. (Still, the film's PG-13 rating is highly questionable.)
The film also has little originality. It's more piecemeal of other films of this genre; some good (The Avengers series, Guardians of the Galaxy, Ghostbusters) and some bad (Sucker Punch, Green Lantern, Fantastic Four). It takes a worn-out premise from westerns (The Magnificent Seven, The Hateful Eight) and war films (The Dirty Dozen, Inglorious Basterds, the director's very own, Fury) of assembling a rowdy bunch of bad-asses to do the dirty work and save the world.
Still the director continues to be a promising talent. (His 2014 film, Fury, made my Top Ten list for that year. It was a superior film with strong performances and excellent production values.) However, this offering lacks the latter but does have the former. Fortunately, Mr. Ayer has cast his film very well. So let's talk about some of the film's assets, primarily the four lead actors' performances. Will Smith as Deadshot, a hit man with perfect aim, aims perfectly with his character and gives one of his best and most believable performances in a long while. Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag, a mercenary soldier in charge of the squad, brings gravitas and vulnerability to his character. Viola Davis delivers the menace in large portions. But the real scene-stealer is Margot Robbie as the deranged Harley Quinn, a Kewpie doll who packs a wallop. Her acting has great nuance and she underplays the hammiest of lines. This just may be the breakout role the actress needs to become a big star and she is electric, the perfect fanboy fantasy. (This gifted actress is making a nice resume with her role choices.)
The problem with Suicide Squad is the rest of the pack aren't that interesting and are sketchy and poorly drawn (again, the fault of the script). The actors in these parts are good enough, especially Jay Hernandez as the fiery conflicted Diablo, and an underused Jared Leto as The Joker. Yet the other characters, as written, are largely forgettable: Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), Boomerang (Jai Courtney) and Katana (Karen Fukuhara). The balancing act of bringing all of these marauders together becomes a jumble of forced equal screen time. Less would have been more.
Beside a sub-standard screenplay (written by the director himself), the other major hurdle is the film's villain entitled The Enchantress, a laughable Mati Hari-type vixen that shimmies and gyrates and may radiate powerful gamma rays but displays no conflict or personality, let alone posing as a real threat. Without a real baddie at the center of the turmoil, the film has no sense of jeopardy or tension. The actress playing her, Cara Delevingne, rarely enchants, but she does keep a straight face throughout the film so that alone is a credit to her profession.
Suicide Squad is not quite dead on arrival, as most reviewers might have you think. Due to some fine acting and some of Mr. Ayer's images, it does have a steady pulse.