Knives out, guns out, bullets out

★ out of ★★★★

Suicide Squad (2016) - Extended Cut

Runtime: 123 minutes (It has come to my information that I actually watched the extended cut, which runs for 135 minutes. My rating will be for the extended cut, but it might not be the same as the theatrical cut.)

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action throughout, disturbing behavior, suggestive content and language.

Suicide Squad was a hot topic during its release in 2016. People all around me were discussing the film and its characters. However, I (as usual) missed the screening, so five years later, here I am trying to hold my sanity watching this movie. The first time it played, I got so offended by the extensively sloppy cuts that I left the seat. A few months later, I gathered all my courage and willpower to sit through the entire movie without exiting. And it was an erratic mess.

Ever thought of assembling the world's most wanted and dangerous criminals? Well, after the unfortunate death of Superman, U.S. Intelligence officer Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) creates Task Force X, where she assembles super-villains, that is - Deadshot (Will Smith), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Diablo (Jay Hernandez), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) and probably the most powerful of them all, The Enchantress (Cara Delevingne) as superheroes. Given that they complete a mission, they will have time off their prison sentences and certain requests of theirs will be granted. There's one drawback: If any of the members decide to flee or disobey orders, a nanite object inserted at the back of their head will explode.

However, due to the poor management of these super-villains, The Enchantress breaks free and releases the soul of her brother, both trying to make a machine that will destroy the world. Because of this amazingly mindless act, the "Suicide Squad" have to stop The Enchantress and save the world. They're monitored by Colonel Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), who controls them and whom upon killed, will result in the termination of all Suicide Squad members.

I'm already inserting personal remarks over the synopsis of the story, because that's how ironic the movie is. Assemble a group of super-villains, fail to restrain them in time, one of them breaks free, and now you've just caused trouble to the world because of this 'genius' idea of yours. The premise to this movie is so weak that it does not even need to happen at all. This Task Force X plan was for no use after all. Viola Davis plays the character of Amanda Waller to a point where her character is eminently unlikeable, as she is unreasonably cruel to the task members; you're praying that she gets punched in the face or devoured by a flesh-eating monster.

Next, the plot diverged too much that I lost focus in the movie and was in a constant state of utter shock and disbelief as some scenes played out to me. Yes, there are excessive Harley Quinn flashbacks that are so scattered throughout the movie and choppily edited, no matter how you arranged them, it would have made no sense. It contributes nothing to the movie, and might as well be cut out. The only we know is that Harley Quinn used to be a psychiatrist but fell in love with The Joker (Jared Leto) and turned crazy. Based on this point itself, an abundance of lethargic scenes showing Harley performing chaotic actions drags the movie down. I don't even want to start talking about the logical points because it would make this review too long. Anyways, by the end of the movie, we learn nothing new and do not care for Harley Quinn.

The dialogue is excruciatingly horrible, because half of the movie is just characters talking to each other about things they plan to do to each other or for the mission, and it never gets executed. An hour passed and still it looked downright gross and empty. Most of the characters remain one-dimensional and easily forgettable. In fact, they talk too much at times you'd want them in action already. Speaking of action, it isn't great too. Most of it is just gun shooting, katana slicing, and rarely supernatural elements in battle.

Another thing that irritated me was the handling of the cast. Most characters are portrayed so simply you won't know and care about their motives. Jared Leto played the Joker quite peculiarly. He moves his fingers and tries to over-act his character that it looks like teenager going through an emotional crisis, if you compare it to Heath Ledger. Captain Boomerang was easily disposable, Killer Croc was shallow, Katana appeared for the sake of appearing, Colonel Rick Flag was average, and at least Deadshot felt a little human. For most of the movie, Cara Delevingne barely appears, and her character lacks depth and sympathy. 

One redeeming point of the movie is that it tries to win us over in the end. Somehow, I was moderately invested in the character of Diablo, because he was at least understandable and connected a little to me. I can even confess that I slightly rooted for him at times and wanted him in more action and story. I hope that there are more characters like him, because we would understand their ulterior motives and feelings, and at least make the experience a little more memorable. In addition, the costume design was quite fine, too, especially for The Enchantress. I probably can't compliment the rest, though.

Suicide Squad isn't a special watch. It's your tried-and-true formula of save the world that stretches out too much and is shallow in depth. The script is in urgent need of revising, especially in logical checking, and hopefully the writer learns that a great movie doesn't necessarily have to be over two hours. I may have trouble remembering Suicide Squad after a while.

Trailer: