The Suicide Squad Review: James Gunn’s Bloody, Brilliant Take on Task Force X is a Blast

James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad is a hilarious, blood-soaked romp with plenty of heart.

Amanda Waller is played with a more menacing flair by Viola Davis than in 2016’s Suicide Squad. She has no problem using Bloodsport’s daughter to convince the assassin to lead her team. This version of the squad is sent to Corto Maltese to stop Project Starfish.

The chemistry between Task Force X is fantastic from start to finish. Margot Robbie delivers her best performance as Harley Quinn. John Cena and Idris Elba are terrific foils for one another as Peacemaker and Bloodsport. Ratcatcher 2 and Polka Dot Man are the surprising heart and soul of the film. Polka Dot Man’s recurring gag involving seeing his mom everywhere is as creepy as it’s funny. Ratcatcher 2 is essentially Ant-Man with rats. Sylvester Stallone is hilarious as King Shark. Rounding out the crew is the moral leader of the group, Rick Flagg, played once again by Joel Kinnaman.

One of Gunn’s biggest strengths is his use of music and The Suicide Squad has a tremendous soundtrack that adds something to every scene. The action is phenomenal from start to finish with plenty of blood, gore and creativity. There’s a hallway fight scene that bears a striking resemblance to Netflix’s Daredevil series. However, the way color pops in the scene gives the visceral action a lovely touch that’s perfect for the character.

Gunn does a great job creating stakes throughout the film. By the end of The Suicide Squad, you do care about these horrible criminals.

The only aspect of the film that doesn’t work is the villains. Peter Capaldi‘s take on The Thinker doesn’t mesh with the rest of the cast. He never comes across as a threat, which is a shame. An evil Colonel and Presidente General Silvio Luna aren’t captivating either. I also could have used more scenes of Peacemaker, Bloodsport and Flagg working together.

The lack of quality villains keeps The Suicide Squad from the top of the comic book movies slate. The Suicide Squad does stand alongside Man of Steel, Shazam!, Zack Snyder’s Justice League and Wonder Woman as the best DCEU films. I would probably slot The Suicide Squad behind Justice League and ahead of Wonder Woman.

With the overview out of the way, let’s delve deeper into this squad’s rap sheet. Warning: Some minor spoilers may follow. The Suicide Squad is available in theaters and streaming on HBO Max.

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Heart and Soul of The Suicide Squad

Daniela Melchior and David Dastmalchian are the heart and soul of The Suicide Squad as Ratcatcher 2 and Polka-Dot Man. Both characters have their comedic moments. However, these characters alongside King Shark have tragic backstories. Gunn takes the time to allows us to connect with these unique DC Comics characters.

For Melchior, in particular, this should be a breakout performance. When Ratcatcher 2 is recounting her father’s death, the amount of pain in her eyes is palpable. To his credit, Taika Waititi does a great job in his few scenes as her father. If you thought Ant-Man commanding an army of ants was creepy, nothing with preparing you for the sight of hundreds of rats swarming Corto Maltese soldiers.

The way she and Bloodsport interact with one another is very sweet. Bloodsport’s fear of rats is a wonderful recurring theme.

There are a lot of characters used as comedic fodder in The Suicide Squad. Polka-Dot Man isn’t one of them. Gunn takes the polka-dots and turns them into tumors. Over time, what appear to be Christmas lights begin popping up on his skin. He has to eventually unleash them all or he’ll blow up. The tragedy of Polka-Dot Man is that his mother experimented on him. Gunn’s scariest visual tick in The Suicide Squad is showing us what Polka-Dot Man sees, which is his Mom. Even when he’s talking to the squad, he only sees his mother. The gag is always creepy and occasionally funny.

Gunn also brings depth to King Shark. His desire to feed comes into conflict with his desire for friendship. If you like blood, then King Shark’s action sequences should do the trick.

Peacemaker vs Bloodsport

Peacemaker is funny, but he’s no joke. Cena is perfect as Peacemaker. Whether he’s trading barbs with Bloodsport or dancing with Ratcatcher 2 in a club, every beat with Peacemaker lands. With the exception of Bloodsport, he’s the most capable member of the squad and for much of the film is Bloodport’s equal.

Elba gives Bloodsport a badass vibe that will make you forget about Deadshot. There’s a great father-daughter scene between Elba and Storm Reid showcasing Bloodsport’s lack of parenting skills. Bloodsport has the most character development in the film. Waller has to coerce Bloodsport at the beginning of the film. He doesn’t like any of these people he’s forced to work with, but slowly over the course of the film, he eventually does the right thing for several Squad members.

From a comedy and action standpoint, each scene that focuses on either Peacemaker and Bloodsport is a delight.

The Queen of Corto Maltese

Robbie has turned in great performances as Harley Quinn in 2016’s Suicide Squad and 2019’s Birds of Prey. As good as she’s been in those films, this is Robbie’s best performance as Quinn. The combination of humor, action and heart is all over The Suicide Squad. With Harley Quinn, every scene has the right amount of humor, colorful action that truly fits Quinn’s character and sentimentality. Only Robbie could pull this version of Harley off.

Quinn’s warped perspective is a great fit for Gunn’s brand of comedy. However, it’s Quinn’s maturity as an independent woman and her action scenes that stand out the most. There are moments in this film where Gunn will present Quinn as a damsel, but she will quickly turn the tables on her terms. One great sequence appears to show Quinn being duped. However, she’s able to see the downside of this insane proposal. She even explains her reason, which shows her growth in the most Harley fashion possible.

The Suicide Squad Final Thoughts

The Thinker and villains aren’t really worth mentioning. They are an afterthought compared to the focus on the squad, which hurts the final act somewhat.

However, Gunn’s bold approach with this incarnation of The Suicide Squad works. Whether Task Force X is squabbling or working together, the performances come together to form a mad, bloody and in its own way, gorgeous tapestry.