It really
bummed me out that I wasn’t able to see this movie as soon as it came out. In
addition to the everpresent threat that if movies about women and people of
color don’t pull in big box-office numbers, Hollywood execs will get
scared/reactive and not make any more, it also just looked like an awesome
movie. Unfortunately, some unexpected expenses/time commitments prevented me
from seeing it until recently (and with the way things are going, it’ll
probably time the last movie I see in a theater for quite a while!) Premise
spoilers.
Harley
Quinn has some difficulties carving out her own space for herself after
breaking up with her longtime toxic beau, the Joker. Crooks and thugs with
grudges against her held off before, knowing the Joker would rain down retribution
on anyone who tried to touch “his girl,” but now, all bets are off. Harley
fends off assailants from all sides, including club owner/crime boss Roman
Sionis, and she soon finds herself embroiled in a much more complicated web of
Roman’s enemies and associates. There’s Renee, the veteran detective building a
case against him. There’s Black Canary, a singer at his club who’s gotten into
more than she expected with him. There’s Huntress, a mysterious assassin who’s
been killing guys he “owns.” And there’s Cassandra, a young pickpocket who just
stole an invaluable diamond one of his guys was collecting for him. One way or
another, all five have gotten themselves in Roman’s crosshairs, and the only
way they’re getting out of it is together.
I’ll
preface this by saying I really haven’t read any DC titles, including Birds of Prey. I have awareness of some
of these characters from DC movies (Harley, obviously) or TV shows (Renee and
Zsasz from Gotham, the general idea
of Canary from CW DC crossovers, though I understand that the Canary here is a
different character than either of the ones I’ve encountered,) but I don’t know
enough to be invested in how this movie stacks up to the comics. From pop
culture blogs, I’ve gleaned that it’s weird to center a Birds of Prey movie on Harley, since she isn’t a Bird of Prey, and
this version of Cassandra bears no resemblance to her comic counterpart. But
intellectually knowing those facts doesn’t really make a personal difference to
me, since this is my main exposure to these characters.
And I
have to say, I enjoyed the crap out
of this movie. It’s bright and bouncy, with vivid colors, implausible leaps,
and a bit of the old ultraviolence – down-and-dirty Gotham without being
grimdark or self-important. The characters all pop, the main ladies especially,
but also the baddies and plenty of the minor characters too. A breezy narration
from Harley keeps us apprised of whatever little details we need to know, such
as the fact that Renee’s captain is her former partner or just what “grievance”
this or that goon has against her.
The
action is fantastic. I love basically
every fight scene here. There’s so much inventiveness and creativity on display
in the fight choreography, and the actresses all do a great job of selling it.
From Harley wailing on some prison inmates under the sprinklers to Huntress
taking out targets with rage-fueled precision to a climactic throwdown in a
funhouse, it’s all just so damn cool.
Behind it all is a terrific soundtrack, every song superbly matching the tone
of the fight it’s set to.
From a
feminist standpoint, I like how the gender dynamics at play are both very much
on display but at the same time not
belabored. It’s little things peppered throughout the film, like Renee’s
aforementioned partner-turned-captain getting his promotion based on the credit
he took for her work or the way Roman claims ownership of female bodies. And
it’s big things too, like Harley’s attempts to define herself beyond being
“Joker’s girl” and the fact that everyone thinks she’ll be easy to kill without
his protection, but it comes across in a way that feels organic. And who
doesn’t love one badass mofo offering another a hair tie in the middle of a
heated knockdown drag-out?
The cast
is great from top to bottom. At the center of it is Margot Robbie, having an
absolute blast letting loose as Harley, and the rest of the ladies hold their
own just as nicely. Rosie Perez as an “I’m getting too old for this shit”
Renee, Jurnee Smollett-Bell as a conflicted Black Canary, Mary Elizabeth
Winstead as a damaged Huntress, and Ella Jay Basco (younger sister of Dante
Basco a.k.a. Rufio!) as a streetwise Cassandra – all of them are awesome and
play excellently off each other. Additional kudos go to Ewan McGregor’s
mercurial Roman and Chris Messina’s menacing Zsasz, and the film also features
a brief appearance from Ali Wong.
Warnings
Violence
(including sexual harassment/threats,) language, sexual content, and
drinking/drug use.
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