The Suicide Squad: Rage Against Imperialism

Imagine Tarantino directed an R-rated version of the live-action Scooby-Doo film with a CGI shark and you get The Suicide Squad.

Imagine Tarantino directed an R-rated version of the live-action Scooby-Doo film with a CGI shark and you get The Suicide Squad.

In the first 5 minutes, the film turns the superhero genre on its head and the audience is in uncharted territory filled with campy characters and gory action. Harley Quinn and Rick Flag come back from the failed 2016 version surrounded by fleshed-out newcomers.

While we are used to seeing the polished worlds of superheroes wrapping up all conflict in a nice little bow, The Suicide Squad takes a different approach fueled by cynicism and corruption of institutions other superhero films would dare not to critique. On the TV side, there have been shows touching upon these anti-superhero themes such as Watchmen and The Boys, but this film takes it to another level that doesn't hold back.

James Gunn's Suicide Squad is a team of villains tasked with a mission from the United States government to cover up their involvement in experiments in a fictional Latin American country. If they escape or don't follow orders, an implanted bomb in their neck will execute them on spot.

At first, the film follows an imperialist agenda with a mission to raid Corto Maltese but the disaster entry attempt parallels that of the US intervention of Iraq. Amanda Waller overestimates her team and a majority of the squad adds to the body count in a shockingly violent beach assault. This brings the film to a climax level of 100.

With less than a handful of characters from the first film, the newcomers lead the way. Idris Elba is the defaulted leader of Bloodsport, John Cena is the extremist Peacemaker. David Dastmalchian is an experiment gone wrong Polka-Dot Man, Sylvester Stallone is the Himbo hybrid King Shark, and at the heart of the entire story is Ratcatcher 2.


Gunn's main challenges with this film are making people forget that the 2016 version exists and getting them to care about obscure DC characters who aren't Batman. It doesn't help that these are not sympathetic villains like we mostly see in the genre but they are straight-up cruel guided by surviving. It feels like a social experiment to see if audiences would care about such extreme characters by the end of the film; and spoiler alert they do. He perfectly balances the silliness of these random characters with their own sadistic natures. The Suicide Squad is so funny while being aware of how ridiculous superhero films are. Its refreshing use of gore and cynicism makes it stand out among every film that has come before it in the genre.

What is different from the original is that you actually care about the characters. It skips the entire gimmick of explaining each of their backstories with weird flashbacks like the 2016 version. It takes its time to introduce them in the first act so by the second act the audience starts to grow a bond with them and is silently rooting for them to not die. The chemistry between all the newcomers is enjoyable to watch as they are all forced in this situation with ranging personalities that weirdly work well together. The banter between Cena and Elba is incredible. Even the background characters get fleshed out roles with little details that link to the comics which help build out this nihilistic wor

Based on the title of the film it is obvious that this is intended to be a one-way trip for the team and not everyone is going to survive. The US government is sending them to do their dirty work and it makes sense because this isn't a job for heroes. As the squad comes closer to their final mission, the audience begins to question it. Corto Maltese represents the many small nations the US has intervened with and is a representation of modern imperialism. The audience assumes that the team is sent to save the world but it is revealed along the way that the US doesn't care about the people on the island.

Margot Robbie was born to play Harley Quinn. In the most cinematic fight sequence ever filled with birds and flowers, she leaves the audience mesmerized by her pale face and red dress. Margot feels in her element and every time she is onscreen she lights up.

One important detail to note that is a big difference between the 2016 and 2021 versions is the use of music. The 2016 version felt like one big music video of radio hits that distracted from the main story hinting that there wasn't much belief in the film. Gunn's take uses fewer songs and carefully curated retro songs and used them to instead score the scenes and let the story do all the work.

James Gunn has a record for being edgy and bringing that into traditionally commercial films. He is a lover of comic books that shows as he brings to life this gang of misfits.