The Suicide Squad is bloody violent fun

Director James Gunn brings his directorial skills to the DC Cinematic in Warner Bros., The Suicide Squad. Welcome to hell–a.k.a. Belle Reve, the prison with the highest mortality rate in the US of A. Here is where the worst Super-Villains reside and where they will do anything to get out–even join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X. Today’s do-or-die assignment?

Assemble a collection of cons, including Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Peacemaker (John Cena), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior), Savant (Michael Rooker), King Shark (Sylvester Stallone), Blackguard (Pete Davidson), Javelin and everyone’s favorite psycho, Harley Quinn (Margot Robie). Then arm them heavily and drop them (literally) on the remote, enemy-infused, island of Corto Maltese. 

Trekking through a jungle, teeming with militant adversaries and guerrilla forces at every turn, the Squad is on a search-and-destroy mission with only Colonel Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) on the ground to make them behave. Along for the “ride” is Amanda Waller’s (Viola Davis) government techies in their ears, tracking their every movement. In addition, as always, one wrong move and you are dead (whether at the hands of their opponents, a teammate, or Waller herself). If anyone is laying down bets, the smart money is against them–all of them.

In a nutshell, that is the plot of The Suicide Squad. A standalone sequel to 2016’s Suicide Squad. I am in the minority of folks who enjoyed 2016’s Suicide Squad, although I will admit the film should have had an R rating. Thankfully though, with the sequel, Gunn has the chance to cut loose with the violence and language. The Suicide Squad of 2021 is a loud, brash throwback to Gunn’s Troma days, and I had a great time with the film. Every character in the movie has a moment to shine, with John Cena particularly standing out as he taps into frat-boy behavior as Peacemaker. Cena does so well that I am counting down the days until his character’s HBO MAX series arrives.

The less you know about The Suicide Squad, the better, so I purposely kept this review short. However, I will say that you don’t need to be a fan of comics to enjoy the film.

Final Grade: B+

The Suicide Squad is in theaters and available on HBO MAX until September 5th