It’s fair to say superheroes have been dominating the box-office recently, with the likes of Avengers: Endgame taking the number one spot as the highest grossing film of all-time. However, if there’s one thing that they all have in common it’s that the good guys always win. Boring! Let’s face it: it’s way more fun being the bad guy! Breaking away from the mismatched motley crew that was Suicide Squad, Margot Robbie returns as Harley Quinn, joined by a new team of badass heroines. And her signature hyena, of course…
Armed with her trademark baseball bat, a gun packing glitter bombs, and a tray full of shots, Margot Robbie brings a Quinntessential explosion of colourful (in)sanity to DC’s latest cinematic instalment. While the title is derived from DC’s popular crime-fighting team, this is very much a Harley Quinn led show.
I’m the one they should be scared of! Not you, not Mr. J! Because I’m Harley Fucking Quinn!
After an animated intro recapping her backstory – from childhood to clownhood – Harley updates every Gothamite on her relationship status with Joker the best way she knows how: by blowing up the Ace Chemical plant where she first declared her love for Mistah J! Naturally she’s taking it pretty well – buying a hyena (named “Bruce”), invading a roller derby, and drinking herself into oblivion at Roman Sionis’s club – also known as the dangerous, eccentric crime lord Black Mask. Even if every dangerous thug and psycho in Gotham wants her dead now that Joker’s out of the picture, it’s only when Renee Montoya – a Gotham Detective with a tendency to think and talk like an ‘80s film cop – chases her and “kills” her precious egg sandwich that things get really serious. For Harley, at least…
The story unfolds in very much the way you might expect from someone as kooky as our favourite jester. Through chaotic flashbacks, in an attempt to piece together a broken timeline, Harley interrupts scenes to introduce or explain plot threads and characters as they appear. Exactly what you get when you let Harley take the mike…
It’s during these moments that we’re introduced to Renee Montoya, who is investigating a mafia hit by Huntress – known, much to her frustration, as “the Crossbow Killer” – and Dinah Lance (Black Canary), a metahuman singer at Sionis’s club, whose canary cry allows her to unleash ultrasonic vibrations when she screams. However it is the troubled streetwise pickpocket Cassandra Cain who inevitably brings the team together, after she steals a very expensive diamond from Black Mask which then leads her to cross paths with Harley Quinn and the rest of the Birds of Prey.
Harley Quinn: Oh hey, you’re that singer no one listens to
Dinah Lance: Oh hey, you’re that asshole no one likes.
While the somewhat anarchic nature of Quinn’s storytelling adds to the comedy, it can be a little disorienting at times. However, Christina Hodson uses Harley’s erratic attention span as a storytelling device that is undeniably energetic and enjoyable: perhaps we should take inspiration from Harley and simply embrace the chaos…?
There’s often a lot going on visually, expertly choreographed to suit Harley’s reckless, yet athletic style. By utilising a kaleidoscopic backdrop, gymnastic choreography, chaotic tag-team fighting, and colourful costume design, one scene in particular at Harley’s Amusement Mile clubhouse (a familiar setting to Batman fans) is reminiscent of the bright pulpy world of Adam West’s Batman.
Thanks to scenes like this, Birds of Prey distinguishes itself as more comic-toned in comparison to Suicide Squad or the darker, more somber (and very grey…) Batman vs. Superman and Justice League. While those past DC films utilised darker visuals and colour pallets, as well as night settings, Birds of Prey makes a point of using brighter colour schemes and a stronger, arguably more creative visual flare. It’s certainly more suited to Harley’s personality, as reflected by her significantly more colourful costume design, injecting a greater sense of boisterous playfulness and riotous charisma otherwise missing in the grittier world of Batman vs. Superman.
It also strikes as ironic then that DC’s other clown-lead movie was more of an artsy psychological thriller with a gritty, depressing story. Clearly, Harley’s better off without that deranged prankster weighing her down – even if the box-office wasn’t in her favour during her debut week.
Psychologically speaking, vengeance rarely brings the catharsis we hope for
Harley can be insightful… when she wants to be
There can be no question that Birds of Prey is supported by a fantastic cast, Margot Robbie once again giving an energetic, if frighteningly convincing performance. Screenwriter Christina Hodson has mentioned how she wanted to use Harley’s separation from the Joker as a means of expanding upon the character, now recognised as the “fourth pillar” of the DC Universe. However there is also an impression that she overshadows the other characters, reflected in the title change from the less Google search friendly (though distinctly more glamorous) Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn (say that ten times really fast) to Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey.
While Mary Winstead played Huntress well enough, her backstory seemed rushed in favour of getting audiences quickly up to speed with who she is. Her origin story feels downplayed by using her cynical, angsty, more tragic background as a gag in which she repeatedly refers to herself as “Huntress” yet is recognised as the “Crossbow Killer.” It’s a shame as she is a character deserving of her own movie, with a strong revenge story akin to the Punisher. Meanwhile Ella Jay Basco’s Cassandra Cain, who has a strong presence as a pickpocket with a contract placed on her head, reflects little of her comic book counterpart. As charming and entertaining as she is, with snarky quips showing her streetwise savvy, comic book fans familiar with her story will inevitable question why name her Cassandra Cain in the first place?
Jurnee Smollett-Bell’s Black Canary is one of the more badass characters in the lineup, drawing inspiration from the Injustice series, living up to Dinah Lance’s reputation as one of the best hand-to-hand fighters in DC. Rosie Perez’s Renee Montoya, an alcoholic, cynical detective in the GCPD in the process of building a case against Sionis/ Black Mask, also offers a strong performance and is in need of further development in future DCEU projects. Perhaps as fan favourite the Question…?
But there wouldn’t be much reason to form DC’s premier team of superheroines if not for Ewan McGregor’s eccentric Roman Sionis – a wealthy club owner prone to angry outbursts, with a double-life as one of Gotham’s most brutal crime lords, Black Mask, and with a likewise eccentric dress code. He manages to perfectly capture the precarious moods of the infamous villain, turning to brutal forms of torture – his favourite skinning living victims faces – and all forms of depravation and humiliation, keeping an air of suspense and tension about him in every scene he’s in.
It’s refreshing to see a superhero film with such a diverse cast, with Margot Robbie making her stand against the lack of diversity in Hollywood films and insisting on having a female director for Birds of Prey.
Do you know what a harlequin is? A harlequin’s role is to serve. It’s nothing without a master. No one gives two shits who we are, beyond that..
A rather drunk Harley to Dinah Lance at Black Mask’s club
Like Suicide Squad before it, the soundtrack largely comprises of a various artists compilation that heightens the pop tone of the film. This includes a powerful, modern – yet faithful – rendition of James Brown and Berry Jean Newsome’s “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” from Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Black Canary singing at Sionis’ club, particularly topical given the macho mentality many of the leading superheroes lean towards. Not to mention a surprisingly heavy track from Halsey, “Experiment on Me.”
For the most part, this overshadows Daniel Pemberton’s original soundtrack, though tracks like “Harley Quinn (Danger Danger)” and the titular “Birds of Prey” stand out as more energetic and high octane. In comparison, the “Roman Sionis” and “Zsasz Showdown” themes conjure a more tense, atmospheric quality that conveys the darker more disturbing threat levels of the two characters – one a dangerous crime lord with a tendency to remove peoples faces, the other a sadistic murderer with a penchant for marking himself for each victim he claims.
Cassandra Cain: Oh shit, is that a hyena in the bathtub!?
Cassandra Cain to Harley – not many places you’d here that, but then it is Harley’s apartment…
Harley Quinn: I named him Bruce after that hunky Wayne guy
Director Cathy Yan’s stylish super team adds a much needed splash of colour to the otherwise bleak city streets of Gotham. It’s quite the comeback to certain precocious, demeaning criticisms of the superhero genre, reminding us that it’s ok for a film to be fun. Perhaps Scorsese should make a point of seeing it?
A showcase of glitter and explosive colours, albeit with a surprising lack of “kapow!” bubbles, Harley Quinn proves that she doesn’t need a psychologically deranged clown to have a good time. Just an egg sandwich, a baseball bat, and a beanbag gun. If there’s one takeaway from Birds of Prey it’s that crime doesn’t pay… unless you’re really freaking good at it!
