Poster description: This is my favourite film poster of the year so far. Our female characters are assembled like Botticelli's 'Birth of Venus' painting. Harley Quinn is Venus, emerging fully-clothed from a giant clam with her giant hammer. Her pet hyena, Bruce, chuckles.
The Cast:
Margot Robbie – Harley Quinn
Ewan McGregor – Roman Sionis/Black Mask
Rosie Perez – Renee Montoya
Jurnee Smollett-Bell – Dinah Lance/Black Canary
Mary Elizabeth Winstead – Helena Bertinelli/The Huntress
Ella Jay Basco – Cassandra Cain
Chris Messina – Victor Zsasz
Certificate: 15
Released in UK cinemas: 7th February 2020
After splitting from the Joker, Harley Quinn (Robbie, Once
Upon in Time in Hollywood) finds herself hunted by most of Gotham for
various, oddball reasons, namely Police officer Renee Montoya (Perez, The
Dead Don’t Die), and gangster Roman Sionis (McGregor, Christopher Robin)
who also happens to be hunting for a famous diamond, a diamond that has been
swallowed by a young thief named Cassie (Basco, Veep).
The Review:
Birds of Prey is essentially a long-awaited look into
the mind of Harley Quinn. We get her perspective of her (rather awful) origins
through a whistle-stop animation as quirky as the woman herself, and the
rest of the plot is convoluted, flying back and forth, around and around in a way that Deadpool fans will be
all too familiar with; Robbie carries it all with a wink and a grin. Her rendition of “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best
Friend” was an inspired choice at an altogether dark moment in the film, and
her fight scenes are acrobatic, surprisingly colourful, and great fun to watch.
I doubt I am the first person to say that Ewan McGregor isn’t
the obvious choice to play a villain (I wracked my brain to think of other
times he played such a role – and failed). Regardless, Roman Sionis is
suitably, chillingly hateful as a person. Despite myself, I am curious to know
how a male director would have handled Sionis' melodramatic reaction to the
woman laughing too loud in his club. As it is, it was very uncomfortable
viewing, and Smollet-Bell’s Black Canary is our window into that feeling. Despite
her kooky supernatural ability, she is one of the more fleshed out, complicated
characters, swallowing her morals to survive until Sionis’ behaviour pushes her
too far to stay silent. Her relationship with young Cassandra could have done
with a bit more detail but was probably lost on the editing room floor.
It’s rare to watch a villain with such a blatant, fragile
ego – but it’s even rarer to see so many unashamedly badass women in one place.
In all seriousness, though, try and think of a superhero film with more than
three women in it, and they are all fighting for something bigger than themselves
on their own. Montoya is persistently side-lined by other police officers, all
of them male. Perez plays it with a bitter determination that many women in a “man’s
world” can probably identify with all too well. The Huntress (whatever you do,
don’t call her the crossbow killer) is avenging her family after gangsters murdered
them. The way Winstead plays it, this must be the sort of role she has been
itching to play.
Birds of Prey is a ballsy and fun look into the
comings and goings of Gotham with a similar plot to Deadpool 2, but that’s
not a bad thing. Our heroines are sparkling examples of what you can do with
female characters in the right way with the right people at the helm.
In a way, Birds of Prey could also be interpreted as
a sequel, though it isn’t necessary to see Suicide Squad, thankfully.
For all its faults, Robbie’s performance in Suicide Squad stole the
show, but that’s for another revisit. For now, she finally gets her time in the
spotlight.
The Verdict: **** 4 STARS OUT OF 5
Sources:
Poster:
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