Birds of Prey (2020) and the damn good movie mostly about Harley Quinn
Despite some structural problems, Birds of Prey flies by with a wild fever of acting, directing, and unrivaled energy.
Director: Cathy Yan (Suicide Pigs)
Writer: Christina Hodson (Suicidebee)
Starring: Margot Robbie (Suicide Squad), Rosie Perez (White Men Can't Suicide), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (10 Suicide Lane), Ewan McGregor (Suicidespotting), Ella Jay Basco (newcomer), Jurnee Smollett-Bell (One Last Suicide)
Harley Quinn (Robbie) and the Joker broke up so now she's looking for some direction in her life. While wallowing, everyone she pissed off while under the Joker's protection is out to get her. This includes Roman Sionis (McGregor), a mobster looking for a diamond stolen by a young girl (Basco), hunted by Huntress (Winstead), betrayed by Black Canary (Smollett-Bell), and under investigation by a tenacious but troubled detective (Perez). The girl ends up with Quinn and our adventure begins.
Everyone in the cast has their dials turned to eleven, going off Robbie's energy as Daddy's Little Monster. The birds each have their own personality quirks, maintaining the straight man angle to Robbie and McGregor's wild antics. Speaking of McGregor, he plays the unhinged lunatic very well. His charm and charisma more than add up to a match against Robbie's Quinn. The only cast member that feels lacking is Winstead's Huntress, a matter of a lack of character depth in the script rather than Winstead's talent.
The direction and script shine. Yan's cameras are kinetic and non-stop. The energy only drops here and there, giving time to develop characters before rocketing off once again. Each fight is brutal, with a special attention made to the police station scene, showing off the choreography of John Wick's Chad Stahelski with clear and startling fever. Some have moaned about the first act's non-linear structure, but I enjoyed the storytelling bouncing around with time as Harley decided what we needed to know and when.
Go see this one now in the theater, if not for the larger than life action then to support superhero movies with balls.
Here are my notes, beware of spoilers
Roller Derby Breakup
The choice to make Harley a roller girl is spot on. What would she do to get her aggression going, plus give her roller skates to use in the third act?
Kinetically Vulgar
Fun fact: I did not know this was rated R going in. No idea. Just sat down and could not believe they were getting away with all the crunching bones and fucks.
Police Assault Amazing
I was blown away by what was happening on the screen here. The colors, inventiveness with the bag shotgun, just everything made me feel like I was seeing something fresh and new. It was like watching John Wick for the first time again except with more personality.
Team Tied Together Well
The first act is all about getting everyone together, showing relationships. That's most movies. This one went on the chaotic route as befitting the character of Harley Quinn. Personally, I thought it was clever but I can also say that it was unnecessary and could be confusing.
Creepy Gay
Had Renee Montoya not been given a subtle "who cares that she's gay" attitude toward her sexuality, I would say that this movie had some problems. The character of Zsasz felt like the 80s trope of the "evil gay," with his devotion to Sonias.
Everybody knows Kung fu
I felt someone should have pointed out that everyone here is an incredible fighter. Kinda like that scene in Not Another Teen Movie at the prom where a guy says "it's amazing how everyone at this school is a professional dancer." This only highlights the fact that Cassandra Cain has no skills whatsoever, despite her character in the comics being one of the best fighters in the DC Universe.
Villain just dark and misogynistic
Once again, they leaned in heavy with the R rating. Cutting off damn faces and trapping women as his little "birds." Damn, Black Mask is crazy well written. The only complaint I have is the mask, how it moved as the rubber it was rather than a wooden solid piece.
You Need Help
I think I remember hearing this line a few times, making it a theme of the movie. Not only do most of the characters need psychiatric help, but they need friends.
Slow Motorcycle, Foggy Pier
The ending took me out of it for a bit. It's dumb, sure, but that damn motorcycle went way too slow to catch up to the villain. Then we go to a foggy pier? That felt out of place, much more in line with a dark film noir instead of a vibrant and loud crime movie.
Took Ring Boom Gore
Well, we aren't gonna see Black Mask again. I'm not often a fan of seeing villains die in superhero movies. It feels like a cheap way to put an end to a villain more often than not, but damn that explosion tearing him apart was satisfying.
Bad Closing Outfits
I get that this is a loud superhero movie, but those shiny blue Birds of Prey outfits just felt wrong. I did not see any of those women picking out those outfits or even coordinating in clothes like that.