Bad To The Bone: Review of Suicide Squad

Suicide Squad

Director: David Ayer

By Alex Watson

You desperately want Suicide Squad to be this fun and carefree ride that we were all promised in its glorious advertising campaign. Sadly no matter how much fast paced action comes our way, director David Ayer just cannot make us ignore how thin on the ground his adaptation is. Sporting one of the best casts of the year, all the ingredients were there for one this summer's best movies. Once again DC fans will let down in a year that has been kind to its heroes.

Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) forms Task Force X, a team made up of some of the worst offenders on earth including hit man Deadshot (Will Smith), psycho Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), bank robber Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) and fire wielding gangster Diablo (Jay Hernandez). When an ancient witch being and her brother resurfaces, the team is forced into action under the command of Rick Flag (Joel Kinneman). Can so many bad people together really be trusted? Also, Harley's boyfriend The Joker (Jared Leto) is also causing his own problems.

The first quarter of Suicide Squad is undeniably the strongest as we meet our heroes at a CIA Black Site in the Louisana swamp lands. It's fun and each meeting of the different bad guys has a strong likability to it, Harley Quinn makes her mark her early as on the surface she is all sugar and spice but below there beats the heart of a lunatic. Ayer's direction is wayward has his character development is ankle deep- through a series of rushed introductions we never really get a feel for these anti-heroes, only a gloss over of what their offenses are. Even the bit part player such as Slipknot (Adam Beach) and Katana (Karen Fukuhara) are thrust into the mix with little explanation. Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) is an impressive looking use of prosthetics, but aside from a couple of funny lines he never gets much action.

Not having a lead antagonist really makes this picture suffer at the core- Enchantress (Cara Delevingne) who is an ancient witch who has come back to turn humans into her own brand of alien slaves lacks any bite. The biggest crime of all is the lack of screen time given to Jared Leto's excellent Joker. Bursting onto the screen like a smooth old style gangster with metal teeth, this Joker is every inch as sadistic and terrifying as Heath Ledger before him. "I'm not gonna kill ya, I'm just gonna hurt ya really, really bad!" he says to his lady love Harley. The relationship between these two is not given nearly as much attention as it needs. One of the most destructive yet devoted pairs in DC history, we need fully feel the full effect of this union. Another key issue comes from both Ayer and cinematographer Roman Vasaynov's shooting of key action scenes. Due to poor visual effect and a far too breakneck execution, many scenes seem muddled and Ayer seems in a big hurry to get things out of the way.

When the Suicide Squad team forms together there are moments that do stand out, such as Diablo's fine monologue about how his lust for power killed his family. The friendship between Harley and Deadshot seems much more developed genuine than his desire to reunited with his beloved daughter. Killer Croc does have microseconds of brilliance and you feel this could have been a stand out if handle differently. The big showdown at the film's climax is a let down on both an action and CG front because due a big and smoky room, it is near impossible to figure out precisely what is going on? David Ayer is a fine writer and his directorial work like End of The Watch and Fury made him out to be a smart choice. Through a series of missteps and some serious underdevelopment, he has turned what could have been DC's saving grace into yet another misfire. So far the box office bell is ringing loudly so these bad guys will likely be back for round 2. Lots of work to do guys!

Margot Robbie is the standout member of this cast with her sociopathic turn as Harley Quinn. So alluring yet so terrifying, Robbie shows just why she is the new hot property on the block. Effortlessly carrying forward her inner demons along with a fun-loving edge, Robbie is what will remember coming out. Will Smith is also able to take a poorly written Deadshot and make him into something far better. Relishing his antihero status, Smith succeeds well as the at first elite hitman turned doting father. Desperate to reunited with his daughter, he also feels a bond with this group he has become entangled with. Jai Courtney once again comes off short changed in a big blockbuster as his Captain Boomerang offers little else other than filling the Aussie bogan stereotype. Jared Leto looks and sounds the part of the Joker, but we need far more from this guy next time out because Batman could have another great nemesis.

Suicide Squad is a movie that you keep holding out for something great to happen, but like Batman v Superman before it, it simply underwhelms.

Against The Clock: Review of Run All Night

Run All Night

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

By Alex Watson

Although it is entertaining and at points even thrilling action, Jaume Collett-Serra's Run All Night is a little too inconsistent throughout. Marking the third collaboration between actor Liam Neeson and Collet-Serra, this movie is in a similar vein to the previous adrenaline packed flicks Non-Stop and Unknown. Though the story has some interesting marks to it, it just doesn't feel meaty enough to raise this movie to where it needs to be.

Alcoholic mob enforcer, Jimmy Conlon (Liam Neeson) is a man who has made a mess of his life and alienated his relationship with his son Mike (Joel Kinnaman). But when his son witnesses a murder committed by Jimmy's bosses son, Danny (Boyd Holbrook) he forced into killing him to protect his life. Swearing vengeance, his former boss/friend Shawn Maguire (Ed Harris) declares open season on Jimmy! Forced into a corner, the old gunman will have one night to come out swinging to help his kid survive.

Many will no doubt assume this will be yet another Neeson effort where he simply shows up looking tough. Well the early part of Run All Night is a thankful departure from tried and tested material. We first meet Jimmy groggily waking up from another hard night drinking and being mocked by his mob comrades. His life is in a shambles and his son looks upon him with scorn- not only that by former nemesis Detective Harding (Vincent D'Onofrio) is still keeping a close eye on his former killings! The initial bonding exercise between father and son is one that is at first encouraging, but quickly burns out of fuel after a bright start.

The moment that the killing occurs, the movies tone takes a sharp turn into more formulaic action territory. Although there is an icy and memorable showdown seen between former buddies Shawn and Jimmy, the rest of the film lacks the needed ice cold formula. The introduction of fellow assassin Price (Common) fails to really add any real spice to proceedings. Possessing what appears to be his one vengeful look, this guy seems to stalk them like some kind of human terminator. Collet-Serra tries his hardest but unfortunately he cannot help the movie slip off the rails.

Sadly from here we witness what could have been a decent and hard edged crime drama descend into an action and bullet packed action flick. Jimmy is a character that although appears familiar, had the potential to be developed into something interesting. But by the finish he reduced to the typical Neeson staple of simply being handy with a fire arm. Though the finale shootout and his actions that go with it are surprisingly poignant. Just a shame that the rest of movie wasn't in keeping with this type of emotion.

Liam Neeson as usual provides great screen presence and this proves to be some of his best work in quite some time. Jimmy is a man who inside lament his lost life of being married to the mob and secretly yearns to be reunited with his son. Neeson smartly invests a great degree of warmth mixed with his usual killer edge to raise it above Bryan Mills territory. Ed Harris feels underused as the main villain which is tragic when he promises his usual hard eyed brilliance. Also look for a brief but barnstorming cameo from the great Nick Nolte- who proves he has not lost that presence in years gone by!

Run All Night is a movie that wants to be more than it really offers us, but it is a decent and predictable ride all the same. Many will always wonder how long Neeson will keep up his tough guy act? But one thing is for sure- he is pretty good at it so far!