Breaking up is hard to do. After leaving a long-term relationship, forging a new identity separate and apart from a former partner can be daunting and tough to manage. For women, social constructs that often say her worth is tied into her ability to find and keep a man can make this doubly hard, particularly if the relationship she’s leaving wasn’t the healthiest. Moving on from interactions steeped in toxicity are often major crossroads that women must face. Interestingly enough, this is phenomenon is explored in what many would consider the unlikeliest of places; Warner Bros and DC Films’ latest batshit insane comic book movie.
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) takes us back to Gotham City to follow Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) following her breakup with the Joker. As Harley struggles to find her footing as a single woman she soon finds that her split with her supervillain boyfriend has made it open season for criminals citywide to settle their scores with her. At the same time, sadistic businessman and crime boss Roman “Black Mask” Sionis (Ewan McGregor) is being investigated for his role in stealing a valuable diamond by Gotham Detective Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) which is eventually stolen by young pickpocket Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco). Harley eventually finds herself in the middle of the hunt for the girl while Montoya, Sionis, Sionis’ right-hand man, Victor Zsasz (Chris Messina), club singer Dinah “Black Canary” Lance (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), and a mysterious assassin named Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) try find her first.
Birds of Prey has been marketed as a historic first; an all-female comic book team-up movie that features just as much female representation behind the camera and in the writers room as it does onscreen. And indeed, this movie is at its strongest when all its female characters are united front and center. The theme at the center of the theme revolves how each woman featured is at a crossroads in her life due to the whims and misdeeds of the men surrounding her; Margot embarking upon life on her own without Joker by her side, Dinah forced to serve Roman in exchange for stability, Renee stuck beneath the glass ceiling due to Captain Erickson’s strong arming of her work, and Huntress’ being orphaned at the behest of greedy gangsters. All must climb over the respective obstacles put in their path by the men they’ve encountered in their lives and display the type of resiliency that will power them toward becoming their best selves. The experiences of the movie’s protagonists is sure to have some resonance with its target audience in this era where women are galvanizing against long accepted male transgressions and rallying around each other to reach new heights through the strength of unity.
That the chemistry of Birds of Prey’s characters is so strong makes the amount of time it takes for them to meet seem that much more agonizingly slow. The story in the movie is told non-linearly and while it is structured well and in a clear manner that avoids making the plot confusing, it does feel oddly paced on a first watch while you’re trying to take everything in for the first time. There is a lot to set up and backgrounds to flesh out and screenwriter Christina Hodson does a great job ensuring that everything connects and makes sense, but the callbacks and rewinds can feel slightly plodding. It is possible, however, that the flow of this feels a little more natural and less distracting on re-watch once you’re more familiar with what’s coming and how it all eventually comes together.
Margot Robbie turns in a fantastic performance as Harley Quinn, building upon the framework that began in 2016’s Suicide Squad and ending up with the best characterization of the anti-hero on the big screen so far. Quinn in this film is presented in totality, her zaniness, acrobatic fighting style, and moments of genuine caring mixed in with unpredictable craziness. The way the film consistently references Harley’s past as a psychiatrist through her random observations and diagnoses of the other characters she interacts with was a nice touch and another feather in the cap of the film’s portrayal of her. Birds of Prey is meant to be an ensemble piece and the film’s supporting characters and actors are absolutely fantastic. Ewan McGregor is the perfect mix of hammy camp as Roman that fits the movie’s comedic sensibilities, but with moments of savagery that make it clear what a sadistic ghoul he is, such as a brutal killing scene that is shocking and sure to be hot topic coming out of the film. Every time McGregor appears onscreen he steals the scene and draws all eyes toward him. Mary Elizabeth Winstead has minimal screen time as the mysterious Huntress, but she absolutely nails the few scenes she has displaying both humor and action-packed coolness. Jurnee Smollett-Bell gives the film another emotional pull aside from Harley in her depiction of Dinah’s journey toward accepting her potential as a hero. The build-up to her display of her powers is one of the movie’s most notable payoffs.
What struck me most about this movie is the fantastic visuals offered by director Cathy Yan and director of photography Matthew Libatique, with Yan impressively building upon her debut feature 2018’s Dead Pigs. The vibrant colors, stylish character title cards, and inventive camera work immediately enters Birds of Prey into the conversation for the best cinematography ever presented in a comic book film. The one-shot filming technique used extensively in the beginning of the film, most notably during a crime scene investigation conducted by Montoya, with scenes melding together and transitioning seamlessly was mesmerizing and will be hard to top for other films this year. Birds of Prey is clearly a Harley Quinn film and while Margot Robbie is more than skilled enough to carry the film as needed, the supporting characters and performances from Ewan McGregor, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Jurnee Smollett-Bell are strong enough that you wish you had more time with them. But in the age of ever increasing numbers of blockbusters, the fact that this film leaves you wanting more is probably the outcome Warner Bros and DC Films were hoping for. Despite some pacing issues midway through, Birds of Prey uses fantastic action scenes, great performances, and chuckleworthy comedy to satisfy the most basic requirement people have for a movie; being entertaining and a fun time.
Image: Warner Bros.
