A Bullet for Pretty Boy (1970)

As you watch, you peel back layer after layer to find that it is much more than a comic book action movie about a bunch of supervillains forced together into a Special Ops “Suicide Squad.” Yes, it is about that (and the movie has all the action and gore to show for it) but it’s also about family, the struggle of the disenfranchised, and, most interestingly, American imperialism. While the film somewhat succeeds in addressing these topics with nuance and care, James Gunn’s obsession with violence, gore, and shallow comedy bogs the movie down, often directly contradicting those more serious subjects. Overall, though, I have so much admiration for this movie, despite its flaws. Spoilers ahead~

As many of us know by now, James Gunn excels in writing character-driven stories and the “found family” trope, as evidenced by the success of Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. So, it’s no surprise that the characterization in The Suicide Squad is fantastic. Every character feels fleshed out and has an emotional arc.