Birds of Prey Review

Birds of Prey

Release Date: 6th February 2020 - Australia

Production Companies

Warner Bros. Pictures

DC Entertainment

Clubhouse Pictures
Kroll & Co. Entertainment
LuckyChap Entertainment

Distribution

Roadshow Films

Genre: Action

Rating: MA15+ (Not Suitable for Young Children)

Runtime: 109 minutes

Budget: $100,000,000

Box Office Gross: $205,522,941 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

Harley Quinn's break-up with the Joker has a price on her head. She must protect a young girl from a crime lord, Black Mask, who is after her, and his henchman, Victor Zsasz. She finds herself allied with three women with different goals to stop the crime boss from killing the child.

Cast

Margot Robbie - Harley Quinn

Rosie Perez - Renee Montoya

Mary Elizabeth Winstead - Helena Bertinelli/The Huntress

Jurnee Smollett-Bell - Dinah Lance/Black Canary

Ewan McGregor - Roman Sionis

Ella Jay Basco - Cassandra Cain

Chris Messina - Victor Zsasz

Ali Wong - Ellen Yee

Daniel Beinhardt - Sioins' Chauffeur

Derek Wilson - Tim Evans

Joe Bucaro III - Carlos Rossi

François Chau - Mr. Keo

Miyuki Matsunaga - Mrs. Keo

Anna Mikami - Miss Keo (16 years)

Bruno Olivier - Bodega Cook (Sal)

Matthew Willig - Happy

Michael Masini - Officer Drago

Steven Williams - Captain Patrick Erickson

Charlene Amola - Maria Bertinelli

Ella Mika - Young Helena

Robert Catrini - Stefani Galante

K.K. Barrett - Dr. Aguilar

Dana Lee - Doc

Bojana Novakovic - Erika

Paul Lisa - Helena's Father

Crew

Director - Cathy Yan

Writer/Co-Producer - Christina Hodson

Harley Quinn Creators - Paul Dini and Bruce Timm

Executive Producers - David Ayer,

Walter Hamada, Geoff Johns,

Hans Ritter and Galen Vaisman

Producers - Sue Kroll, Margot Robbie

and Bryan Unkeless

Co-Producer/First Assistant Director - Donald Sparks
Production Designer - K.K. Barrett
Supervising Art Director - Kasra Farahani

Set Designers - Luis G. Hoyos

and Rich Romig
Set Decorator - Florencia Martin

Property Master: Additional Photography -

Guillaume DeLouche
Costume Designer - Erin Bernach
Director of Photography - Matthew Libatique

"A" Camera/Steadicam Operator - P. Scott Sakamoto

Location Manager - Ilt Jones

First Assistant Directors: Second Unit -

Dieter Busch and Jayson Merrill
Second Unit Director/Stunt Coordinator -

Jonathan Eusebio

Stunt Coordinators - Jon Valera,

Rockey Dickey Jr. and Scott Rogers

Picture Car Coordinator - Dennis McCarthy

Special Effects Supervisor - Matt Hawker

Special Effects Coordinator - Andrew Weder

Visual Effects Supervisor - Greg Steele

Visual Effects Producer - Annemarie Griggs

Visual Effects Producers: Method Studios -

Julie M. Osborn and Georgina Street

Editors - Jay Cassidy and Evan Schiff

Additional Editor - Matt Evens

Supervising Sound Editors - Katy Wood

and Alan Robert Murray

Production Sound Mixer - Steven Morrow

Re-Recording Mixers - Onnalee Blank

and Brandon Proctor
Music - Daniel Pemberton

Music Supervisors - Season Kent

and Gabe Hilfer

Review

I didn't know about the Birds of Prey comic when I first heard about the movie. When walking to the cinema, I had no idea what walked to it. After Margot Robbie was praised for her scene-stealing performance as Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad, her character was so popular that she reprised her role in the follow-up BIRDS OF PREY. While regarded as a typical DC movie with nothing else added, it doesn't keep BIRDS OF PREY from being ultra-violent and over-the-top.

The film was something of a cash-grab to profit off Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, but it had clever action sequences and colourful humour, which are its highlights. On the negative, the plot is scattershot. The narrative feels disjointed, with less depth and focus on characters that need development. Alongside Margot Robbie's performance, Ewan McGregor creates an impression of a bad guy from roles as a Jedi Knight and other good characters, resulting in Black Mask showing true colours.

While campy, fun and all-too-feminine, BIRDS OF PREY is an above-average DC flick that is playful but comes across as a missed opportunity and could have been better.

Star rating: (6/10) Fair Movie

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