Suicide Squad came out in theaters on August 5, 2016, and just before it did a new controversy started. Different from the worries of actor portrayals of comic characters, this was about the cut of the film; how it was put together in the end and what was heavily put into the trailers and promotional TV spots was not in the movie itself.
Now I am a Marvel comics fan, but two DC comic characters I’ve always enjoyed are The Joker and Harley Quinn. Their mad dysfunctional yet beautiful and fascinating relationship is one I’ve enjoyed seeing since Harley Quinn’s creation in the 1990s “Batman the Animated Series” to her introduction into the comics. From the look of the promotion of the film, and the film itself, seeing Joker and Harley desperately trying to reunite with one another and the effort that the writers, director, and actors (Jared Leto and Margot Robbie) dedicated themselves to, it was clear there was a great deal of love and passion that these characters had but was not fully put into the film. Leto and Robbie worked fabulously together, even when they weren’t in a scene together, their characters motives to see the other again was clear.
Leto is a method actor and it is something he takes very seriously. Knowing that so much time went into him diving deep to become the character of The Joker or as we also love to call him “Mr. J”, there was a sense of loss and by some, betrayal, that so many of his scenes were cut from the film. What angered fans most it seems was that they were presented with clips in the trailers of excited and humorous tidbits not only of The Joker but of other characters as well that were not in the film. Leaving fans to feel misled and disappointed. Leto though, to his high regard as a person and a professional, he stands besides his director and costars. Even though he would have liked more of his scenes to have been in the film, he has said that there was enough material for a Joker film, and keeping some of his scenes within the film would have been perhaps too much of a side plot within the film. Vice versa, Leto’s costars and director stand beside him, saying that Leto’s commitment to his character made them step up their own game for the film.
Director, David Ayer notably struggled with finding the right balance for the film, saying how he had so much material that he loved but had to decide what to use and not use, and change in order to make the film right for not only himself and the fans but of the studio. Ayer stood by his work and didn’t try to blame the studio for the reception of the critics and some fans. He stated:
“We have a chunk, there’s definitely over 10 minutes of material on there. But this cut of the movie is my cut, there’s no sort of parallel universe version of the movie, the released movie is my cut. And that’s one of the toughest things about writing, shooting, and directing a film, is you end up with these orphans and you fucking love them and you think they’d be amazing scenes and do these amazing things but the film is a dictatorship (laughs), not a democracy, and just because something’s cool and charismatic doesn’t mean it gets to survive in the final cut. The flow of the movie is the highest master.”
However some people are not entirely convinces of Ayer’s statement, blogger Angie Han commented, “Ayer sounds proud of his work on Suicide Squad. He admits the going wasn’t always easy, but no movie is. Then again, it seems unlikely Ayer would say otherwise.” And the movie itself?:
“[Warner Brothers CEO] Kevin [Tsujihara] was really pissed about damage to the brand,” says one executive close to the studio, so when the first Suicide Squad trailer earned excitement and positive responses from fans, the studio decided it was important to deliver more of the edgy fun seen in it. Ayer pursed the original vision but Warners set out to make a different cut more consistent with that trailer.
I personally am not sure how to take this. Every bit of information should be taken with a grain of salt. Every movie is flawed in ways–and flawed isn’t necessarily a bad thing, flawed characters are some of the most interesting like the characters in this film. And films have their strengths too, honestly I enjoyed “Suicide Squad” very much. Highlights for me were The Joker and Harley Quinn, both separate and together, and the detailed Easter eggs and references to the comics and the television series like: The Joker’s hand Jonny Frost, Harley’s iconic harlequin costume, and her and Joker’s close-up shot referencing the 1999 “Batman: Harley Quinn” cover, as well Joker’s fashion style being both new and an homage to his characters older look, and Harley reading a Harlequin Romance novel, Between the Sheets about a woman released from her uptight life by a wild risk-taker chaotic man (haha right?), and of course The Joker’s famous pet name “Puddin'”.
Works Cited
Carbone, Gina. “Jared Leto Is Upset That ‘Suicide Squad’ Cut ‘So Many’ Joker Scenes.“
moviefone.
“David Ayer explains The Joker’s tattoos, is The Joker actually Jason Todd?” YouTube.
Giroux, Jack. “A Lot of the Joker’s Scenes Were Cut Out of ‘Suicide Squad’.” Film Blogging the Real World.
Han, Angie. “David Ayer Takes Responsibility for ‘Suicide Squad’: “This Is My
Cut”.” Film Blogging the Real World.
“How David Ayer Reacted to Suicide Squad’s Financial Sucess.” Cinema Blend.
Lovett, Jamie. “Jared Leto Says He Shot Enough Footage for a Joker Movie, Wishes Suicide Squad Was Rated R.” comicbook/dc.
McClendon, Lamarco. “‘Suicide Squad’: Jared Leto Addresses How Many Joker Scenes Were Cut.” Variety.
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