The Suicide Squad (2021)
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A group of convicts must infiltrate a dangerous island to destroy a deadly alien threat before it falls into the wrong hands.
The story
Intelligence officer Amanda Waller assembles a group of convicts known as the 'Suicide Squad' to perform high-risk missions in exchange for reduced sentences. The team is dispatched to the South American island nation of Corto Maltese. Their objective is to locate and destroy the 'Project Starfish' experiment, a secret government-funded project involving a giant alien organism. The squad must navigate a hostile environment and a local government that has recently been overthrown, ensuring that all evidence of the government's involvement with the alien threat is destroyed before it can be seized by the new regime.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Amanda Waller assembles two 'Suicide Squad' teams: a decoy team led by Rick Flag Jr. and a primary team led by Bloodsport. The primary team, including Harley Quinn, Peacemaker, and others, is sent to the island of Corto Maltese to destroy the Jötunheim laboratory and the 'Project Starfish' experiment. While the decoy team is intercepted by the military, the primary team infiltrates the capital and captures the Thinker. Harley Quinn is captured by the local dictator, Silvio Luna, but escapes after he plans to use the project for his own ends. The team eventually reaches Jötunheim and discovers Starro the Conqueror, a giant alien that can control others. A conflict ensues as the team tries to contain the alien while the military and the government's interests collide. After a series of casualties, including the death of Rick Flag Jr. and Polka-Dot Man, the team manages to defeat the alien's influence. Bloodsport eventually secures a deal with Waller to release the survivors. The film concludes with the squad being airlifted out of the country, while a post-credits scene reveals Peacemaker is still alive.
- First release year
- 2021
- Runtime (minutes)
- 132
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English; Spanish
- Directors
- James Gunn
- Writers
- James Gunn · writer
- Cast and characters
- Margot Robbie · Dr. Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn; Idris Elba · Robert DuBois / Bloodsport; John Cena · Christopher Smith / Peacemaker; Joel Kinnaman · Colonel Rick Flag Jr.; Sylvester Stallone · Nanaue / King Shark; Viola Davis · Amanda Waller; David Dastmalchian · Abner Krill / Polka-Dot Man; Daniela Melchior · Cleo Cazo / Ratcatcher 2
- Genres
- superhero
- Themes
- sacrifice; collaboration
- Tone and mood
- action; dark
- Premise and plot tags
- superhero; ensemble cast; anti-hero
- Source material / true-story basis
- DC Comics
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics and became the second most-streamed DCEU film on HBO Max.
- Production trivia
- The film had the biggest sets ever built for a Warner Bros. production.; The film was followed by a spin-off television series, Peacemaker, in 2022.; The film was followed by an animated series, Creature Commandos, in 2024.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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