Margot Robbie plays Harley Quinn in Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), a 109-minute action-crime film directed by Cathy Yan from a script by Christina Hodson. The tagline promises “Mind over mayhem.” The film delivers the mayhem; the mind is where it gets shaky.
Trailer, via Warner Bros..
Cassandra Cain and the Diamond
The setup is lean. A young girl named Cassandra Cain steals a rare diamond from crime lord Roman Sionis, and a hit goes out on her. Harley ends up in the middle of it. She joins forces with a singer, an assassin and a police detective to keep the girl alive.
That’s the whole engine. One diamond, one crime lord, and a team that forms around a child.
Margot Robbie and the Cast Around Her
Robbie owns Harley completely. The problem is everyone else gets less to do. Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays Helena Bertinelli, also called Huntress. Jurnee Smollett-Bell plays Dinah Lance, also called Black Canary — the source lists her as a singer. Rosie Perez plays Renee Montoya, a police detective.
Ewan McGregor plays Sionis, and Chris Messina plays Victor Zsasz. Both are having fun. Neither is scary.
Mind over mayhem.
Cathy Yan and Christina Hodson
Yan directs with real color and a loose, jokey rhythm. Hodson’s script keeps Harley’s narration skipping backward and forward, which is charming for a while and then just busy. The fight scenes are staged for clarity, not for weight. Nobody seems to get badly hurt.
The film’s best idea, to this paper’s eye, is that Harley’s freedom is the actual plot. The diamond is what the hit is about.
Renee Montoya and the Team
Montoya is the most interesting piece and the least used. A cop, she should be the spine of the thing. Instead she’s a supporting player in Harley’s story. The team forms late and never quite gels.
Cast and Roles
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Margot Robbie | Harley Quinn |
| Rosie Perez | Renee Montoya |
| Mary Elizabeth Winstead | Helena Bertinelli / Huntress |
| Jurnee Smollett-Bell | Dinah Lance / Black Canary |
| Ewan McGregor | Roman Sionis |
| Ella Jay Basco | Cassandra Cain |
| Chris Messina | Victor Zsasz |
What Birds of Prey Gets Right
The energy is genuine. Robbie is genuine. The film wants to be a good time and mostly is one, in a scattered way. It just never decides whether it’s Harley’s movie or the Birds’ movie, and that indecision costs it.
6.9 of 10.
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