History Film / TheSuicideSquad

* BigBallBouncing: The film opens with Savant in his bare concrete cell in Belle Reve staring emptily at the wall, listening to "[[Music/JohnnyCash Folsom Prison Blues]]" while bouncing a ball off the floor. When he sees a small bird land in the cell, he throws the ball at the wall, where upon it bounces off the other walls before [[KickTheDog killing the bird]]. One can understand his frustration, but let's just say the bird gets the last word.

* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: After Bloodsport retrieves the hard drive containing information that links the American government with Project Starfish, he hides it in his uniform, behind one of his armguards. After Starro is defeated, we learn that [[spoiler:his uniform was able to upload the data in the drive to a secure server and he uses that to blackmail Waller into releasing the remaining Squad members]]. This does not fit his motif and was never even implied before, being pure script magic to help the "heroes" have a true happy ending (unlike in [[Film/SuicideSquad2016 the first film]], where only ''after'' the mission they get to know their prize is nothing more than a 10-year reduction in their sentences).

* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Bloodsport is a highly competent assassin (who specializes in CoolGuns and wears a CoolHelmet) of African descent with a complicated relationship with his daughter, and serves as an OnlySaneMan on the Squad, just like ComicBook/{{Deadshot}}. The character was allegedly planned to actually be Deadshot in earlier drafts, but was changed to a different character to allow Creator/WillSmith the chance to return in the future.

* HypocriticalHeartwarming: Bloodsport's parental skills are lacking at best -- his interaction with his daughter is a screaming match where they both yell at each other to fuck off. When Waller uses her as a bargaining chip to coerce Bloodsport into joining Task Force X by threatening to send her to Belle Reve he's so enraged that he holds the sharp edge of a [[ImprobableWeaponuser pen]] to Waller's throat.

** Idris Elba infiltrating a location known as Jotunheim. [['Film/{{Thor}}'' What could that be a reference to?]]

* ActorAllusion: Peacemaker's street clothes in Corto Maltese include denim shorts.

Set after the events of the first film and ''Film/BirdsOfPrey2020'', the plot follows a new iteration of Task Force X / "The Suicide Squad", a collection of BoxedCrook {{Supervillain}}s offered a simple deal by high-ranking government official ComicBook/AmandaWaller (Creator/ViolaDavis): have a [[ExplosiveLeash bomb temporarily placed in the base of their skull to assure they don't try to escape]] and take on an increasingly deadly series of {{Suicide Mission}}s in return for having their prison sentence reduced after each success. Their mission today? Survive being dropped onto Corto Maltese, a remote island filled with criminals and soldiers all guarding a massive secret that could spell [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt doom for the entire world]]. Also, don't get too attached, because [[AnyoneCanDie not everyone's gonna make it]].

Ahead of release, in September 2020, it was announced that Cena's Peacemaker would be starring in [[Series/{{Peacemaker|2022}} a spin-off series]] on HBO Max, also written and directed by Gunn. Gunn later confirmed that he was developing another spin-off for HBO Max near the end of the first season of ''Peacemaker''.

Set after the events of the first film and ''Film/BirdsOfPrey'', the plot follows a new iteration of Task Force X / "The Suicide Squad", a collection of BoxedCrook {{Supervillain}}s offered a simple deal by high-ranking government official ComicBook/AmandaWaller (Creator/ViolaDavis): have a [[ExplosiveLeash bomb temporarily placed in the base of their skull to assure they don't try to escape]] and take on an increasingly deadly series of {{Suicide Mission}}s in return for having their prison sentence reduced after each success. Their mission today? Survive being dropped onto Corto Maltese, a remote island filled with criminals and soldiers all guarding a massive secret that could spell [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt doom for the entire world]]. Also, don't get too attached, because [[AnyoneCanDie not everyone's gonna make it]].

** Savant's criminal record shows that he has also been incarcerated in Iron Heights Penetentiary, last seen in ''[[Film/JusticeLeague Justice]] [[Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague League]]''.

* DeadFootLeadfoot: When Bloodsport, Flag and Peacemaker stage their escape from the army transport, Peacemaker uses a shotgun to shot thhe driver through the wall of the cab. He slides forward in the seat and his knee plants on the accelerator, causing the vehicle to careen out of control.

* DeadFootLeadfoot: When Bloodsport, Flag and Peacemaker stage their escape from the the army transport, Peacemaker uses a shotgun to shot thhe driver through the wall of the cab. He slides forward in the seat and his knee plants on the accelerator, causing the vehicle to careen out of control.

** When the team finally gets to Jotunheim, it's raining heavily and Bloodsport points out that it "makes excellent cover". As if to prove his point, we immediately see all of them PowerWalk through the rain.

* PowerWalk: The team gets one (set to ''Music/{{Pixies}}''[='=] "Hey") as they walk through the heavy rain toward Jotunheim to start the climax.

* {{Narm}}: The landing at the beach starts out dramatically, but some of the deaths are so stupid, it makes it hard to watch: Mongal trying, and failing to bring down the Helicopter, Savant randomly freaking out and swimming out to sea, with Waller caring a lot more than she should have[[note]] especially since they were all supposed to die, anyway [[/note]]. Her saying, "Dammit" makes no sense, since he was part of the team that was not meant to survive.
** Harley's escape is cool. Her meeting up with the team right as they were planning to rescue her is hilarious. But then, Gunn feels the need to drag the scene out with Flagg looking and sounding as embarrassed as possible, while Bloodsport just stands there, with only his mask on. Even cringier still, is that he started the mission with his entire suit EXCEPT for the mask.
** Flagg's death is tragic... but the inside shot showing his pierced heart comes out of nowhere. Almost like Gunn felt the need to emphasize that he was dead, in case people weren't sure.
** The final battle with Starro has the squad facing a bunch of mindless drones. Since they are already dead, the Squad have no reason to feel bad about killing them, but they're so weak, that even six of them can't hold down Bloodsport. They don't try to attack, beyond clumsily grabbing people, and because of the Starfishes around their faces, they can't bite. They're like the definition of crippled zombies.
*** The fight against Staro himself has its moments. Bloodsport being an expert marksman who can split a bullet, fires at Starro... and hits everywhere except the [[AttackItsWeakPoint giant Eye]].
*** Polka-Dot Man's death is kinda of stupid. Not the death itself, but the execution. After wounding Starro with his powers, he gleefully declares himself a superhero... then turns his attention away from the giant, now very angry Starfish to say it to Bloodsport. He's promptly SquashedFlat. It doesn't help that no one in the squad even tried to warn him.
** For all of Starro's power, he is taken out... by rats. Yes, Harley pierced his eye with the Javelin, but even before that, the rats were causing him pain. For something allegedly so powerful, it's a pretty pathetic way to go out.

* BarefootCaptives: Harley when detained by Suarez’s army [[spoiler:after Harley killed Luna. She later nabs a pair of boots from her deceased guard upon escape.]] It's implied that being barefoot in the first place was [[DoesNotLikeShoes her choice]] as an earlier scene shows her playing hopscotch while a guard holds her heels.

* KickingAssInAllHerFinery: Harley breaks loose from captivity and basically slaughters an entire barracks of soldiers all by herself while still dressed in the red ball gown she had been wearing for her 'date' with President Luna.

* OfCourseISmoke: After being arrested, Bloodsport bums a cigarette off one of his captors and leans forward for the man to light it because his hands are cuffed behind his back. While smoking, he gets into a conversation with the soldier. This is part of plan to sttage an escape, and after the guards are neutralized, he spits out the cigarette with a disgusted look on his face and mutters "I don't smoke".

* TaeKwonDoor: During her escape from the presidential palce, Harley slams a steel grille door into the face of one of the soldiers more than a dozen times.

* {{Bookends}}: [[spoiler:There are two scenes involving Amanda Waller [[ExplosiveLeash threatening to activate the explosive in a team member's head]] for disobeying orders: the first is at the end of the ColdOpen, when [[DecoyProtagonist Savant]] [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere flees the beachhead in a panic]] and results in [[YourHeadASplode his splattery death]]; the second comes when Team 2 [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight defies Waller's command to withdraw]] and [[ConscienceMakesYouGoBack set off to defend Corto Maltese from Starro's rampage]] - before [[VillainousBreakdown a clearly unhinged Waller]] can activate Bloodsport's device, one of her underlings knocks her unconscious with [[ChekhovsGun one of her own golfclubs]].]]

* ConditionedToAcceptHorror: Waller's support team are rather blasé about the lives of the various Task Force X members that get sent into the field. At the beginning of the movie, we see them [[SideBet betting money amongst themselves]] about which members will die, and in the opening credits we see the winners of the bets laughing it up and in some cases displaying contempt for the members of Team 1 who died. [[spoiler:However, even they have their limits: John Enconomos is clearly disturbed by Waller's methods and willingness to blackmail and cajole the various squad members into obedience, such as threatening to have Bloodsport's daughter [[DisproportionateRetribution thrown in jail on a trumped up charge]] [[WouldHurtAChild and where she will likely die]] - ''if'' Bloodsport doesn't accept the current mission. And when Waller plans to execute the surviving Team 2 members for defying her order to leave Starro to its rampage, [[WhatYouAreInTheDark one of the support team knocks her out with her own golf club, at which point everyone else moves to support the team in stopping Starro]].]]

* DanceBattler: Harley engages in this when things get up close and personal.

** [[spoiler:Mongal's fate]] shows that even with superpowers, it's important to think things through; she tries to take down the [[spoiler:attack helicopter]] by leaping onto the landing skids, the type of move you'd expect Wonder Woman would effortlessly carry off - except here it promptly causes it to [[spoiler:go out of control through her extra weight and momentum and crash before she can try to escape, detonating its payload and horrifically burning her to death]].

** When Bloodsport and Peacemaker have their impromptu BodyCountCompetition [[spoiler: in the rebel camp]], paying attention will yield that [[spoiler: Bloodsport is the winner 12 kills to Peacemaker's 7]], foreshadowing [[spoiler: Bloodsport coming out on top when they fight]].

* GreaterScopeVillain: The ultimate bad guys behind everything in the film turn out to be [[spoiler:the United States government, who kidnapped Starro, brought them to Earth, hired the Thinker to spend decades subjecting them to abusive experiments until they snapped, and then had Amanda Waller send in the Suicide Squad to cover up their crimes by destroying the facility - which, predictably, only results in in the vengeful Starro being unleashed on a city full of innocent humans]]. However, the contained nature of the story means that whatever [[spoiler:government schemers]] are responsible for it all do not show up and remain TheUnfought, and still enjoy KarmaHoudini status by the end of the movie (although Amanda Waller and [[spoiler:Peacemaker]] function as their ''de facto'' representatives in the story, and both get at least a little comeuppance for it).

* TheGuardsMustBeCrazy: Even though they're currently on high alert, the guards let The Thinker back to Jotunheim without bothering to check his van, [[spoiler:even though he's currently being held hostage by the Squad inside it and are forcing him to get them inside.]] This is explained in a deleted scene where the guards are planning to search the van even though Thinker knows the squad leader by name and he's known to pop in at odd hours, but thanks to him suggesting that the cargo he's carrying is "not exactly from this world", which [[spoiler:Polka-Dot Man takes as a cue to use some of his dots to burn away a part of the van door to make it seem like the "cargo" is leaking]], the guards get second thoughs about searching it and allow Thinker to go on his merry way.
* GunsAkimbo: Twice in quick succession during Harley’s [[spoiler:escape from the Corto Maltese prison.]] Notable for being about as realistic as the trope can be. The first instance, Harley grabs two handguns and takes rapid but aimed single shots while spinning, managing to avert ATeamFiring and BottomlessMagazines at the same time. The second time, she grabs two M16s and [[MoreDakka cuts loose on full auto.]] Also managed to avert both common pitfalls of the trope; she dumps both magazines in 2-3 seconds and her targets are all clustered in a hallway, negating the need for precision.

* HeartbeatSoundtrack: Heartbeat sounds are layered over the score after [[spoiler:Peacemaker stabs Flag and pierces him right in his heart]].

* ISurrenderSuckers: In order to escape the bar when the Corto Maltese army show up, Bloodsport, Flag and Peacemaker (the latter reluctantly) make a show of surrendering so Ratcatcher and Polka Dot Man can sneak out the back with the Thinker in tow; being trained soldiers, they escape captivity with little effort and regroup with the others shortly thereafter.

* RealLifeWritesThePlot: John Ostrander, who didn't create the team but is probably the writer most synonymous with it, gets a decent little nugget of screentime - with ''lines!'' It didn't go without notice that this is in the wake of Winter Soldier creator Ed Brukaker criticising Disney for not paying the original writers of the comic stories they use, even mentioning that he's received far more money for his cameo in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'' than he got for writing its premise.

* RentAZilla: [[spoiler:Starro is a hundred metres tall starfish and rampages through Corto Maltese in the climax.]]

* RuleOfCool: Invoked when [[HeadbuttingHeroes Bloodsport and Peacemaker]] begin to one-up the other’s attempts at stylish kills.

* SequelGoesForeign: The bulk of the movie takes place in a South American BananaRepublic (although it's an utter WretchedHive unlike the normally glamorous use of this trope).

** If not kinky, then Harley is implied to be Too Crazy To Torture, as being zapped by a shockprod has little effect.

* UncoolUndies: During a rest period for a mission, the team is suddenly woken up during the night and it's revealed that Peacemaker sleeps only in his tighty-whiteys. Bloodsport is incredulous and calls the briefs by the "tighty-whiteys" moniker, to which Peacemaker says it's a "racist" term. Downplayed in that Peacemaker was not embarrassed at all to be seen in them, and the whole moment appears to just be a {{fanservice}} moment to get the attractive and muscular Creator/JohnCena in as little clothes as possible, as there's a close-up of his crotch in the underwear.

* UnwillingSuspension: Harley is suspended by the wrists [[spoiler:when she is tortured by Suarez.]]

* UriahGambit: It's heavily implied that Waller [[spoiler:intended everyone on the first team to die in the firefight on the beach, and the team is therefore filled with people she either considers completely useless to her or actively wants dead. It's likely that Harley and Boomerang in particular are in the latter category, considering how much of a pain in her ass they were in the first movie. What's especially notable, however, is that she puts ''Rick Flag'' on the team she intends to die, and when he survives partially by being rescued by freedom fighters she then orders Bloodsport's squad to attack their camp in a "rescue" mission, quite possibly in the hope of getting Flag killed in the crossfire.]] [[spoiler:We find out at least part of why she wanted Flagg dead much later - the true purpose of the mission is to cover up decades of human experimentation by the US Government, and Flag is principled enough to start making plans to reveal it to the press the moment he finds out, making him a major threat to Waller's plans.]]

** Polka-Dot Man's mother is strongly implied to have been killed by her son, [[spoiler:though she still gets appearance through his hallucinations]].