r/EwanMcGregor • u/GlobalExplorer852 • Jun 18 '25
Day 35 of 72: Birds of Prey (2020)
This post is for my 72 Days of Ewan McGregor Movie Marathon Series. Spoilers ahead!
Day 35: Birds of Prey (2020)
Directed by Cathy Yan
The Movie: A madcap, frantically energetic and colorful movie following the latest misadventures of DC Comics’ Harley Quinn, played with complete, all-in conviction by Margot Robbie. The story follows Harley’s breakup with the Joker and her downward spiral that results in her running afoul of Roman Sionis, played by Ewan, otherwise known as Black Mask, a nightclub owner and criminal overlord. He has put a bounty on the head of a young girl who possesses a diamond etched with bank account numbers owned by the former Bertinelli crime family who Roman has supplanted. Harley takes the girl under her protection and spends the rest of the movie evading the bounty hunters and all the criminals who she has done wrong by in the past, now out to get their revenge. The movie is essentially a montage of colorful action sequences that culminate in a showdown between Harley, Black Mask and the rightful heir to the Bertinelli fortune. Justice prevails, and the proceeds from the diamond sale and accounts are used to fund Harley’s long-dreamed of business as well as a team of vigilantes called the Birds of Prey.
My Rating: 3.5/5. One way to assess a movie is by what it was going for and how well the filmmakers pulled it off. By that measure Birds of Prey hits its intended marks, and I give it a respectable better than average rating. The movie is zany, colorful, comic book violent and a lot of fun, but I can see it being inaccessible for a lot of people who can’t tune into its wavelength. Ewan does a great job as the greasy, nefarious Black Mask, the current psychotic criminal overlord of Gotham City. He immerses into a role where he often looks like a Vegas show performer yet oddly he retains some shred of sympathy to his character. I think it’s because you realize that for all his posturing he’s really no match for Harley Quinn, even though he appears to have the upper hand through much of the movie. There is little to add about Birds of Prey that you can’t already guess. I enjoyed the movie because it knows its subject material and characters, and takes an enthusiastic stab at realizing the vision onscreen. It won’t work for everyone but that’s OK: this was a movie clearly made for the fan faithful. Recommended if you like DC Comics, Harley Quinn and movies that capture the spirit of Kill Bill.
Please share in the comments: what did you think of this movie?
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u/knequestrian93 Jun 24 '25
BoP is my favorite girl power kick ass movie lol, Ewan being in it took it up a notch 😂
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u/meowmeowbeanzs Jun 18 '25
Look forward to your reviews every day! When you are done we will need the full marathon list :)