Jared Leto in Suicide Squad (Daniel Cohen)
I know it’s recent. The body isn’t even cold yet. I don’t care. For so many reasons, this is the quintessential example of wasting not only a phenomenal actor, but a phenomenal actor in arguably the most iconic villain role of all time.
Before we even get to the Joker, let’s talk about Jared Leto. Nobody was going to envy the next guy who followed Heath Ledger. I remember the day Leto was announced as the next Joker. I read the news and immediately said “Perfect.” If somebody was going to step into the shoes of Heath Ledger, this was the best possible choice.
What’s so frustrating about David Ayer and Warner Brother’s massive screw up is that getting Jared Leto in the first place was a coup. The guy doesn’t do a lot of movies. To be honest, I’m getting more irritated about the whole debacle as I write this. WHAT A BLUNDER! Sorry. Not only was Leto a huge get, but the guy legitimately wanted to embrace the character. He even sent his co-stars sadistic gifts, including a rat for Margot Robbie. This is like a guy who over prepares for a job interview, but they end up only asking him two questions.
We’ve lamented Leto. Now let’s get to the actual Joker. We all know what makes the Joker a fascinating villain. I also don’t need to rehash Heath Ledger’s performance. The magic trick. The interrogation scene. “Do you know how I got these scars?” The chaos. We get it. The Joker is all about big moments. Every scene with Ledger exemplified that in full. Let’s look at the now forgotten Jack Nicholson.
While it’s not as memorable as Ledger, Nicholson in Batman (1989) was no slouch. It’s still iconic as hell. The hand-buzzer. The pen. “He stole my balloons!” Even doing something as juvenile as vandalizing an art museum was quintessential Joker. There’s no doubt the first time we see Ledger’s Joker take off that mask in the bank robbery was scintillating. Let us not forget Nicholson’s introductory as the Joker. In fact, we get a double dose of spectacle. There’s the chilling mirror scene (“The mirror!”) where the laugh is heard for the first time. The suspense builds. When he goes to kill Carl Grissom, he’s slowly revealed through the shadows. Eventually we see the Joker in all his glory. It’s a fantastic reveal. You get Jack’s big goofy smile. The white make-up. lipstick. Green hair. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
How does Suicide Squad introduce the Joker? Amanda Waller talks about Harley Quinn in a flashback montage and he’s just sitting there on a couch. Yay. How dare they. No creativity whatsoever. That’s the problem. The movie couldn’t decide if it wanted to highlight Joker or Quinn. Both get half-assed. It’s the worst kind of filmmaking.
Joker is just another crime boss in Suicide Squad. Nothing more. There is literally nothing memorable whatsoever about the Joker here. They thought they could just poop out a couple iconic comic book images (dancing with Harley Quinn in the tux) and call it a day. I get he wasn’t supposed to be the focal point of the movie, alright! If you can’t make him memorable even for one scene, then DON’T INCLUDE THE DAMN CHARACTER!
I pray this experience didn’t scare Jared Leto off the role. There’s a brilliant Joker lurking. I know there is. Not in this movie though. In Suicide Squad, Jared Leto is a complete and utter waste of time.
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Interesting list! For Weltz though, I’d have picked The Green Hornet. Bloodnofsky was the best part of that shitshow.