WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), in theaters now.
The latest addition to the DC Extended Universe, Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), may not be lighting up the box office as much as Warner Bros. would have hoped, but the film is still a critical success. In fact, the movie does so many things right, from pulling Harley Quinn out of the Joker's shadow to putting the focus on a group of female superheroes outside of the male gaze.
And, on top of all that, the movie delivers some amazing action sequences. This was, in a way, to be expected. After all, during production, it was reported John Wick director Chad Stahelski was brought onto the film to bolster action scenes. These reshoots seem to have paid off, with Birds of Prey's action scenes being hard-hitting and truly a sight to behold. In fact, the film doesn't just deliver impressive fight scenes -- it features, hands down, the DCEU's best fight scene yet.
Ever since its birth, the DCEU has featured some truly epic set pieces. Superman and Zod's devastating brawl in Metropolis; Wonder Woman's fight against German soldiers; the Shazam family's confrontation with the Seven Deadly Sins; Aquaman's duels with Orm -- all of which left fans in awe. But these sequences were, for the most part, heavy in special effects. It's only normal, of course, given the set pieces involved characters with powers akin to gods.
However, Birds of Prey doesn't have any superpowers (other than Dinah Lance's Canary Cry). The movie is a starring vehicle for four characters who have no special abilities other than impressive fighting skills and true grit. Throughout Birds of Prey, Harley, Dinah and Helena all show their skills on separate occasions -- whether it be Dinah taking out two men in an alley or Harley swinging her baseball bat to take out thugs in an evidence locker room. On their lonesome, each of these characters is a force to be reckoned with. But together they create the DCEU's best fight scene -- period.
Birds of Prey's climactic battle arrives shortly after all four lead characters finally unite. Harley, Dinah, Huntress and Renee Montoya meet at the Amusement Mile theme park and, through shared interests, decide to fight together against Black Mask's army of goons. It starts off as a fight for survival, but it turns into something else: a bonding experience.
In something akin to a funhouse, the Birds of Prey fight a brutal, topsy-turvy battle the likes of which fans have never seen in the DCEU. The choreography is meticulous and kinetic, the camera work is focused and effective and the performances filled with heart, sweat and all the fierceness one could possibly muster. The sequence features non-stop brutality, and it highlights the different fighting styles of every character, whether it's Huntress' skills with a crossbow or Harley's gymnastics-inspired moves.
When it's all over and the final thug is down, all that's left for anyone to do is clap. The extended scene is an out-of-breath experience that begs to be rewatched if only to see it all over again and catch what you most assuredly missed the first time.
The only other DCEU moment that may come close to this is Batman's warehouse fight scene in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. It's a signature moment for the Dark Knight that captures everything essential about the character, which is exactly what Birds of Prey delivers for its lead characters in this epic brawl. This is just four women with nothing but their fists and unrelenting spirits. Oh, and maybe a mallet or two. The bar has just been raised for the DCEU moving forward.
Directed by Cathy Yan from a script by Christina Hodson, Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) stars Margot Robbie, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rosie Perez, Ewan McGregor, Ella Jay Basco, Steven Williams, Derek Wilson, Dana Lee, Francois Chau, Charlene Amoia, Chris Messina and Matthew Willig.