Birds of Prey is the kind of movie that feels like a giant dose of adrenaline just pulsing through your veins. Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn is not only hilarious and kooky, the action sequences in her movie are fueled with all kinds of quirks to them too. A good action scene is nothing new, but the new DCEU release felt like it elevated what this could look like in a comic book film. Harley and her “Birds” are known as street fighters in Gotham, and watching them punch and drop-kick it out is the most impressive part of Cathy Yan’s blockbuster debut.
The first-ever girl gang team-up film called upon the likes of John Wick’s director and renowned stunt coordinator, Chad Stahelski, and his team at 87eleven to work on these sequences, and wow, did it pay off. Check out these awesome moments from Birds of Prey’s fight scenes that we can’t get out of our brains:
Harley Goes For The Knees
One aspect of Birds of Prey that’ll be tough to forget is how effortlessly Margot Robbie’s crazed character pounces on not one, but two poor opponents’ knees, breaking their legs to the complete other direction. It first happens when Harley’s partying at the club of Ewan McGregor’s Roman Sionis. She’s insulted by Roman's driver while she’s dancing around on a pole and just smashes his legs – like that. It’s a big moment that claims Birds of Prey’s unabashed R-rating to the audience and leaves a many gasping at her violent nature.
Harley Quinn up and does it again midway through the movie, making us realize you really don’t want to mess with Joker’s ex. It’s just not common to see a character knock out more than one pair of knees during the runtime of a movie, but when you think about it, the move is smart. She has enough strength to go for it, and it immediately incapacitates the other guy. So why not?
Harley’s Bean Bag Glitter Gun Breakout
A much more visually appealing action scene from Ms. Harley was when she headed to Gotham PD to retrieve Cassandra Cain from her cell and take back Roman’s precious diamond. Harley could have just brought along an old-fashioned gun to the precinct to get what she wanted, but she’s much more creative and stylish than that. She knew she didn’t need to cause any casualties to get the job done either. So Harley brought a bean bag launcher armed with glitter, for an aesthetic moment that highlights her unique spirit.
It’s a memorable sequence because no one else on the big screen would have gone about that plan like Harley. She even dresses for the occasion, in an awesome pink scarf and sunglasses before going batshit on the police officers. And when she reaches Cassandra Cain at the cells, the scene has a grand finale as she fights off more prisoners on her bad side as the sprinklers go off. Oh, and Harley being in pouring rain isn’t played to the effect of sexualizing her!
Harley Quinn’s Coke High And Beard Burn
Immediately following Harley Quinn’s bean bag glitter sequence, she and Cass find themselves surrounded by those who’d like to win the bounty on the young girl instead. They must fight their way out, and Margot Robbie’s character comes up with some highly entertaining ways to make it out alive. Things are looking a little grim at first as she retreats behind some stacks of cocaine (you know, as one does) when bad guys are shooting at her. The shots expose some of the stimulant’s properties and Harley sniffs it in. It gives her just the pick-me-up she needed to kick ass! (But don’t do drugs, kids.) This leads to a crazy stellar sequence from Harley, including another smart tactic: burning the guys beard clean off! [Cue every bearded man rethinking their facial hair.]
Culminating this wonderful collection of moments is when Harley gets confronted by Renee Montoya in her effort to keep Cassandra Cain under her watch. Renee orders Harley to drop the phone in her hand, and in true sarcasm she drop-kicks it right into Renee's face! Hey, you can’t say she didn’t follow instructions… technically speaking anyway.
Black Canary Needs A Hair Tie
Some moments just transcend a movie, and that looks to be the fate of one subtle, but viral exchange in Birds of Prey. During the huge fun house sequence in the movie, Black Canary is taking on some guys in one area while Harley is taking these other ones in another area. The Birds of Prey is finally a team and it’s awesome. Then as the pair fight alongside one another, Harley offers up Dinah Lance a hair tie, and the latter puts up her mane and continues to pile knocked-out bodies. It’s a moment only a group of women would have thought of and has become a good identifier of what female representation can produce. Check it out below:
Everyone who’s dealt with long hair knows how annoying it would become. Of course, she’d want to put it up! It’s a small moment, but a profound one in Birds of Prey. So often is a sequence like this involving women about how “sexy” they look, but the functionality of what would happen in a fight scene comprised of female badasses hasn’t quite been explored on this scale before.
Huntress Just Being Way Too Cool
There’s so many awesome moments in Birds of Prey, but one major highlight concerns Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s Huntress. Say it in the mirror louder for everyone in the back: HUNTRESS. The character doesn’t have a massive role in the movie by any means. But she somehow makes up for this for stealing every scene she’s part of. Of course, the most formidable of the bunch is when she takes a guy down while she’s sliding down a tunnel in the fun house. Harley Quinn notices, complimenting her partner for just being plain cool.
Another great moment involving Huntress happens directly after the fun house sequence when Harley gets on the back of her motorcycle whilst on roller skates! I mean… come on! Why is this movie underperforming at the box office again? I don’t get it. Go see it and bring on Gotham City Sirens please.
If you haven't already, be sure to read CinemaBlend's review of Birds of Prey.
