Birds of Prey: Margot Robbie mesmerizes in action-packed romp

It’s a big year for Batman’s most famous archnemeses. Joker arrived to acclaim in his own movie and a billion-dollar box office, and now Harley Quinn gets her showcase on the silver screen.

Margot Robbie reprises her role from Suicide Squad and shines as the crazy-cool-batty anti-hero in this flick.

As the movie starts, we find out she and the Joker are on the outs, but she soon discovers that a break-up with Gotham’s number one baddie means Harley loses all protection from those who want to kill her. And a lot of people want to kill her, including Roman Sionis (Black Mask) the crime lord played by Ewan McGregor with plenty of psycho rage.

Harley can handle most of her would-be killers but when Sionis gets her in his grasp, the only thing saving her is a promise to retrieve a very important diamond. That leads her to a young pick-pocketer, and what will become the Birds of Prey, Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez).

All of them have their own reasons to take down the Black Mask, and the bone-crunching team-up begins.

And I do mean bone-crunching. The action has a John Wick deadly grace to it, with a dash of silliness. You would expect no less from a heroine who wields a giant carnival-hammer.

Director Cathy Yan keeps the movie moving, and as creative as the story allows. It still hits the typical beats of a comic book-inspired superhero story.

It’s Robbie as Harley that keeps it compelling. She is a perfect fit for a character who just barely has a hold on her sanity, but can still show her heart and do the right thing, albeit in a sometimes brutal and ruthless manner.

It’s something to say, in this movie, Harley Quinn basically lives, and nearly dies, for the perfect breakfast sandwich. In Margot Robbie’s capable hands, you believe it, with every bite.