After the release of Suicide Squad back in 2016, it was clear that Warner Bros. had found the perfect actress to portray the iconic anti-hero, Harley Quinn. Although the film had a rocky release, to say the least, almost everyone agreed that Margot Robbie needs to return as the character down the line. After a long wait, fans were finally treated to Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey.
Robbie pitched her idea for her title film whilst Suicide Squad was in pre-production, but it wasn't green-lit due to there not being a big history of successful R-rated female-led comic book films. However, after finally getting the go-ahead to be made, Robbie made sure that she embraced everything that makes her take on Harley so special, delivering so many memorable quotes throughout her title film. Here are Robbie's best quotes in Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey.
10 "Being Joker's girl gave me immunity."
When we first met Harley in Suicide Squad, she was in her synonymous relationship with the Joker (Jared Leto). Throughout the film, she is her usual crazed self, utterly obsessed with the Joker, without any regard for the consequences of her actions. Whilst it was clear that she was heavily influenced by her boyfriend, Birds of Prey a deeper understanding as to why she acted the way she did.
When Harley she that it was being with the Joker was that gave her immunity, it perfectly explains why she was so reckless, even if it was so entertaining. A key element of Birds of Prey is how Harley no longer has the Joker in her life, becoming her own woman. Whilst the fearless nature of Harley won't ever go anywhere, Birds of Prey shows a more grounded, nuanced version of the character that feels so much more authentic to Harley's true self.
9 "Number 1... Nobody is like me."
Even though she broke up with her famously chaotic ex, there still isn't anyone like Harley Quinn, which she lets Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco) know. While on a shopping trip, Cassandra asks Harley what she has to do to be like her. The first part of Harley's response is as you'd expect, but she goes on explaining her life in a way you wouldn't see coming.
In the space of about ten seconds, Harley gives a breakdown of her manic years that led her to this point, covering her Ph.D., starting her job, meeting the Joker, falling head over heels for him, beginning a life of crime, getting arrested by Batman, breaking up with the Joker and then finding herself.
As expected, Cassandra was a little taken aback, but this was one of Harley's most impactful moments in the film as it shows that she's self-aware of the chaos she's been through. This instantly grounds her character, making such an outlandish character more human.
8 "Do you know what a harlequin is? A harlequin's role is to serve. It's nothing without a master. No one gives to sh*ts who we are, beyond that."
In one of Harley's more emotionally charged quotes, how she has seen herself over the years as Joker's partner in crime, she clearly always felt that she was the second person in the relationship, especially with him having the notorious profile that he has in the world of crime. And in Gotham, being at the top is no easy feat.
Now that Harley is out in the world by herself, she still has the feeling of being second in the back of her head, which would obviously be difficult with having the name Harley Quinn. Although she was under the influence talking to Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett), there was clearly a lot of truth behind it, providing another reason for the audience to gain empathy for everything she's gone through in a relatively short amount of time.
7 "Oh, boo-hoo..."
When Harley is talking about how she dealt with the Joker breakup, that being lots and lots of alcohol, we also see her getting drunk out of her mind in the Black Mask Club. Jumping on the pole, she throws her drink everywhere, covering Black Mask's driver.
Telling her to get down, she jumps on his legs, snapping them both clean in half, with Harley simply saying "Oh, boo-hoo" in response to him crying out in pain. If there's any quote in the film that reminds us of the reckless character she was in Suicide Squad, this one might just be it.
6 "Psychologically speaking, vengeance rarely brings the catharsis we hope for."
Besides the quotes with hidden meanings that leave you thinking, the film is also complete with funny quips from a few different characters. When it comes to Harley, hearing someone who we've seen be so unhinged in almost every scene say something like this alone makes this quote one of her most memorable.
This quote also takes the character back to her Harleen Quinzel days, which is the character's real name before she was taken to the chemical plant by the Joker, and turned her into the female version of himself in Harley Quinn. Hearing her give such a serious quote in the sarcastic tone that she did is not only funny, but it shows that Harley hasn't let go of the woman she was before her life changed forever.
5 "I'm sorry kid, I'm just a terrible person I guess..."
Again, the film focuses on Harley trying to find her own way in Gotham, without the luxury of Joker's protection. Without him, Harley is well aware that she isn't much of a threat by herself, especially with the city crawling with criminals with so much more power than her.
With Roman Sionis aka Black Mask (Ewan McGregor) being one of them, Harley feels to live freely, she must give up Cassandra, and hand the diamond over to Black Mask that she swallowed earlier in the film. As well as Cassandra, Harley is distraught that she had to make the decision, letting Cassandra know that she feels terrible for doing so.
4 "Call me a softy, I dare ya!"
Going back to Harley's funnier quotes, this one comes from one of her fourth wall breaks that are scattered throughout the film. With the film focusing on Harley trying to be an individual for the first time as the person she has become, she enjoys doing little things that 'normal' people would tend to enjoy, the opposite of what Harley is.
In what might be the best fourth wall break, Harley's hilarious sarcasm comes through again to let us all know that she's by no means lost her fire.
3 "We all know that saying, 'behind every successful man, there's a badass broad.'"
Towards the beginning, as we're introduced to the current life of Harley, she reminisces about her time with the Joker, leading to her delivering perhaps the most accurate description of the two's dynamic that they once had. Although Harley was a much more prominent character in Suicide Squad than the Joker, this made it abundantly clear that he had the toughest, thrill-seeking woman behind him in his pursuit of total influence over Gotham. Replacing the end of the famous quote with 'badass broad' instead of just 'woman' also makes this quote feel so Harley Quinn.
2 "She calls herself Huntress. F**cking fabulous if you ask me."
As well as her many fourth wall breaks, Harley also provides voiceover throughout the film, acting as the narrator for her own story. Later on in the movie, Harley starts to form a team to take on Black Mask, turning into the Birds of Prey. One of those characters is Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) whom Harley takes a quick liking to.
Despite the film having a strong focus on Harley finding herself that it does, it makes sure to not forget to utilize the type of comedy that only Harley can give. Even though Harley might not be too happy with her alias anymore, she will always love a badass name that someone uses. Harley has seen so many names come and go, so getting praise from her is pretty much the seal of approval that you've chosen a great name.
1 "You made me want to be a less terrible person."
In the same scene where Harley gives up Cassandra to Black Mask for her safety, there's more to the scene than the first quote. Throughout the film, we see Harley practically become Cassandra's bodyguard, with her influencing some of Harley's decisions, making her less fashionably bold at times.
With the scene being tough already, hearing Harley say that Cassandra made her a less terrible person gave the clearest glimpse at the character arc she went through in the film, going from a manic person without a care in the world to a much more grounded, emotionally in-tune woman who has rediscovered the things that make her human that she lost during her time with the Joker.
Comments
Post a Comment