The 12 Best Moments Of Suicide Squad

Deadshot’s “Cheerleading Tryout”

Unsurprisingly, most of Suicide Squad’s funniest moments involve Will Smith’s Deadshot. The most notable of these occurs when Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) arrives at Belle Reve with Colonel Flag (Joel Kinnaman) to test the skills of the hitman, with a view to recruiting him for her Task Force X. Deadshot is brought out of his cell to a long table, covered in a vast array of guns, facing a selection of targets. Colonel Flag orders Griggs to remove Deadshot’s shackles. Griggs is vocal in his dissent, harking back to an earlier scene in which Deadshot threatened his life.

Griggs loses the debate, Deadshot loads a gun, and points it straight at his prison guard nemesis. Amanda Waller confirms to him that the bullet in the chamber is not a live round, and that he can just go ahead and fire at Griggs. After a beat, Deadshot fires into the ceiling to reveal that Waller was lying. He then moves his way through the arsenal in front of him, demolishing the targets in turn.

Having demonstrated his formidable abilities, Deadshot steps up to Colonel Flag and details his demands – the price of his talents. He wants out of jail, and full custody of his daughter. He wants an Ivy League education for her, fully paid for, and he wants her set up for life. Colonel Flag tells him that he doesn’t get to make demands, to which Deadshot replies that he wasn’t talking to Flag, he was talking to Waller – Flag’s boss.

It is a glorious moment that draws together many of the strengths of the casting of Suicide Squad. The detail and dynamic of this scene is squarely in the wheelhouse of Will Smith, who effortlessly dominates his big monologue. It also sets up the dynamic between Flag and Deadshot – based in rivalry – going into this mission. Lastly, it drives home the fact that Viola Davis casts a long shadow as Amanda Waller – and her powerful presence is infused into every frame, even when she says nothing.