Sucker Punch
The realism of fantasy
It is curious how some movies charm the public, while others pass by. This is the case of “Sucker Punch” (USA, 2011), directed by Zack Snyder. The director came from big hits like “300” (USA, 2006) and “Watchmen” (USA, 2009), but perhaps the mix of cyber-punk with a psychological approach has not reached his usual audience. It’s a shame, because this movie is very interesting.
Despite its apparent complexity, the story of “Sucker Punch” is presented in a very linear way, starting with the tragic story of the main character, Babydoll (Emily Browning), who, after losing his mother, causes the death of her sister by accident, while trying to free her from being abused by her stepfather (Gerard Plunckett).
Seizing the opportunity to get rid of his stepdaughter and keep his wife’s fortune, the Stepfather takes Babydoll to an asylum, run by the corrupt Blue Jones (Oscar Isaac). Jones will forge the signature of Dr. Vera Gorski (Carla Gugino) to do a lobotomy on the girl. The only drawback is the delay, as the doctor in charge of the operation will only arrive in five days.
Desperate, Babydoll carefully watches everything around her, looking for anything that might help her escape her cruel fate. In her tormented mind, she finds herself now in a brothel run by cruel Blue Jones that explores girls who dance to entertain guests, submitting to their wishes.
The girls are trained by the choreographer Vera, she herself a slave of Jones. Some of the prisoners are Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish), Rocket (Jena Malone), Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens) and Amber (Jamie Chung).
When Babydoll is forced to dance, she enters a new stage of fantasy, where she meets a wise man (Scott Glenn), who hands her weapons and tells her that she must find five objects for her to execute her escape plan: one map, a fire, a sword and a key. The fifth and final object is a mystery to be unraveled at the right time.
Babydoll struggles to get the support of her four companions, and to get each of the objects, she will dance to divert the attention of its owners. Each dance takes her to a different fantasy level, where she’ll face the most diverse obstacles.
The movie is an absolutely fantastic visual and sonic delusion. All the main clichés of cinema, comics, manga, games and animations are present at different times.
In one moment she’s in the trenches of World War I, the sky full of triplanes and airships, the English Tommies fighting German zombies. In another phase, they use a WWII flying fortress to invade a castle full of orcs that guard a dragon cub – and its mother. In the third, they use a Vietnam War helicopter to fight killer robots, who guard a bomb that is being transported on a train.
The film has a video game visual, with a delusional and dynamic look, especially in the fight scenes. The film’s dynamic is maintained thanks to a efficient and mind-blowing edition, which avoids gaps between action scenes.
Cinematography is a character too, setting different color patterns for each level of reality or fantasy. And the soundtrack leaves no one restless, with a wonderful mix that goes from Annie Lennox (“Sweet Dreams”) to Mozart (“Requiem in C minor”), passing by Björk (“Army of Me”), Queen (“I Want it All”) and Lennon & McCartney (“Tomorrow Never Knows”).
“Sucker Punch” totally surpasses Hollywood standards, bringing in its wake traces of “The Matrix” (USA, 1999) and “Inception” (USA, 2010), but with its own identity. The Blu-Ray edition brings an extended cut with 17 minutes more, an extensive Making Of, animated shorts and several other extras.