Publié à 13h00
Les nuances de la télé
L’un des avantages d’une série par rapport à un film est le temps dont on dispose pour développer les personnages. Avant d’aller plus loin, non, il n’est pas indispensable d’avoir vu The Suicide Squad d’abord, mais c’est tout de même idéal. Dans le film de James Gunn, Christopher Smith, alias Peacemaker (joué avec charisme et passion par l’ancien lutteur de la WWE John Cena), est un assassin ridiculement chauvin prêt à tout pour obtenir la paix, du moins sa version. Son « uniforme », ostentatoire au possible, ne fait que magnifier son mauvais goût et sa vanité. La plupart des autres criminels qui prennent part à la mission dans l’île de Corto Maltese démontrent une certaine humanité, mais pas Peacemaker, que Gunn a décrit comme un « gros connard [big douchey guy] » during an interview with The Press, last year. However, the writer of all the episodes and director of more than half of them also claimed that there is a certain “sadness” lurking under the muscles. This is precisely what we discover little by little in the series.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY HBO MAX
Robert Patrick and John Cena portray Auggie and Chris Smith respectively.
Like father, like son
Robert Patrick, best known for his role as the T-1000 in Terminator 2, plays Auggie Smith, Chris’ father. Racist, misogynistic and contemptuous, he raised his son as a soldier. He is also the one who created the helmet and the rest of the equipment of Peacemaker. Despite his best efforts, he can only disappoint his horrible father, who is also known as the White Dragon. Chris Smith has no friends, except if you count his faithful bald eagle, Eagly. Vigilante (Freddie Stroma), another sociopathic vigilante with a “good background”, would like to be his pal, but Peacemaker sees him as a fan and an “amateur hero”. So there are still the members of the team that recruits him as part of the “Project Butterfly” mission.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY HBO MAX
The Project Butterfly Mission Team
Between toxic and ordinary
Like Smith, at least two of them also seem to have suffered trauma that still haunts them. Clemson Murn (Chukwudi Iwuji) is a former mercenary with a troubled past who became head of this clandestine government mission, while Emilia Harcourt, also raised by a lover of weapons, rose through the ranks of the secret services. The others, at first glance less cracked, are John Economos (Steve Agee), a rather grumpy computer expert, and Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), a verbomotive rookie agent. The latter, married to another woman, is very comfortable in her own skin. Even if he is unsettled by this young black woman who represents everything his father hates, Smith develops a good bond with her. As for the rest, he constantly annoys Economos about his physique, tries to awkwardly seduce Harcourt and doesn’t trust Murn at all. We are somewhere between harassment, toxic masculinity and then racism and ordinary sexism. At first glance, Peacemaker is a man from another era, unable to express his emotions, who belittles others to feel superior. But he is also the product of a difficult childhood that lacks the confidence to question himself. Subtly, Gunn manages to tackle topical issues with originality and finesse.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY HBO MAX
Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks) and Peacemaker (John Cena)
Hair metal and blows that hurt
The director of what will become the trilogy in 2023 Guardians of the Galaxy also has an undeniable talent for integrating music into his story. Here he has selected hair metal style pieces, a refreshing choice – the opening theme and choreography are amazing. The heavy guitars perfectly punctuate the action scenes, often very bloody, but which have the particularity of making us feel the pain viscerally. Rarely have we seen a hero get punched and stabbed so much. Peacemaker is a daring series in which the blood spurts and the swear words fuse, but which explores with sincerity and humor the psyche of imperfect characters.
Thursdays, on Crave (there are four episodes left), and from February 5 on Super Ecran.