The Killing Grin (2022)

The Killing Grin is a 2022 American action thriller film, directed by James mangold and with a script written by Stephen Mcfeely and Produced by Todd Phillips. Not cannon in the DCEU. The film is also the second installment in the DCDU and it is based of the short film made by UnboundVisuals in 2016. 6 Years after her parents, Jamie Grey is left broken and alone in the most crime ridden city in the world with only her dad's good luck charm and a mind full of vengeance, Jamie must find her voice and decide to stand up for what's right after her childhood tormentor returns to finish her off once and for all. The film stars an ensemble cast including Betty Gilpin, Kaya Scodelario, Ansel Elgort, Elisabeth Moss, Oliver Stark , Samuel L. Jackson, Angela Basset, and Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn.

Development on the film began in September 2016, when James Mangold announced that he would direct the film and handed script duties to Stephen Mcfeely, leaving Todd Phillips to produce the film. On the same day, it was announced that shooting would take place in New York City, Jersey City, and Newark from October 2016 to July 2020.

The Killing Grin was widely anticipated, and Warner Bros. backed the film with Dc Films largest marketing campaign. The film premiered at the 79th Venice Film Festival on February 9, 2022, and was theatrically released in the United States on April 24, 2022. The film received critical acclaim, with much praise for its screenplay, direction, acting (particularly that of Scodelario, Gilpin, Stark, and Robbie), action sequences, emotional depth, Tone, and departure from traditional DC films. It became one of the best DC reviewed films in recent years. with many critics regarding it as one of the greatest DC films ever made, and it was selected by the National Board of Review as one of the top five films of 2022.

Cast
Kaya Scodelario as Alexandra Grey - The daughter of Henry and Tina Grey who were murdered by Harley Quinn back in 1989. And after a new string of murders start to appear. She decides to take action into her own hands and stand up to what's right for Gotham. She doesn't see herself above other superheroes like batman and wonder woman, she sees herself as someone who can fight back when no one else can.

Sharni Vinson as Monica Davis - A widowed single mother who lives in the building with her son Justin and everyone else. She thinks about moving away from Gotham and towards Metropolis because she describes Gotham as "a dumping ground for people who want to die". She decides to stay and help Alexandra later in the film after learning that herself and her son is being targeted by Harley Quinn after her car is destroyed.

Betty Gilpin in as Detective Missy Johnson - a police detective investigating Harley's murder strings who is the partner of Lee Thomas who decides to help out Jamie early in the film to try not to make Gotham better for everyone but to also face the struggles with that she is LGBTQ.

Samuel L. Jackson as Detective Lee Thomas - A police detective investigating Harley's murder strings and lives next door to Jamie. Lee goes around Gotham investigating murders with a formed alliance with 3 other detectives in Gotham to learn more about the victims Harley Quinn has targeted. Later he finds out that all of the victims hold a grudge towards or against Harley Quinn.

Angela Basset as Detective Jenn Thomas - Another detective of the GCPD who is also the wife of Lee Thomas who joins the GCPD so that she can put an end to the madness that Gotham has turned into. Jenn is usually the one who is able to search through the files to find out about the Harley Quinn victims history to see what they did that got them targeted.

Elisabeth Moss as Julie Moore - One of the many residents in the building who had her entire family killed when she was just 12 and has been running from death ever since. Julie tries to seek medical attention multiple times to cure her depression because she desperately wants to live a happy life and help others who need saving. That's why she is seen helping out multiple residents in the apartment building.

Ansel Elgort as Mitchell Grey - the son of Henry and Tina Grey who both were murdered 6 years ago and has been trying to cut ties with his sister ever since. He still loves his sister but he can't bear to look at her because it will just have him remembering the night that his parents were murdered.

Naomie Harris as Officer Nikki Lynn - Another officer who works for the GCPD who investigates the series of murders committed by Harley Quinn. She wants to help out with Gotham's criminal problem because her Alice wants to have a baby with a another student at her school. She wants to let her do that but she cant because of the many criminals in Gotham that could endanger the baby's life.

Ajiona Alexus as Luna Lynn - A crime photographer who gets spots some suspicious stuff Harley Quinn has been up to in Gotham. Later in the film she also decides to help Alexandra since her mom is a cop and she has taken some photos of Harley Quinn in the past 11 days and leaked them to the internet and the press. She wants to have a baby her mom says she cant because its not safe for her or the baby

Imogen Poots as Andrea Madison - Jamie's best friend who decided to become friends with her after being heartbroken after hearing what Jamie went through as a Kid. Her mom is suffering from paranoia which she understands cause she is paranoid herself after living in Gotham for 15 years she learns Gotham will do that to everyone.

Jamie Lee Curtis as Detective Hailey Madison - Andrea's mother who works with the GCPD detective trio (Lee, Jenn, Missy) to solve the Harley Quinn killings. She suffers from paranoia and has a $100,000 home security system in her house to protect her and her daughter. She doesn't want to paranoia to be cured because it is a blessing to her and she can use it as an advantage to protect her daughter.

Oliver Stark as Luke Roberts - The foster father taking care of Alexandra after her parents got murdered in 1989. He doesn't want her to die because he wants to be a good father but because he was friends with Henry grey and he promised that he will never let Alexandra go no matter what. So he constantly decides to cheer her up by taking her hiking and doing activities with her to try to get her mind off of her trauma.

Levi Miller as Justin Davis - The son of Monica Davis. Justin is also friends with Andrea, Jamie, and Luna after hearing what they went through in their childhood. Justin is always the one who is cracking jokes amongst the group and is always on the top of his classes and even makes his own weapons for Jaime to use in combat against Harley Quinn.

Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn - A former-certified psychiatrist, who became a crazed criminal and the Joker's accomplice/girlfriend, and later a part of the Suicide Squad. She has since cut ties with the Joker after the pair broke up. She is brutal, ruthless, peppy and fun the way you all know and loves with a few twists. She has her own motives and her own drive and nobody knows what she is going to do next.

Production
In February 2020, it was announced that David Gordon Green would direct and write the script for a DC slasher film through Warner Bros. alongside producer Sam Raimi.

Two months later, it was announced that Kaya Scodelario, Sharni Vinson, Bruce Campbell, Elisabeth Moss, Neve Campbell, Betty Gilpin, and Margot Robbie were cast as starring roles. Also that month, Lupita Nyong'o, and Jamie Lee Curtis was added to the cast.

The film's production began in late-October 2016 in New York City, Jersey City, and Newark and went on for 4 years and concluded on July 15, 2020.

Release
The film was released by Warner Bros. in the United States on April 24, 2022, in 2D, Real D 3D, 4DX and IMAX 3D. The film held its world premiere in Beijing on April 20, 2022. In the United States, the film opened to 6,839 theaters in its widest release. The Killing Grin was shown in cinemas for 189 days (27 weeks).

Reception
Box Office

The Killing Grin Was a Box office hit. Grossing $203 million in the United States and Canada and $756 million in other territories for a worldwide gross of $959 million against a $172million budget. Becoming the 15th highest-grossing superhero film of all time. And the 2nd highest grossing R rated film.

Critical Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 100% based on 654 reviews, with an average rating of 9.4/10 on IMDB, and a 5/5 on Common Sense Media. On Rotten Tomatoes, the critic's consensus reads "The Killing Grin tells a relatable and powerful story with a badass ensemble cast but still keeps all the fresh blood and guts that will keep this movie a memorable achievement for hardcore DC fans and moviegoers." On Metacritic, the film has an average of 95 out of 100, based on 145 critics, indicating "Universal Acclaim". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A+" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported filmgoers gave it a 96% overall positive score.

Rating
Rated R for "strong bloody violence and gore throughout, drug and alcohol material, and language including sexual references throughout."

Trivia

 * The film was shot in Newark, New Jersey, the same location that Joker (2019) was filmed in
 * The film broke Braindead's record for most blood used in a film; over 678 liters of blood was used for all of the film's production phases
 * Warner Bros. is planning to start a separate DC universe starting with the success of Joker (2019) and The Killing Grin (2022) entitled the "DC Black Universe".