Birds of Prey (2020) is a superhero film adapted from DC Comics, directed by Cathy Yan and starring Margot Robbie and Ewan McGregor. The film is part of the DCEU and was released by Warner Bros.. Runtime: 1h 49m. Rated R. Audience rating: 6.1/10.
What is Birds of Prey (2020) about?
After breaking up with the Joker, Harley Quinn joins forces with a singer, an assassin, and a detective to protect a young girl targeted by a powerful crime lord.
Released in 2020, Birds of Prey was directed by Cathy Yan and produced under the Warner Bros. banner. The film occupies a significant place within the DCEU — contributing to the ongoing narrative and mythology of that cinematic universe.
The film features lead performances from Margot Robbie, Ewan McGregor, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, among others, anchoring a story that adapts characters first brought to life in DC Comics. Its source material gives the film a foundation rooted in decades of published storytelling, which Yan and the creative team interpret through a cinematic lens.
The film's 6.1 audience rating indicates a mixed response. Even so, it holds interest as part of the broader DCEU catalogue and for how it fits into the lineage of DC Comics-based cinema.
What happens in Birds of Prey (2020)? — Full Plot
We open with Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) narrating directly to camera. She has just broken up with the Joker. She is recovering from the relationship in classic Harley fashion: rebound haircut, comfort eating, ill-advised therapy. Most of the criminals she made enemies of during her time with the Joker are coming for her now that she's unprotected. She has approximately one week before someone successfully murders her.
The film unfolds in non-chronological fragments — Harley's chaotic mental state structuring the narrative. We meet her unwilling allies one by one: Helena Bertinelli / Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a vigilante hunting her family's killers; Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez), a Gotham detective on Harley's case; Cassandra Cain, a teenage pickpocket who has accidentally swallowed a diamond worth a fortune; and Dinah Lance / Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), a club singer with sonic-scream powers.
The diamond — a 5-carat Bertinelli family heirloom — belongs to Roman Sionis / Black Mask (Ewan McGregor), a charismatic and viciously violent Gotham crime lord. The diamond contains a coded numerical sequence — when scanned, it reveals the bank account location of the murdered Bertinelli family fortune. Roman has been hunting Helena for months specifically to get the diamond.
Cassandra has swallowed the diamond. Roman's men are hunting her. Harley initially intends to deliver the kid to Roman in exchange for her own protection — Roman has threatened to skin Harley alive. Harley reconsiders during a chase sequence through Gotham's Funhouse — a former amusement park Roman has converted into his headquarters.
The film's most-celebrated sequence is the Funhouse climax. Harley, Helena, Renee, Dinah, and Cassandra fight Roman's entire criminal organization in a single extended action sequence — choreographed by stunt coordinator Jonathan Eusebio (who had previously worked on the John Wick films). The choreography was widely cited as among the best in any 2020 superhero film.
Roman is killed when Harley fires a grenade launcher into his chest at point-blank range. The team — Birds of Prey — has formed. Cassandra is adopted into Harley's chaos. Helena's revenge is mostly satisfied. Renee resigns from the GCPD and joins the team's vigilante work. Dinah commits to using her sonic powers publicly. The film closes with Harley driving an egg-cream truck out of Gotham, narrating to the camera, her chaos finally aimed at something productive.
Birds of Prey grossed $205 million globally on an $84.5 million budget — modest commercial success. The film's critical reception was mixed — some praised the cinematography and character work, others found the non-linear structure exhausting. The film was renamed mid-release from Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) to simply Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey due to underperforming opening-weekend numbers. Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn returned for The Suicide Squad (2021).
Who stars in Birds of Prey (2020)?
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What are some facts about Birds of Prey (2020)?
Birds of Prey released in 2020, placing it within the 2020s era of comic book cinema — a decade that saw superhero films become the dominant force at the global box office.
Directed by Cathy Yan, the film was produced by Warner Bros. and adapts source material from DC Comics.
The principal cast features Margot Robbie and Ewan McGregor, with key supporting roles played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett.
The film belongs to DCEU — the DC Extended Universe, Warner Bros' connected superhero continuity.
Birds of Prey carries an audience rating of 6.1 — a middling reception but one that hasn't prevented its cultural footprint.
The DC Comics source material for Birds of Prey has been in continuous publication for decades, giving filmmakers a rich well of storylines, character arcs, and iconography to draw upon.
Modern superhero films like this one use a mix of practical effects and digital VFX, with entire sequences often shot against volume walls or LED stages pioneered by shows like The Mandalorian.
Birds of Prey is catalogued on Movies on Comics among our collection of 162 comic book films spanning 48 years of cinema — from Richard Donner's 1978 Superman to the present day.
