Passes the Bechdel test
Suicide Squad
2016. Directed by David Ayer, written by David Ayer and John Ostrander.
The Bechdel test
Bechdel score
3 / 3
Passes
-
Yes
1. At least two women
22 women characters. 8 of them speak. -
Yes
2. Who talk to each other
In 5 scenes out of 160. -
Yes
3. About something besides a man
In those scenes, our script parser found no man named. See the scene.
Second opinion
Agree bechdeltest.com readers give it 3 out of 3.
The film
It feels good to be bad...Assemble a team of the world's most dangerous, incarcerated Super Villains, provide them with the most powerful arsenal at the government's disposal, and send them off on a mission to defeat an enigmatic, insuperable entity. U.S. intelligence officer Amanda Waller has determined only a secretly convened group of disparate, despicable individuals with next to nothing to lose will do. However, once they realize they weren't picked to succeed but chosen for their patent culpability when they inevitably fail, will the Suicide Squad resolve to die trying, or decide it's every man for himself?
- Released
- 05 Aug 2016
- Genres
- Action, Adventure, Fantasy
- Rated
- PG-13
- IMDb
- 5.9 / 10
- Metascore
- 40 / 100
- Awards
- Won 1 Oscar. 18 wins & 42 nominations total
- Elsewhere
- View on IMDb
Starring, by lines spoken
- Women
- Men
- Not in the cast list
- Bigger name, more lines
- Flag 179 lines, man
- Deadshot 145 lines, man
- Harley 94 lines, woman
- Waller 66 lines, woman
- Joker 50 lines, man
- Boomerang 44 lines, man
- Diablo 37 lines, man
- Gq 29 lines, man
- Enchantress 28 lines, woman
- Griggs 24 lines, man
Full cast, 106 people
- Will Smith as Deadshot
- Jared Leto as The Joker
- Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn
- Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag
- Viola Davis as Amanda Waller
- Jai Courtney as Boomerang
- Jay Hernandez as Diablo
- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Killer Croc
- Cara Delevingne as June Moone / Enchantress
- Ike Barinholtz as Griggs
- Scott Eastwood as Lieutenant GQ Edwards
- Adam Beach as Slipknot
- Karen Fukuhara as Katana
- Common as Monster T
- David Harbour as Dexter Tolliver
- Jim Parrack as Frost
- Alex Meraz as Gomez - Seal Team A
- Corina Calderon as Grace - Diablo's Wife
- Ezra Miller as The Flash
- Robin Atkin Downes as Angelo (voice)
- Shailyn Pierre-Dixon as Zoe
- Matt Baram as Dr. Van Criss
- Alain Chanoine as Businessman / Incubus
- Ted Whittall as Admiral Olsen
- Jaime FitzSimons as Sergeant Ames Bravo 14
- Christopher Dyson as Missing Hand Guard
- Bambadjan Bamba as T-Shirt Vendor
- Robert B. Kennedy as U.S. Marshal
- Billy Otis as Mafia Snitch
- James McGowan as Panda Man
- Derek Perks as Psych Patient
- Aidan Devine as Chairman
- Andrew Bee as Navy One-Star Admiral
- Clive McLean as Air Force Two-Star General
- Frank J. Zupancic as Army One-Star General
- Kent Sheridan as National Security Council
- Roger Shank as National Security Council
- Dwight Ireland as National Security Council
- Amanda Brugel as National Security Council
- Peter Tufford Kennedy as National Security Council
- Rosemary De Los Santos as Hot Girl Patron
- Kevin Hanchard as Casino Boss
- Joel Lacoursiere as Cop at Rail Terminal
- Jameson Kraemer as Doctor at Rail Terminal
- Ho Chow as Gate Guard
- Birgitte Solem as Dr. Van Criss' Wife
- Kevin Vance as Kowalski - Seal Team A
- Tyler Grey as Grey - Seal Team Member
- Nathan Brown as Seal Team A #1 Member
- Kenneth Choi as Yakuza Boss
- Nicolas Van Burek as Technician
- Agueda Cardenas as Technician 2
- Daniela Uruena as Diablo's Daughter
- Nicolas Uruena as Diablo's Son
- Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne (uncredited)
- Murray Urquhart as Navy SEAL (uncredited)
- Tim Ajro as US Marshal (uncredited)
- Briana Andrade-Gomes as Dancer (uncredited)
- Raffi Atamian as Bystander (uncredited)
- Heather Byrne as Injured Civilian (uncredited)
- Corey Chainey as Wounded Civilian (uncredited)
- James 'Chilli' Chillingworth as Ranger (uncredited)
- Alex Chung as Van Criss Employee (uncredited)
- Gavin R. Downes as MP Soldier (uncredited)
- Scott Edgecombe as Distressed Civilian (uncredited)
- Jeff Ellenberger as US Marshal (uncredited)
- Tatyana Figueiredo as Tatiana (uncredited)
- Gary 'Si-Jo' Foo as Navy SEAL Combat Medic (uncredited)
- Tazito Garcia as US Marshal (uncredited)
- Brianna Goldie as Operations Tech (uncredited)
- Shawn J. Hamilton as Navy SEAL Howard (uncredited)
- Shane Harbinson as SWAT Officer (uncredited)
- Fatimah Hassan as LAPD Sergeant (uncredited)
- Mellanie Hubert as Bystander (uncredited)
- David Ingram as FEMA Official (uncredited)
- Sergio Kato as Hispanic Man (uncredited)
- Kevin Kent as Prisoner (uncredited)
- Martin Kessler as Bystander (uncredited)
- John MacDonald as Arkham Guard Stewart (uncredited)
- Matthew Mease as Marine (uncredited)
- Valiant Michael as Agent Bartoni (uncredited)
- Sabine Mondestin as Naughty Waitress (uncredited)
- Justin Moses as Admiral's Staff (uncredited)
- Drew Moss as Blackwater (uncredited)
- Michael Murray as Admiral Burns (uncredited)
- Afsheen Olyaie as Gotham Police (uncredited)
- Dan Petronijevic as Anvil (uncredited)
- Tamina Pollack-Paris as EA Dancer (uncredited)
- Michael Prather as Firefighter (uncredited)
- Dennisha Pratt as Cop Photographer (uncredited)
- Asad Que as Military Guard (uncredited)
- Mark Quigley as US Ranger (uncredited)
- Darryl Quon as Big Ugly Navy SEAL (uncredited)
- Hugh Scott as American Hostage (uncredited)
- Rick Silver as Arresting Officer (uncredited)
- Connor Skific as Graham - SEAL Team A (uncredited)
- Amos Stern as Janes - Navy SEAL (uncredited)
- Goran Stjepanovic as Navy SEAL Clark (uncredited)
- Vivienne Taylor as Club Patron (uncredited)
- Jasmine Renée Thomas as EA Dancer (uncredited)
- Alen Toric as Firefighter (uncredited)
- James Weicht as US Army Ranger (uncredited)
- Taylor Hanson Whittaker as Club Patron (uncredited)
- Robert L. Wilson as Max Bidwell (uncredited)
- Ryan Groves as Secret Service Agent (uncredited)
- Tony Watt as Bystander (uncredited)
Who talks, scene by scene
Lines of dialogue in every 4 scenes, start to finish. Women above the line, men below. 4% of lines come from characters we couldn't match to the cast list and aren't shown.
Women
Men
Scene 1 Scene 160
Hover, tap or tab to a bar to see those scenes: where they happen and who's talking.
Show the numbers
| Scenes | Women's lines | Men's lines |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 3 | 6 |
| 5 to 8 | 1 | 13 |
| 9 to 12 | 13 | 11 |
| 13 to 16 | 4 | 20 |
| 17 to 20 | 6 | 9 |
| 21 to 24 | 18 | 11 |
| 25 to 28 | 3 | 25 |
| 29 to 32 | 5 | 18 |
| 33 to 36 | 16 | 19 |
| 37 to 40 | 3 | 1 |
| 41 to 44 | 8 | 4 |
| 45 to 48 | 2 | 5 |
| 49 to 52 | 1 | 3 |
| 53 to 56 | 2 | 7 |
| 57 to 60 | 4 | 14 |
| 61 to 64 | 11 | 38 |
| 65 to 68 | 0 | 1 |
| 69 to 72 | 2 | 4 |
| 73 to 76 | 0 | 12 |
| 77 to 80 | 6 | 55 |
| 81 to 84 | 5 | 41 |
| 85 to 88 | 12 | 25 |
| 89 to 92 | 1 | 4 |
| 93 to 96 | 0 | 3 |
| 97 to 100 | 1 | 19 |
| 101 to 104 | 23 | 30 |
| 105 to 108 | 3 | 8 |
| 109 to 112 | 4 | 10 |
| 113 to 116 | 1 | 3 |
| 117 to 120 | 5 | 6 |
| 121 to 124 | 1 | 8 |
| 125 to 128 | 5 | 14 |
| 129 to 132 | 6 | 22 |
| 133 to 136 | 6 | 12 |
| 137 to 140 | 1 | 19 |
| 141 to 144 | 0 | 14 |
| 145 to 148 | 9 | 20 |
| 149 to 152 | 7 | 2 |
| 153 to 156 | 25 | 48 |
| 157 to 160 | 0 | 1 |
The evidence
- Straight from the script
- Counted from the script and the credits
Tap an exhibit to open it.
Exhibit A: the passing scenes
The scene our parser counted as passing, word for word.
ENCHANTRESS: Do you remember me? JUNE: Yes. From my dreams. ENCHANTRESS: Now that I have poten you here, my child - You must let me in.
WALLER: Go get it, girl. ENCHANTRESS: A little something from the Weapons Ministry vault in Tehran.
WALLER: Thank you. We'd like Dr. Moone back. ENCHANTRESS: -.-Enchantress... JUNE: Please don't make me bring her back.
JUNE: ..-Enchantress... ENCHANTRESS: Don't you dare call Waller. I'll kill her.
ENCHANTRESS: What's the saying? Better to reign in Hell than serve in heaven? Well sweetheart, you're going to serve me in Hell. And I'm the worst boss y… WALLER: Do your worst. Bitch. ENCHANTRESS: Iwill. First there's many things in that precious mind of yours I'd like to know.
Exhibit B: every 100 lines
Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 28 are women's.
223 lines from women, 585 from men.
- Women
- Men
Exhibit C: who's in it
22 women and 74 men in the cast. 8 women and 28 men from it get lines.
Characters
With lines
- Women
- Men
Exhibit D: who gets heard
A woman speaks the first line.
The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 35 lines.
Every line of dialogue, first to last
- First line by a woman
- Longest stretch with no woman speaking
Words spoken
Women speak 29% of the words (2,379), men 71% (5,789). Women have 28% of the lines, so their lines run longer than men's.
Exhibit E: the test the other way
Two named men talk to each other about something besides a woman. It passes the reverse test.
Conversations between two named characters
Two women
12
Two men
80
Exhibit F: behind the camera
3 of the 12 people in these jobs are women.
Across the whole crew, 34% of the people whose gender is listed are women.
- Directed by
- David Ayer (man)
- Written by
- David Ayer (man)
- Produced by
- Richard Suckle (man), Charles Roven (man)
- Shot by
- Roman Vasyanov (man)
- Edited by
- Michael Tronick (man), John Gilroy (man)
- Music by
- Steven Price (man)
- Production design by
- Oliver Scholl (man)
- Costumes by
- Kate Hawley (woman)
- Cast by
- Mary Vernieu (woman), Lindsay Graham Ahanonu (woman)
The crew, department by department
-
Other crew
28 women, 19 men, 5 not listed
-
Sound
3 women, 23 men, 1 non-binary, 4 not listed
-
Costume & Make-Up
8 women, 5 men, 16 not listed
-
Art
2 women, 10 men, 8 not listed
-
Camera
0 women, 11 men, 4 not listed
-
Directing
1 women, 7 men, 4 not listed
-
Visual Effects
1 women, 7 men, 4 not listed
-
Production
5 women, 5 men, 1 not listed
- Women
- Men
- Non-binary
- Gender not listed on TMDB
Exhibit G: how old the stars were
Women: 33 on average. Men: 40 on average.
The top-billed cast, at the film's release.
Women
Cara Delevingne 23, Margot Robbie 26, Viola Davis 50
Men
Jai Courtney 30, Joel Kinnaman 36, Jay Hernandez 38, Ike Barinholtz 39, Jared Leto 44, Will Smith 47, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje 48
Exhibit H: the money
It made 4.3 times what it cost.
- Budget
- $175 million
- Box office
- $749 million
From TMDB, not adjusted for inflation.
About this analysis
Our parser read the script: 160 scenes and 843 lines of dialogue. The bechdeltest.com rating comes from that site’s readers. How the test works
