Birds of Prey: Ranking the 7 main characters’ performances
By Mark Lynch
2. Ewan McGregor as Roman Sionis/Black Mask
You may not look at Ewan McGregor and think, “He’s the guy I want playing a ruthless and sadistic crime boss.” Well, after Birds of Prey, we can’t say that anymore. The best way to sum up Ewan McGregor’s performance is to call him a believable monster. Ewan flat-out killed the part of Roman Sionis. He was a guy who wanted it all and was willing to do anything to get it, even if it meant having someone’s face cut off. The way he commanded respect from everyone around him was masterful. You truly believed that the guy who sang in Moulin Rouge! was also someone who would embarrass or kill anyone who laughed while he was upset.
Even though he didn’t wear the classic black mask much, he was still scary. He had this distinct way of looking both smooth and deadly. You could look at him and tell he would have everyone you love killed just because someone gave him the wrong coffee. There’s a scene where he was going to spare someone, which seemed out of character him. Then, Roman ends up having the person killed because of something he finds annoying. That’s the kind of person he is. He’s very much like all of the major criminals in Gotham — intelligent with zero redeemable qualities.