Previews, reviews and spoilers

http://bl1.thebizinsidernews.com/2010/06/17/ginas-new-movie-gets-good-reviewssteven-soderberghs-haywire-formerly/

Gina’s new movie gets good reviews Steven Soderbergh’s Haywire (formerly…
2010
06.17

Gina’s new movie gets good reviews

Steven Soderbergh’s Haywire (formerly Knockout), a spy thriller starring mixed martial arts champion Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas, Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas and Bill Paxton, was research-screened last night at the Arclight Sherman Oaks, with Soderbergh in attendance. A guy I know and trust was there, and has shared some positive impressions.

“Mallory Kane (Carano) is young, tough, beautiful, determined, and a freelance covert operative. She is hired out by her handler, Kenneth (McGregor), to various global entities, to perform jobs which governments can’t authorize and heads of state would rather not know about.

“For all her looks and youth, Mallory is still the best in her field, and her skills are in constant demand. But when one of her operations goes awry, Mallory needs to use all her skills, tricks and abilities to escape an international manhunt, make it back to the United States, protect her family, and exact revenge on those that have betrayed her.

“The associations that came to mind were (a) any Bourne movie, (b) any Mission Impossible movie, (c) Taken, (d) Michael Clayton, (e) Wanted, (f) Panic Room, (g) Obsessed, (h) The Informant, (i) Body Of Lies, (j) Edge Of Darkness and (k) Red Eye.

“First and foremost for me were the strong parallels to The Girlfriend Experience. There are lots of closeups of our female lead, who’s no actress but whose skills in her field probably make her more interesting than a star in the role. And there’s an almost complete lack of affect on her part, and yet, for me, a lot of engagement in her situation.

“Another GE current, unlike most big thrillers, is Soderbergh’s focus on the nuts and bolts of the situation. This is what creates and sustains the drama — how does one get out of, or in to, situations like these? For me ‘reality’ is much more interesting than movie fiction.

“The fights are great. I’ve been in, and have personally choreographed, a lot of staged violence, and this was quality stuff. It does my heart good to see a young woman really kick ass. The brutality and desperation of the fights, in fact, at times seemed to appall more than thrill the audience, which is as it should be. As I write this (i.e., the following morning) I’m still thrilled.”

The screenplay is by Soderbergh’s Limey collaborator Lem Dobbs. The Lionsgate film is reportedly slated for a January 2011 release.

http://criterioncast.com/2010/06/21/full-frontal-haywire/

In other Soderbergh related news, Bloody Elbow is reporting that not only has his next film, Knockout, an action thriller starring MMA champ Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas, Michael Fassbender and Channing Tatum, gotten a new name, Haywire, but after a research screening, the film seems to be receiving rather good reviews.

http://starseeker.com/2011-movies/haywire-2011/

Haywire (2011)

Submitted by Brian on August 11, 2010 – 2:36 pm

Haywire (2011)

Haywire tells the story of a black ops super soldier who came from the wrong side of the tracks, but uses her skills to be constructive.

Mallory Kane is the black ops soldier. After a mission goes wrong, which they always do at the beginning of these things, she is double crossed and must get back home to the U.S to save her family and right all the wrongs of the world. Okay, maybe not ALL the wrongs, but at least two thirds.

One fifth.

A hundredth?

Trailer
Not yet, but soon.

The Scoop
Steven Soderbergh is directing a straightforward action flick? Wow. Oh, but he cast MMA’s most recognizable female, Gina Carano. So it’s still kinda strange. After casting porn star Sasha Grey in The Girlfriend Experience, he must have decided that he’ll just cast off the wall actresses for everything, making him the greatest director of all time.

At least that’s the assumption.

Anyways, Haywire has gone through a number of changes since it was first announced. It was originally called Knockout, which would have been so much more clever, since it would be about how she can kick butt, and is good enough looking to be considered a ‘knockout.’ I totally get it. Apparently the story has gone through some changes as well, although specifics weren’t released about what the other possibilities were.

Who’s It For?
Probably PG-13.

Movie Release Date
TBA January 2011.

Who’s In It?
Channing Tatum
Ewan McGregor
Michael Fassbender
Michael Douglas
Antonio Banderas
Michael Angarano
Bill Paxton
Mathieu Kassovitz
Gina Carano … Mallory Kane

Interesting Fact
Gina Carano was the greatest American Gladiator EVER. True story.

Related Movies
The Girlfriend Experience, The Marine, Warrior

What’s Good About It?
Gina Carano is hot. Well, when she’s getting punched in the face. Which she probably will be in Haywire. Awesome.

Most of the cast is really good too. Ewan McGregor, Antonio Banderas, and Bill Paxton all have some solid work under their belt, so they should be able to help Carano figure out this ‘acting’ thing.

What’s Bad About It?
Channing Tatum.

Our Clever Prediction
I’m thinking the critics will like Haywire. Soderbergh doesn’t have a lot of misses when it comes to critical praise.

Not sure about the box office until I see a trailer. At which point I will accurately predict the box office total within 13 cents. I am that good.

http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/2012/01/09/haywire-review/

Haywire Review
January 9, 2012 By Craig Skinner 1 Comment
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Into a quiet diner walks Mallory Kane (Gina Carano). Following shortly behind her is Aaron (Channing Tatum). Mallory is quick to see him arrive and we get the impression instantly that Mallory is a hyper alert character, Carano conveying this through small physical inflections. Aaron and Mallory clearly have history and as the two begin to talk it is clear that Aaron wants her to leave with him but Mallory’s not interested. The situation quickly escalates beyond this almost light hearted argument into the two having a full blown physical fight.

The fight is brutal, faces are pounded and bones crunch, but it’s also beautifully choreographed, expertly performed and shot and edited with the utmost skill and scalpel-like precision. Using a number of different set-ups Soderbergh, editing the film under one of his usual aliases, cuts between them with enough speed to ensure the sequence is dynamic but slow enough to ensure one’s eyes take in all the necessary information.

The scene is something of a masterclass in the way in which action can be shot and edited, and it doesn’t hurt that Carano, the star of the scene and the film, is an accomplished MMA fighter.

Mallory is a covert operative employed by an agency whose client book includes the US government. The agency frequently carry out jobs that the government would rather not get their hands dirty doing themselves and Mallory quickly comes to the government’s attention. Prior to their confrontation in the diner Aaron and Mallory worked together on a hostage rescue in Barcelona, work that their handler Kenneth (Ewan McGregor) won from US government employer Coblenz (Michael Douglas). Since the mission a lot has changed though, Mallory has ‘gone rogue’ and her former employers are hot on her heels. Following her escape from Aaron, Mallory steals a car, taking its owner Scott (Michael Angarano) hostage. She then begins to tell Scott all the details that led her to where she is now and the film shifts into a series of flashbacks that make up the bulk of the film.

The script, penned by Lem Dobbs (The Limey), is economical enough to ensure that the film, which is at its heart a fast-paced action thriller, never gets bogged down in overly complex plotting but it’s also intricate enough to keep one interested and invested in what is transpiring. Various puzzle pieces slowly fall into place and as the full picture is revealed there are twists and turns but no huge surprises. As we gradually learn what has occurred though we are slowly pulled closer and closer to Mallory’s character, investing more in her plight as we do so.

Carano’s performance as Mallory, her first major role, is highly commendable and whilst she brings all that is needed to the stunning action sequences it is in some of the more subtle moments that she really impresses. A cracked smile or quizzical eyebrow at the right moment is enough to communicate everything we need to know and feel and the film is filled with silent communicative moments that work extraordinarily well both on a character and story level.

Carano is also surrounded by a number of excellent actors in supporting roles, including, in addition to those already mention; Bill Paxton, Antonio Banderas, Mathieu Kassovitz and the ever reliable Michael Fassbender.

The fight in a hotel room between Carano and Fassbender, which has been at the centre of the film’s marketing, is truly extraordinary and a high point amidst a number of excellent physical sequences. Their relationship, two spies thrown together and made to play at being a couple, makes for some interesting and playful interplay between the two but there is more going on beneath the surface. Haywire is filled with subtle genre twists, evidence that Dobbs and Soderbergh are having fun subverting expectations somewhat, and the way in which the film’s script deals with the gender of the lead character is also more densely interesting than it may first appear.

When Kenneth (McGregor) comments “Don’t think of her as a woman, that would be a mistake.” the dialogue is making explicit an area for discussion that runs throughout Haywire. Carano is, for instance, as forceful beating Aaron to the ground as she is when she pulls him towards her and kisses him in a flashback to Barcelona. She’s in charge and dominant.
Mallory is not a simple ass-kicking alpha female though, a common archetype that is so often just a male stereotype in the skin of a female action hero, and there are crucial moments when her fragility and emotional range is evident. She is hurt at times, both emotionally and physically, revealing a more complex and truer depth to her character. Haywire is not a heavy-handed essay piece though, it’s a super slick action movie which is just thankfully as intelligently thought out as it is entertaining.

Smart, stylish and incredibly well crafted, Haywire is as ludicrously pleasing to the eye as the best of Soderbergh’s recent work and even if you don’t engage with the intriguing thematic subtext the film is a thrilling and riveting action spectacle with plenty of jaw-dropping action set pieces.

Haywire is released in UK cinemas on the 18th of January.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/movies/haywire,1209968/critic-review.html?wpisrc=nl_movies

Haywire Critic's Pick

Critic Rating:

Quiet restraint of a hit girl

By Ann Hornaday

Friday, Jan 20, 2012

Mallory Kane joins Lisbeth Salander and Margaret Thatcher as the latest tough-girl movie heroine by leaving a trail of carnage, sulphur and various male body parts in her wake in "Haywire."

Played by real-life mixed martial arts champion Gina Carano, Mallory is a steely, smoky-voiced creation, a mix of Carano's authentic chops in the ring and pure male pulp fantasy. It's debatable whether Lisbeth, Maggie and Mallory qualify as feminist standard-bearers - each defines herself chiefly by men, either as tormentors or champions - but there's no doubt that watching Carano out-kick, out-punch and out-smart a roster of buff actors delivers a certain compensatory frisson. It seems like just yesterday we were wringing our hands about the sociopolitical implications of Hit Girl waging her profane campaign of purple-haired mayhem. They grow up so fast.

One of the reasons "Haywire" is such a pleasure to watch is that its director, Steven Soderbergh, doesn't overplay the film's hear-me-roar subversions. Temperamentally, he's an understater, and he approaches his first foray into pure action with the same evenhanded cool he lends to every genre he has ever tackled.

"Haywire" possesses a lean, unfussy style, from the blown-out lighting (reminiscent of the back-lit haze that bathed "The Informant!") to fight sequences that Soderbergh stages with a minimum of unnecessary flourish or fanfare. Mallory's encounters unfold, not in a series of cool, whiplash edits set to awesome techno music but simply as images, often with no music or dialogue (one of the finest examples of the pared-down aesthetic can be seen in a refreshingly non-bombastic rescue mission).

Just why is she fighting? That isn't immediately clear, certainly not in a "Haywire's" pulverizing opening sequence that begins with Mallory taking a pot of boiling water to the face and ending with her slamming a guy's head into a diner stool. It emerges that Mallory, a former Marine, has something to do with a Blackwater-esque private contractor and a black ops mission gone wonky; as the tale spins out it will take her from Barcelona and San Diego and Dublin to Upstate New York, New Mexico and Majorca, kicking the backsides of characters who may or may not include those played by Channing Tatum, Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Antonio Banderas and Michael Douglas.

In casting Carano, Soderbergh continues a recent trend of building movies around non-professionals who have caught his eye; as a screen presence, she's light-years more compelling than porn star Sasha Grey, featured in Soderbergh's misfire "The Girlfriend Experience."

Carano's not a great actress, but she doesn't need to be in a movie that, as conceived by screenwriter Lem Dobbs (who wrote Soderbergh's "The Limey"), doesn't get bogged down in psychology or humanizing back stories.

Instead, "Haywire" simply gives audiences what they came to see: bruising fight sequences set up and executed with economy, skill and one or two genuine jaw-dropping jolts. (And the film has its share of those, one delivered not by a human cast member but by an unexpected four-footed friend.)

With its un-glam visuals and weirdly tacky sound design (Carano's voice was digitally altered and has been mixed to pop out with jarring obviousness), "Haywire" stays true to its low-rent B-movie principles, right down to the fast, strong and quietly competent heroine at its center.

In fact, the only thing "Haywire" doesn't live up to is its title, with its intimations of hysteria and wanton destruction. Mallory may unleash her share of chaos, but it's always under control.

Contains some violence.

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/haywire-movie-review-2012/

'Haywire' Movie Review (2012)
7
COMMENTS
An actioner for the authenticity sect
Brad Brevet
By: Brad Brevet
Published: Friday, January 20th 2012 at 9:16 AM
Haywire Movie Review
Gina Carano and Channing Tatum in Haywire
Photo: Relativity Media

Director Steven Soderbergh is here to deliver his take on the Jason Bourne-style, double-cross actioner genre with Haywire, a film with an intriguing "whodunnit" plot and a bend toward a more realistic presentation of filmed fight scenes, which works far more than it fails. Loaded with a strong supporting cast, Soderbergh has turned to MMA fighter Gina Carano as his lead actress, playing Mallory, a black ops agent betrayed by someone higher up on the food chain and as she evades the authorities she's also attempting to find out who's responsible.

'Haywire'
Review
Grade: B
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82%

Haywire"Haywire" is a Relativity Media release, directed by Steven Soderbergh and is rated R for some violence. The running time is 1 hour 33 minutes.

The cast includes Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas, Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum, Michael Angarano, Antonio Banderas and Bill Paxton.

For more information on this film including pictures, trailers and a detailed synopsis choose from the following menu.
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Browse our gallery of 38 stills from the movie
Haywire has a bounce and a pulse thanks to an intriguing plot from screenwriter Lem Dobbs (The Limey) and a score from David Holmes that plays a bit more upbeat than his scores for Soderbergh's Ocean's trilogy, but definitely has a similar vibe. The story also attempts to rely as little as possible on the inclusion of technology, which has become a placeholder for skill in action films where the protagonist must do whatever they can to even the odds. This is a lowdown and dirty grind and it works for the most part, some scenes bumping up against excellent while there were a few that still need a jolt of energy.

To be specific, and yet skirt the details so as not to spoil the film, at the outset we get an immediate feel for the action as Mallory is confronted by a fellow agent, tasked with bringing her in after a job we can only assume didn't go as planned. She wasn't interested in going anywhere and in the middle of a roadside coffee shop a fight breaks out, close proximity shots are fired and Mallory makes her getaway and much of the back-story is filled in from that point as she relays the story of how she ended up where she was to the young man (Michael Angarano) whose car she just confiscated.

Why would she tell a stranger her story? Well, it makes more sense inside the plot of the film than it does on paper, but trust me, as far as movies relying on flashbacks go, this one works.

The approach to the fighting in this opening scene is mimicked at least three more times, it could be more, I can't really remember, but in most cases, once the fists begin to fly the music stops and the action is all we have to count on. It was a refreshing change from the "thwack" and "pow" brute force style of fighting we're used to seeing, but as the film's pulse increases the action stumbles on occasion and has more of the appearance of a clumsy wrestling match than it does a fight. I know, in real lige fights don't play out in the beautifully choreographed nature they do in the majority of films, but it would have been nice to just once not have to endure the thuds of a lengthy grappling sequence and just have Mallory do a little more ass kicking.

My biggest beef comes during a beach side kerfuffle in which Soderbergh does his best to play with the surf and setting sun as an accompanying aesthetic to a tumble in the sand. The scene ends up lacking any kind of real energy and instead had me looking off in the distance for Daniel-son and Mr. Miyagi practicing crane kicks.

However, that kind of disappointment was few and far between in Haywire. One moment I simply have to call out as something that really captured my attention despite how simple it seems. Shot at a wide angle, this scene features two characters having a conversation while standing about ten feet apart in a plane hanger. Both are captured almost entirely in silhouette, with a lone jet and the desert serving as the background, when all of a sudden I noticed movement off the left side of the screen. It disappeared only to resurface briefly before again disappearing. What was it? Was it some sort of desert animal that by chance wandered into the shot? No, it was a tumbleweed that soon began rolling across the tarmac and off the right side of the screen.

Whether it was planned or a happy accident, that tumbleweed supplied a moment that ensured a certain level of sheer authenticity that Soderbergh manages to capture better than most directors out there. It was small, subtle and most people may not even notice it, but I can almost assure you the scene wouldn't be the same without it, whether you notice it or not.

Of course, when you're this attentive to details you open yourself up to scrutiny, such as when the solution to a massive foot chase simply ends with the person being chased evading capture by slipping into a green hoody and walking with their head down. Seriously? Come on. I don't want to go into further details so as not to spoil this portion of the film, but it's infuriating to see so much work go into the nuts and bolts of a feature to see such a lazy resolution to a sticky situation.

As the film's lead, Carano serves her character well just as pornstar Sasha Grey did in Soderbergh's The Girlfriend Experience, but doesn't blow the doors off to any great extent. It doesn't hurt that she's accompanied by a supporting cast that includes Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, Bill Paxton in a role that suits his particular style of acting and even Channing Tatum turns in a solid performance.

Haywire, however, is likely to play like Drive did to the Fast and the Furious portion of the audience. I watched the trailer only after watching the film and was disappointed to see so much of the story given away leaving only the "Why?" to be answered for those that have seen it more than once. The film also doesn't play quite as upbeat as the trailer, which may cause some to be bored with the action on screen.

While I compared it to the Bourne franchise of films, Haywire is Soderbergh's interpretation of those kinds of movies. This is his dialed-back and authentic answer to the frenetic pacing and shot choices of those films. He allows the camera to stand back and bear witness as opposed to getting in the middle of things while other times throwing you in the driver's seat in a film that's rare nowadays, but one I bet many of you will enjoy.

GRADE: B

http://www.ugo.com/movies/haywire-review?cmpid=rss-movies-imdb

Haywire Review
MMA star Gina Carano makes her big screen debut in Director Steven Soderbergh's latest film, but can Haywire deliver a knockout punch?
Gregg By Gregg Katzman January 20, 2012
F
You love some brutal hand-to-hand combat.

You just want to shut off your brain and let the magic of movie violence amuse you.

Gina Carano. 'Nuff said.


You won't like this if...

You're looking for a deep and complex spy thriller.

You're hoping for the next Bourne franchise.


Haywire
Credit: Relativity Media

Haywire is just like a most action flicks: light on brains, but heavy on punches and kicks. Instead of a massive, steroid filled icon leading the way, we're treated to a beautiful MMA woman beating people senseless. Look no further than Haywire for all of your action needs this weekend.

The premise is extremely simplistic: Mallory Kane (Gina Carano) is a black operations super soldier for hire. But, despite all of her talent and beauty, someone has the brass to betray and set her up during a hostage rescue mission in Barcelona. On the run and with only a handful (at the absolute most) of people she can trust, Kane tries to clear her name by discovering the truth behind the trap, and, in turn, reveal who's behind the double cross. Violence ensues as heads are kicked and bullets are fired.

Haywire focuses on action over story, leaving the plot unsatisfying until the last quarter of the movie. Instead, director Steven Soderbergh's (Ocean's Eleven, Contagion) film relies on the thrilling fights to carry us from scene to scene. It's quite predictable, but odds are you're not going to mistake it for a brain stimulating thriller. If you're looking to see Gina Carano's big screen debut for the ass kicking, then you'll be more than pleased with Haywire.

These aren't your tradition movie brawls. The fights feel more visceral and harsh thanks to Soderbergh's long cuts and relying on environmental sound instead of a thunderous soundtrack. Every punch, kick, throw and slam is felt by the audience.

The fights in Haywire are phenomenal and Soderbegh realizes it's the movie's strongest element. Just minutes into the movie we're treated to an adrenaline packed encounter with Aaron (Channing Tatum), where the duo turn a local Diner into a fight club. Seeing Mallory and Paul (Michael Fassbender) smash and slug one another across a hotel room is most certainly something to look forward to.

Haywire is packed with an impressive cast of familiar faces and solid performances. There's limited, but impressive work by Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas, Bill Paxton and even Channing Tatum. But, how did Gina do in her first acting gig? Honestly, not too shabby. She's stuck with a limited range of character emotions (Mallory Kane is pissed off and out for blood after all), but does a sufficient job with the character. And when it comes to acting via her fists and feet, it's damn near Oscar-worthy.

Haywire won't be remembered as one of the great spy thrillers, but it's fun, fast and packed with amazingly well-crafted fights. If that's your kind of thing, then it's definitely worth checking out this weekend.

http://www.shockya.com/news/2012/01/20/haywire-movie-review-4/#ixzz1k2RxIwWZ


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Title: Haywire’

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Starring: Gina Carano, Antonio Banderas, Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Channing Tatum, Michael Angarano

Espionage action thrillers have failed to hold viewers captive in recent years, as many of the genre’s recent entries have only served as platforms for the most memorable stunts by the male leads. Once again, Academy Award-winning director Steven Soderbergh was unafraid to push the limits of filmmaking by crafting a realistic female character-driven spy movie. ‘Haywire’ proves that women can be just as effective as men in any job they set out to do.

‘Haywire’ follows highly trained operative Mallory Kane (played by Gina Carano), who works as a highly-trained black-ops specialist for a government security contractor across the world. After helping rescue Jiang (portrayed by Anthony Brandon Wong), a Chinese journalist being held hostage in Barcelona, she later discovers he’s been murdered. The evidence suggests that Mallory is the prime suspect, and skilled assassins are tracking her every move.

Upon arriving back in the U.S., Mallory takes an innocent bystander, Scott (played by Michael Angarano), hostage as she tries to escape those on her trail. While trying to clear her name, she also tries to figure out who crossed her. The list includes Mallory’s deceitful long-time boss and lover, Kenneth (portrayed by Ewan McGregor); Rodrigo (played by Antonio Banderas), one of Kenneth’s contacts; Aaron (portrayed by Channing Tatum), a fellow operative who helped rescue Jiang; or Paul (played by Michael Fassbender), with whom she worked on trying to bring down one of Kenneth’s other contacts, Studer (portrayed by Mathieu Kassovitz), who is believed to have helped have Jiang killed. Left with few options, Mallory comes to realize the only person she can trust to help clear her name is her father (played by Bill Paxton).

Soderbergh crafted another intense, intriguing action thriller with ‘Haywire.’ Modeling the film in the fashion of the original James Bond screen adaptations, ‘Haywire’ forgoes solely concentrating on the extensive fight sequences between Mallory and her new enemies. The filmmaker succeeded in his goal of creating a storyline that equally balances explaining the motivations of the characters and the fighting they engage in in order to defend themselves.

Soderbergh made a bold decision in making ‘Haywire’s protagonist a woman, given that men are more generally believed to be better fighters and more capable of physically defending themselves. But featuring Mallory as the lead character, and showcasing her determination in seeking the truth and justice of who truly murdered Jiang, helped propel the conflict between her and her fellow operatives. While Mallory is ultimately the only true female character in the film, her ambition to function in a male-dominated world proves that women can succeed in areas where they were once shunned from.

Carano was the perfect choice to play the motivated, successful Mallory. The actress, who is making her American feature film debut in ‘Haywire,’ is a mixed martial arts champion, and has mastered a demanding combination of fighting styles, including Karate, wrestling and boxing. As a result, she had a natural ability to perform the deadly physical combat Soderbergh envisioned for the film. This knowledge of fighting helped Carano understand Mallory’s motivations and mindset of wanting to defeat anyone she could to find the truth.

Mallory’s difficult and brilliant fight sequences benefited from Carano being able to perform most of her stunts. Using her own fighting styles gave the stunts a realistic edge, and they don’t make viewers feel they were too dangerous or couldn’t be performed. Soderbergh clearly designed the action sequences for ‘Haywire’ around Carano’s skills and abilities, and capitalized on her strengths.

Carano showed her desire in preparing to play Mallory by taking additional intensive psychical training with ‘Haywire’s technical advisor, Aaron Choen. He’s familiar with the operative world today, as he’s also a security expert who spent three years in Israel’s special operations undercover unit. He helped the actress train for the role, and helped her understand her character’s mindset. He put her through the training real operatives go through, including bootcamp and gun instruction, which made the fight sequences powerful and believable.

While Soderbergh crafted a memorizing female operative, who Carano realistically portrayed, screenwriter Lem Dobbs unfortunately failed to create a coherent storyline. ‘Haywire’ features many different characters working on the same case as Mallory, but the actual driving force behind why she’s being targeted is never clearly explained. The film could have been more cohesive if one of the operatives truly explained why she was being targeted as a suspect in connection with Jiang’s murder.

Soderbergh crafted an intriguing, thrilling look into the common happenings of the U.S. special operatives, particularly women who have to prove their physical worth to their male counterparts. While Carano is making her feature film debut in America with ‘Haywire,’ she used her mix martial arts experience and her training with Cohen to memorably craft a lead character who isn’t afraid to go after what she wants and needs.

Technical: B+

Acting: A-

Story: B-

Overall: B+

Written by: Karen Benardello

Read more: http://www.shockya.com/news/2012/01/20/haywire-movie-review-4/#ixzz1kKbqHnNm

http://www.awardscircuit.com/2012/01/22/film-review-haywire/#more-11520

Film Review: Haywire (***)
12
Written by: Joey Magidson

There’s really nothing in Steven Soderbergh’s new film ‘Haywire’ that you haven’t seen in other “man on a mission” action adventure tales. The gimmick here is just that the man is a bad ass woman this time around, and she does her own stunts to boot. Armed with Soderbergh’s somewhat unusual directorial choices for the genre, and this unoriginal story is done in an original enough light that this is a successful piece of cinema. Soderbergh cast non-actress and real life (now retired) MMA star Gina Carano in the lead, and while her acting won’t win her any awards, she’s an incredibly believable action star and the fights are given an extra measure of realism. You’re actually watching her tangle with these guys (many of whom are well known actors, which doesn’t hurt things at all), and there’s something pleasing about that. The film still has a bunch of plot holes and is essentially a high class B movie, but it does its job quite well and I have no qualms about recommending it. I have no doubts that you’ll certainly get your money’s worth, just maybe check your brain at the door. You’ll be pleased that you did…

The film follows Mallory Kane (Carano) a soldier for hire who is seeking some brutal payback after being set up and having an attempt made on her life during a job. She’s telling her tale to a nice kid named Scott (Michael Angarano) who assists her in an escape from a fellow agent named Aaron (Channing Tatum) who was sent to bring her in. Most of the film is flashbacks to the jobs that led her to the upstate New York diner where we first meet her. In Barcelona, a job doesn’t quite go as expected, and after that her boss/former lover Kenneth (Ewan McGregor) sends her on what should be an easy mission in Dublin. Her contact there Paul (Michael Fassbender) double crosses her and attempts to kill her. She fends him off in stunning fashion and goes on the run. Her ultimate target is Kenneth, but she wants to know his connection to a government agent (Michael Douglas) playing all sides and a pair of shadowy figures (Antonio Bandaras and Mathieu Kassovitz). All along the way, she kicks a lot of ass and avoids capture. It’s not an original flick, but it is an entertaining one.

While Gina Carano has limitations as an actress, this is the perfect type of part for her. She’s an action hero come to life, and watching her do all of her stunts is a lot of fun. When it comes to the non action parts, she’s fine, but nothing special. Honestly though, did you expect any different? I know that I didn’t. Carano certainly has a future in the business, and I think it might be a good on. The rest of the cast makes use of their smaller parts and leaves the best impression they can. Doing the best work are the two Michaels, Angarano and Fassbender. They aren’t in the film too long, but they’re memorable. Both Ewan McGregor and Antonio Bandaras are suitably evil, while Channing Tatum and Michael Douglas show some interesting shades of grey. Also on hand is Bill Paxton as Mallory’s military man dad, and he’s fine as well. The cast is A list and turns in solid work, but they all know the type of film that they’re in and they act as such. You won’t be disappointed, but don’t look for the Academy to honor anyone for this.

Steven Soderbergh’s direction is a real asset here. The script by Lem Dobbs has its share of plot holes and is almost more befitting a direct to DVD title than an A-list filmmaker’s, but Soderbergh makes it work. His shot selection, color desaturation, and other quirky choices elevate the material, which could have brought the film down. The flick’s only real issue is that it actually doesn’t do enough with Gina Carano’s physical abilities, but that could just be me trying to squeeze more from the work. Perhaps I should complain about a good thing. Anyway, if this is one of Soderbergh’s last films, he’s at least making sure he doesn’t do the same things he’s already done. This is a hybrid flick, a bit more offbeat than you’d expect from a studio offering (which could harm its box office hopes), but still a solidly mainstream action movie. It’s not Soderbergh exactly doing one last film “for them” before finishing with movies “for him”, but it’s not too far from that either.

Overall, ‘Haywire’ is a good time at the movies and better than its January release date suggests. Audiences have settled for far less in year’s past when it comes to early year action flicks, so one hopes they recognize this as the quality work that it is. It’s not perfect, but it is fun, and I think anyone who sees it will leave the theater satisfied. I for one hope that Gina Carano is the next big female action star. We could certainly use one…

-Thoughts? Discuss on the Forum!

http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/haywire-20120119

Gina Carano, Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbende
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Rolling Stone: star rating
Community: star rating
Comment 6
By Peter Travers
January 19, 2012

Into the cinematic dead zone of January comes Haywire to kick off the new movie year on a sexy action high. I shouldn't be surprised, since Steven Soderbergh, the Oscar-winning director of Traffic, is the prankster behind the camera. This is Soderbergh working lean and mean outside the mainstream comforts of the Ocean's franchise. Shooting digitally on the 4K Red One camera, Soderbergh gives Haywire B-movie oomph without sacrificing his fluid elegance. Plus, there's no keeping your eyes off his star attraction. She's Gina Carano, 29, the face of women's mixed martial arts and just the five-foot-eight cage fighter you need to beat the crap out of male movie stars, such as Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender and Channing Tatum.

OK, Carano's on-camera experience has been limited to crushing the competition on NBC's American Gladiators. But she more than holds her own with the big boys, including evil suits played by Antonio Banderas and Michael Douglas. Did I mention that Haywire is a spy thriller? It is, and the nonstop dazzle and momentum are boosted by frisky camerawork and editing by Soderbergh under the aliases of Peter Andrews and Mary Ann Bernard (don't ask).

Carano plays Mallory Kane, a covert-ops specialist who finds her shady government bosses are out to whack her. Dumb move. This Muay Thai kickboxer and weapons expert doesn't go down easy, not even when her chief contact, Kenneth (McGregor, thoroughly enjoying his slide into slimeball villainy), pulls out all the stops.

Lem Dobbs (The Limey, Kafka) sparks his script with droll wit, but I wouldn't bother much with the plot details. As the scene shifts across the globe, propelled by a vibrant David Holmes score, Mallory is the only guide we need. Carano is poetry in kickass motion, as she and ex-lover Aaron (Tatum) duke it out in a rundown diner. This leads to a flashback of Mallory and Aaron teaming up in Barcelona to rescue a Chinese journalist. Just when you think Soderbergh can't top himself for pyrotechnics, Mallory – decked out in heels and designer wear – tangles with Paul (Fassbender, oozing subversive charm), a partner she's meant to trust. Ha! The two destroy a posh Dublin hotel room, and Soderbergh can't contain his joy. Why should he? And why should we? As foxy Mallory takes on her enemies in the beach house she shares with her father (Bill Paxton), Haywire comes close to achieving Soderbergh's goal of creating "a Pam Grier movie made by Alfred Hitchcock."

Haywire (Steven Soderbergh, 2012)

Richard Kattan | 25 January 2012

Bond, Bourne and Ethan Hunt can bash it up with the best of them but if you’re in need of a female agent, you’re pretty much been restricted to hiring Mrs Smith or Evelyn Salt up until now, and they’re the same person.

Enter Mallory Kane (Gina Carano).

Mallory is a multi-skilled destructive machine. She will snap your bones like tooth picks, drive your car like Sebastian Vettel and interrogate you like an angry PE teacher.

Basically, this is a woman not to be messed with.

Needing an action powerhouse, Soderbergh found his woman in the world of mixed martial arts, although admittedly, his search can’t have taken long because at the time she was the champ.

Retired now, Carano is focusing on acting, modelling and a TV career.

Perhaps however, she should consider a return to the ring because if she can inflict as much heinous retinal damage with her punching as she does with her acting then her comeback would be a rampant success.

Let’s put it this way, she’s no Naomi Rapace as Lispeth Salander.

Although, I very much doubt that Soderbergh would have had the franklins to admit to his woeful casting error while they were on set because while Carano’s thespianisms may be wooden, her action chops are nothing short of double nails.

These harsh words said, there’s little any actress could have done with a central character so horribly underwritten that you actually don’t care what becomes of her.

Following a wildly original (lies), covert-agent-double-crossed premise, Haywire tracks its heroine as she tries to work out who’s sold her up the river and why.

Disappointing material from a director as enterprising as Soderbergh usually is.

If you’re expecting intrigue, clever twists, snappy dialogue and enjoyable characters, then turn away.

Rather Haywire plays out like some sort of hackneyed spy drama pastiche with an irritatingly plinky plonky score, reminiscent of some cheesey 70s cop show, that borders on the ridiculous.

It’s a wonder that so many good actors are involved.

Then again, the involvement of such a well-loved director may go a long way to explaining their willingness to participate but even so, none of them, bar the ever charismatic Fassbender, shine or are able give depth to such appallingly underwritten characters.

It’s all so unamusingly generic and tediously predictable that the whole thing actually bores rather than excites.

Even a globe gallivanting narrative does little to detract from a serious lack of ingenuity and what’s worse; the often spectacular locations feel so shamefully underused that they may as well have just shot the whole thing in a Burger King car park.

The one thing that the film does have going for it is the spectacular fight scenes. Soderbergh, is at least sensible enough to let those speak for themselves, allowing his kick-ass muse to truly rip up the screen and any opposition who dares raise fist to her.

One particular scene, featuring Carano and Fassbender, is so brutally realistic that you can actually feel the pain as the violent action unfolds.

With The Artist garnering such success of late, it does beg the question: Should someone just make a Gina Carano film where she just goes round handing out silent beatings?

She’s so good at fighting people that I’d certainly watch it!

But of course, and sadly for the film as a whole, a string of sensational action sequences simply isn’t enough to fashion an engaging story, no matter who the director is - just look Sucker Punch (sorry Mr Snyder).

No, unfortunately, a film needs numerous functioning elements in order to deliver a satisfying finished product. To name a few: good acting, a solid structure, well developed characters, fantastic cinematography and pivotally, an interesting story.

Sadly this film is called Haywire for a reason – it has almost none of the above.

Rating: 1/5

http://www.reelgoddess.com/2012/01/25/haywire-review/

Haywire Review
Haywire Banner

I wrote a bit on Haywire way back in June before the marketing machine went into top gear wondering why this film wasn’t on the radar. With a director like Steven Soderbergh and a cast that includes marquee heavy names like Ewan McGregor, Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas, Channing Tatum, Michael Fassbender and Bill Paxton all teaming up with experienced MMA fighter and ex-American Gladiator Gina Carano, how could this film get made so quietly?

It’s a moot point now because as of last weekend, we finally got to see what Soderbergh and Co. have been up to. It was a risky move casting Carano in the lead, and the question is, did it pay off?

It’s a bit of a complicated answer really, because Soderbergh isn’t known for action films. His films have a certain stylized feel to them that is present in pretty much any movie he makes. You know it’s a Soderbergh film just by watching it and this isn’t a style that one would think goes well with action. I guess you could equate it to chocolate and chili powder. One wouldn’t think they marry well together, but they do. The same holds true here.

Written by Lem Dobbs (Dark City, The Limey), the story focuses on Mallory Kane. Mallory is a highly trained and requested covert operative who takes on a mission that results in being set up and betrayed by her boss and ex-boyfriend, Kenneth (Ewan McGregor). She goes on the lam to get to the bottom of the conspiracy while having to dodge obstacles that Kenneth and the higher-ups throw her way.

While the story isn’t ground breaking, it does lend for Carano to shine in the manner in which she’s meant. The fight scenes. Soderbergh’s visual style also made this film feel less like star-studded action movie by giving it a grittier feel. It feels like a Soderbergh film, just with serious ass-kicking scenes. One of the things Soderbergh does is overlay unfolding scenes with music. This technique was present more than once and it’s not a bad thing per se, I just always find it interesting when this technique is used. Especially during a point in the film that drives the plot.

The story also didn’t really allow for much by way of character development. Those looking for a huge character driven piece will most likely leave feeling disappointed. Bringing a newcomer out of the ring and on to the screen could have been disastrous under a lesser director’s tutelage, but luckily for Carano, she had Soderbergh. The role of Mallory didn’t call for too much emoting aside from anger, but those emotions that her character had to experience, Carano was able to handle. It will be interesting to see how Carano’s acting career develops. I’m all for the strong female lead, and knowing this gal can handle herself with the big boys, and even kick their asses is a bonus.

As for the fight scenes, well, they are probably some of the best you’ll see. Opting for substance over style, Soderbergh delivered more than one brutal, cringe-inducing fight scenes I’ve seen in recent memory. The key to this was how these scenes used their natural environment sounds instead of music or amplified sound effects. The grunts, groans, punches, kicks and everything else that goes with an ass-beating was on display for your listening pleasure. Gina Carano has some serious skills, that’s obvious, and the fight scenes were the best part of the film.

While the supporting casts boasts rather large name actors, I can’t say anything they did really stood out aside from a couple of their fight scenes. Michael Fassbender stands out the most, but he’s captivating to watch in anything. As is Ewan McGregor. And if I’m being completely honest, I’m a sucker for Bill Paxton. His role was minor, but I love him just the same.

For those movie-goers looking for a big budget action film, this is not the film for you. It’s rather subdued through out and may even bore those action film junkies who want big explosions and loud fight scenes. I guess you could call this the mellow person’s action film if that makes any sense at all.

I didn’t love this film, nor did I hate it. When asked if it was any good I could only reply with “it was ok.” My major complaint is that the 93 minute run time felt like it was twice as long, which is never a good sign. Take it at face value for what it is, which is a vehicle to showcase Carano as a lean, mean, fighting machine, and you may be ok. Check out the trailer below if you’re still having trouble deciding.

talkingfilms:
Talking...Haywire

@abooth202 -

Haywire, an action film that tries to be a bit cleverer than most other action films. First point, it would have been a lot better without Ewan McGregor or Antonio Banderas. Second point, I’m obviously stupid because the ending was nonsensical and a bit pointless (in my opinion, @byepolar understood it perfectly so it’s clearly just me that thinks so).

The lead, Gina Carano, as Mallory Kane is excellent. As far as I’m aware she used to be some kind of professional fighter and it definitely shows – the fight scenes are pretty epic to be honest, they’re not typically cliché like most action/thrillers, they’re fresh and you find yourself staring in awe at the screen whilst they happen. This, however, is kind of where the good points end for me.

Whilst the story of Haywire is intriguing, I frequently found myself asking “Why would that happen?” or “Why did she do that?” – it seems that the story was written to fill in the bits between the cool fight scenes and it shows, some scenes are witty, well-acted and interesting whilst others make you wish for more fighting.

It’s an odd one, Haywire is. I can’t tell whether the reason I’m not fond of it is because of my frustration in not understanding the ending or whether it’s actually a badly written movie. I’m struggling to find anything else to say on this movie to be honest so I’ll leave it with this; go and see it if you like fighting….and stuff.

Poor ending? Meh.

@abooth202’s rating -

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@byepolar’s rating -

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ogradyfilm:
Recently Viewed: Haywire (2012)

Haywire lets Michael Fassbender down.

Inglorious Basterds. Hunger. X-Men: First Class. Shame. The man has more than established himself as one of this generation’s most talented, charismatic and versatile performers. Yet Haywire wastes him in a role that exists only to move the story from Point A to Point B, a role that gives him less to do than 300, a role that could (should?) have been played by a hungry up-and-comer.

I can understand why Soderbergh cast him. Gina Carano is a remarkable MMA fighter; the viewer can feel the weight and force behind every punch she throws. But she’s not a remarkable actress. She recites her lines with a cool confidence, but doesn’t instill them with much emotional conviction. So Soderbergh compensates by surrounding her with people like this:

And this:

And this:

But at least he gave these guys substantial parts to play. And when I say “substantial,” I’m referring to the quality of the material, not the quantity. Banderas works wonders in his limited screen time because the script allows him to show off his superb comedic timing (particularly in the humorous final scene). And Fassbender has shown that it doesn’t take him long to create a memorable character.

But where Ingolrious Basterds gave him a suspenseful game of cat-and-mouse, Haywire doesn’t provide Fassbender with much more than a fight scene and some dry exposition. He manages to convey brief glimmers of interior life (notably in the flashback with Ewan McGregor’s character—is that guilt in his eyes?), but at the end of the day he’s just the guy who betrays Mallory—a plot device.

When a director hires an actor of Fassbender’s caliber, he implicitly promises the audience that he will fully utilize that actor’s talents. So Haywire didn’t just let Fassbender down. It let me down.

amoviemaniac:

So I saw haywire a couple hrs ago. Its a pretty decent film. The story you have heard before but with woman who can actually kick ass. A lot. Gina carano is forever a hot badass. If you arent turned on by her kicking ass or her insane body you have problems. Let me review this movie before it turns into another appreciation post about gorgeous woman. The story is a conteact spy gets sent on a mission and is double crossed by the company she works for. She has to find who screwed her over and kill them. Nothing special. What makes it special, is the cinematography and the action scenes and the score. Its what saves the movie. The cinematography in soderberghs movies are always great. The score is jazzy and spy like which I love and the fight scenes are perfect. And realistic. It was the s$#! to say the least. The best fight scene was with fassbender. The sexual tension was insane and the choreography was done so well. Carano was a great choice for the fight scenes. Acting probably not. She still needs work. Aside from that its a decent film. 7.5/10.

http://jeremythecritic.blogspot.com/2012/02/haywire.html

Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Haywire

Director: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Gina Carano, Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Bill Paxton, Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas, Michael Angarano
Running Time: 93 min.
Rating: R

★★★ (out of ★★★★)

Steven Soderbergh's Haywire is both more and less than it seems. On one hand, it's an action movie. But on the other, it sort of isn't. It's a conventional spy story that's presented in an unconventional manner, exceeding and subverting expectations while strangely at the same time barely managing to meet them. A second viewing is probably in order, but with only one to go on it's safe to say it distinguishes itself from most other mainstream action movies not so much in terms of plot, but style. It feels like a not-so-distant art house cousin of Drive or The American in the sense that it'll turn off viewers expecting a fast-paced, non-stop mindless action extravaganza (its D+ CinemaScore proves it) and reward those looking for something a little different. But the real story coming out of it is the arrival of a legitimate female action star capable of believably kicking ass. Recently, we've had Angelina Jolie in Salt and Zoe Saldana in Columbiana corner the action market in terms of charisma and willingness to get their hands dirty, but in terms of pure physicality and presence, former MMA fighter and first-time actress Gina Carano puts them both to shame. And her casting that proves just how ingenious Soderbergh is in tailoring his movies to the strengths of his stars.

The film opens in a diner in upstate New York, where we meet Mallory Kane (Carano), a contracted covert operations agent with a private firm employed by the government for missions they'd rather wash their hands of. She sits with a man named Aaron (Channing Tatum) who she thrillingly kicks the crap out of over coffee, breaking his arm and escaping with the help of passing customer Scott (Michael Angarano), who has no idea what he's just gotten himself into to. In flashback, we're told the story of how she was sent by her boss and ex-boyfriend Kenneth (Ewan McGregor) to do a job in Dublin where she'd pose as the wife of a British agent named Paul (Michael Fassbender). But it's all a set-up, putting in motion a chain of events that cause her to go on the run, alternating between being the hunter and the hunted, all while trying to uncover who betrayed her and why.

Initially, the narrative framing device is confusing because it takes a bit to differentiate what's happening in the present from the flashback scenes as the title cards indicate shifts in location (Dublin, Barcelona and New York for anyone keeping track) rather than time. It's worth noting how the picture looks since it doesn't quite visually resemble any other recent action movie. The color looks washed out and the image dim and out of focus, no doubt a deliberate choice by Soderbergh who often works as his own cinematographer in his films and wanted to distinguish this from the slick blockbusters we've grown accustomed to. Once we catch up the plot is pretty basic so most of the thrills come from the style and execution. Otherwise deliberately paced, when the action scenes do arrive they're brutally realistic, especially a hotel room confrontation between Carano and Fassbender that has to rank amongst the most exciting intergender onscreen fights in recent memory. Most of the rest of the action is saved for the final half hour, but it's worth the wait.

What Soderbergh does for Carano is almost exactly what he did for adult film star Sasha Grey in The Girlfriend Experience in taking an untrained actress and placing them in a carefully structured project that plays up their strengths while covering their weaknesses. On a lesser scale it's comparable with what Darren Aronofsky did for Natalie Portman in Black Swan by not only hiding her weaknesses as actress, but actually incorporating them into her character and transforming them into strengths. Soderbergh's careful not to give Carano long monologues and dialogue-heavy scenes that would expose her inexperience, instead playing up her intensity and presence. There's no need for tons of emotion in a movie like this and he's wise to not let Carano attempt to supply any. She's a bad-ass. Plain and simple. But in instances she's called upon to do more in "acting" scenes opposite her seasoned co-stars, she still holds her own, proving she can only improve as a performer moving forward. Pretty and powerful, it's not out of the question she could emerge as a the female equivalent of Jason Statham if she attaches herself to projects that make the best use of her talents. And unlike other action heroines, the ex-American Gladiator doesn't at all look like she can be snapped like a twig.

Soderbergh cleverly plugs in his star-heavy cast in utility supporting roles with Ewan McGregor relishing the rare opportunity to play a sleaze and Michael Douglas slipping into familiar authority figure mode as a powerful government agent. Even Channing Tatum fares really well as Mallory's ex-lover and potential adversary. But the real standout is Fassbender, who in his brief, but extremely memorable turn as a suave, dangerous British agent gives just cause to terminate Daniel Craig's 007 contract after his next outing. As perfect a fit as Carano would seem to be for Wonder Woman, Fassbender is for James Bond. And since the films cover much of the same territory it also wouldn't be off base to claim that the stuck-in-a-rut Bond franchise could stand to look and feel more like this.

If there's anything holding the film back from greatness it's Lem Dobbs' script, which taken altogether seems very conventional and ordinary despite its sometimes convoluted presentation. It's a simple story told in a complicated way that succeeds in making you fell like you're watching something of considerable substance. Without Soderbergh's stylistic choices and such a believable, intimidating lead it wouldn't work at the level it does. But those elements are there and it does work because of them, making me think that once you have the story all sorted out on the first viewing, everything else will likely improve on subsequent ones. Besides marking the arrival of an exciting new action actress, it also provides a reason to re-examine just how talented a filmmaker Soderbergh is. Unlike any of his peers, he's been able to successfully alternate between low budget indie projects and mainstream blockbusters. Now with Haywire, he's proven himself capable of combining both.
Posted by jeremythecritic at 9:45 PM

enternechoplex:
Review of: Haywire.

Steven Soderbergh is one of my favorite directors and while I may not love all of his films, I can’t deny that they all showcase an excellent handle on visuals, story and characters. Among the things that I enjoy about him is the way he’ll take an untrained performer and cater a film to that particular person’s strengths. With The Girlfriend Experience he took pornstar Sasha Grey and assembled a very interesting, dynamic and original film. He brought forth an engaging performance from Grey and kick started her acting career. Now with Haywire, he takes martial arts fighter star Gina Carano and assembles one of the coolest action films in years.

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In Haywire, Gina Carano plays Mallory a former Navy agent who now works for a private company that does various top secret missions. After a successful mission in Barcelona in which she and Aaron (Channing Tatum) extracted a hostage and delivered him safely to Rodrigo (Antonio Banderas), Mallory’s supervisor, Kenneth (Ewan McGregor), gives her another job in Dublin. In this last job things go haywire and Mallory finds herself set-up and running from the people that were supposedly on her side.

The first thing that really struck me about Haywire was the action scenes. We are introduced to Carano and Tatum in a fist fight that is as unexpected as it is badass, as intense as it is awesome and works perfectly as a set-up of how things will unfold. I think this is the first time Soderbergh has directed an action film but judging by the action scenes it feels like he has been doing them for ages. He keeps the camera on the action and doesn’t over edit the fights. We can appreciate the intricate and exciting choreography, and they all have a palpable sense of danger and feel realistic.

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Another element that makes the action here feel unique and real is how Soderbergh shows the fullness of the action. This is especially notable during the escape sequences that last for a long time providing a real sense of how long it really takes for someone to run away from the police or bad guys. During the Dublin mission, Mallory is attempting to escape and she goes through various rooftops and buildings and that whole sequence is simply amazing. The cinematography is beautiful, the score pumps up the adrenaline and Carano handles herself like a prime action star should.

Gina Carano also delivers a surprisingly engaging and wonderful performance. First of all, she exudes badassery from her very presence and manages to convey vulnerability and betrayal during the quiet moments. Physically she is beautiful and a nice change from the overly skinny action starlets we’re used to. Furthermore, because of the way she looks her fights are more believable and you can buy her beating the s$#! out of Channing Tatum and Michael Fassbender. I hope she and Soderbergh team up once again for another action-driven flick.

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The supporting cast is not only impressive but also brilliant. Each name is greater than the next and all of them manage to be memorable and cool. Much to my surprise, the most memorable one is Channing Tatum who for the first time delivers an actually good performance. It’s true what they say, a brilliant director can bring out the absolute best of even the most untrained actors. This gives me hope that their next team-up, Magic Mike, will deliver the goods from the acting department. Fassbender is the other notable standout as an assassin who really kicks the s$#! out of Carano.

Steven Soderbergh’s Haywire is easily one of the most entertaining films I’ve seen so far in 2012. From a visual standpoint the film delivers all that you would expect from a Soderbergh film. The acting is great all around and Gina Carano delivers a very promising and badass performance. My only problem is that Haywire is a bit longer than it probably should have been, but the story has enough intrigue to keep you engaged. Furthermore, with the exciting, intense and extremely amazing action scenes you’ll easily be able to forget about time and so forth. Soderbergh has deliver another outstanding film that truly deserves to been seen and receive much more attention. Go watch it.

Rating:

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http://partlydrawn.wordpress.com/2012/02/05/spoiler-alert-saturday-my-thoughts-on-haywire/

Spoiler Alert Saturday :: my thoughts on Haywire
5 Feb

Bullet-pointing for sanity’s sake. This is a movie I could not paragraph about if I tried.

A more efficient title for this movie would be Look! Gina Carano Does Her Own Stunts. That’s really the point of the movie, to see her do stunts. Fighting, running, major ass-kicking: she’s a mixed martial arts fighter, primarily, so it’s pretty crazy stuff sometimes, and it’s neat in that regard.
If you were able to give it a longer fake title, it would probably be Look! Gina Carano Does Her Own Stunts While A Bunch Of Dudes Die. It was a pretty efficient setup/vengeance movie. Lots of people died. In true action movie fashion, the unimportant ones were felled by single bullets, and the main-er characters took multiple minutes of strangleholds and kicking and punching, followed by one ultimate blow (a gunshot, a broken foot and the quickly-approaching tide).
Yes, it’s cool that the protagonist of this particular “oh no, we’re framing a spy” movie is a badass lady. And she is pretty badass. But there was still not a single other woman in the movie, unless you count the bikini babe that Antonio Banderas was cavorting with in the last few minutes. And that’s unfortunate.
I was so so close to being excited that they never actually made much of a deal out of her being a woman, and then Michael Fassbender had to go and say, in the flashback, “I’ve never done (i.e. killed) a woman before,” followed by Ewan McGregor’s “Don’t think of her as a woman.” Meaning, don’t think of her as weak, don’t think of her as helpless, don’t think of her according to damn traditional gender roles that they did a fairly decent job of ignoring until then (save a brief conversation about wearing dresses and an even briefer offhand comment about how she’d probably take longer in the bathroom getting ready). Sigh.
Is Michael Angarano ever going to age? I mean, he was baby William in Almost Famous, and he looked like a little kid then, but since approximately Lords of Dogtown in 2005 he’s looked the same age. They added a bit of stubble on his face this time, but they still said he was 19. And he can pass for it, despite being now 24.
In that one scene where she wore a dress, it was pretty and she looked good, but she… wasn’t wearing the proper underwear. There was this awkward line at her waist like she had on a corset but it stopped abruptly at her hips and stuck out funny, which doesn’t make sense.
It took me an embarrassingly long time to even realize that Rodrigo was played by Antonio Banderas.
I kind of really like the name Mallory. I just do. I always have. I thought about that periodically throughout the film.
Basically, Gina Carano did her own stunts and some dudes died. Yeah.

–your fangirl heroine.

ourbriefencounter:

I saw Haywire a couple of days ago.

Spoilers.

I reckon I spent the first hour and fifteen minutes of this film thinking I was hating it. Then, in the last fifteen minutes, it turned everything around. Of course that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s suddenly an amazing film, but I think it definitely makes a difference to what I would think if I was to see it again.

Firstly, Gina Carano was brilliant as Mallory, the betrayed ‘contractor’ on the run from her previous business associates. The role really played to her strengths, avoiding the tendency to make physically strong female characters either unrealistically powerful in their punches or sexually alluring to every male character in the film. She delivered the dialogue effectively and gives an immediate impression of a no-nonsense character: something which the film frequently centres on. The whole cast is good, I should say. It has a remarkable number of big names for what felt like a relatively low-budget film.

There were good points and bad points about the audio, I thought. I loved the diegetic sounds of the fights, creating a real sense of brutality and realism in the combat. Most films like this relish in combat, but here you’re hearing the sounds of punches crushing into people, people being thrown into hard brick walls and other furniture, the frantic scrambling for life as someone gains the upper hand, and it makes the violence as easy to abhor in the film as it is in reality. There were a few iffy sound effects where I wasn’t entirely convinced, and these, annoyingly, immediately eject the audience from the diegesis, but it’s easy to re-emerge. The most annoying point about the sound was the hideous mismatching of soundtrack. It has some sort of strange jazz infusion orchestra playing in the background of scenes, particularly during scene transitions. It draws far too much attention, seems to hold little relevance, and harks back to dodgy late 20th century spy dramas like Charlie’s Angels and the Bionic Woman, and it’s almost impossible to stop yourself expecting a slow-motion run across a field or something equally nostalgic.

The directing worked well, especially because of how deeply this film is rooted in reality. There’s something almost homely about seeing a chase through an urban jungle and rather than the usual nondescript shop fronts and housing blocks, Mallory runs through recognisable stores (HMV if I remember correctly). It consistently and repeatedly reasserts itself as being set in reality, the same way that 28 Days Later does when Cillian Murphy asks if they’ve got any Fanta in the shop. There’s something that makes the experience all the more real and all the more brutal when seeing it in your world, rather than one you can easily detach from.

The awkward framing device which, luckily, only runs for the first fourty-five minutes or so (Mallory explaining the story so far to the man whose car she’s ‘borrowed’) is irritating in how basic it is. I don’t really think it needed one. Plenty of films startin medias resand nobody seems to mind. It could have that opening scene and then just cut back to the beginning without the need for any device or function character to trigger the story.

The rest of it’s story was remarkably original though, considering it’s such well-trodden ground. It was kind of like the narrative of Salt (starring Angelina Jolie) with the character of Bourne (starring Matt Damon). I quite liked it. It wasn’t outstanding, but not every film has to be. I would definitely see it again, even if just to see how my perception of the first half of the film changes now I know how it ends and how the situation comes to be. That being said, I may mute the sections with the jazz.

moviewography:

What It’s About: After a mission to rescue a hostage in Barcelona, Mallory (Gina Carano) is quickly dispatched on another mission to Dublin. When the operation goes awry and Mallory finds she has been double crossed, she needs to use all of her skills, tricks and abilities to escape an international manhunt, make it back to the United States, protect her family, and exact revenge on those that have betrayed her.

What I Liked: The way the action scenes were shot are a lot different than other actions movies, letting you see the fight choreography and the damage it ensues. You could feel every punch and kick the person felt without the need of quick jump cuts all over the place, it was refreshing to see and it kept things interesting. The supporting cast around the main character were amazing, even Channing Tatum did an alright job which surprised the hell out of me.

What I Didn’t Like: Saying Channing Tatum did an alright job is weird to say, but mostly because he does a better job than the main character played by Gina Carano. Even with a great supporting cast, it still doesn’t hide her poor acting skills which seemed kind of robotic and her dialogue sounded weird and cheesy. I think she should just stick to fighting in mma (which she is awesome in btw), but she won’t since she just got another role in another film. The story wasn’t that great either, it all just happened without any tension and I didn’t feel any real threat for Gina Carano’s character while watching.

Watch This If You Like: Steven Soderbergh films, Gina Carano, any of the supporting cast, action films.

Grade: C+

Haywire - Film Review

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Director Steven Soderbergh delivers an movie with such stunningly viewed action that hundred million box office monster movies could only dream of achieving, with mixed martial arts fighter Gina Carano starring as Mallory Kane, a covert operation agent.

Haywire is a spy thriller that’s story gets across the globe as Mallory Kane is out to clear her name from being framed as a threat to the United States while also getting her revenge on the people responsible for all of this. The story is rather less important and I didn’t even truly feel or have any sort of care who the true villain(s) was behind it all, all I wanted to see was Gina Carano kick some ass and work her way out of this, she is the star child here and Soderbergh does an most excellent job showcasing her martial arts skills, her beauty and her utter dominance towards her enemies.

That isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy the superb casting this entire film had from Ewan McGregor who plays Kenneth, Mallory’s boss, Michael Fassbender is Paul, another fellow agent in the field. Antonio Banderas is Rodrigo, a contact for the American government agent Coblenz played by none other than Michael Douglas himself. Fans of Fassbender be warned, he isn’t in this movie for more than 15 minutes max.

Added with the beautiful variety of settings, Carano’s performance comes a very smoothing jazz score from David Holmes, which is a pleasure to your ears as mysteries unfold and tensions rise.

There isn’t much more to say, but even though it has the running time of 93 minutes, I still wish it could have lasted longer as Gina Carano is pure eye candy with her self-made stunts. Very enjoyable movie with recent spy thrillers adding a lot of class and style to them, with an all-star cast and great vision from the director, I sure wouldn’t miss this movie out at all.

slippinghusband:
Haywire.

2012, Steven Soderbergh

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For a while now I’ve considered Steven Soderbergh the most exciting director currently working, and Haywire is just another demonstration as to why that is. An Oscar-winning director for his brilliant Traffic, this is a guy who refuses to let himself be pigeon-holed and with almost every project jumps into an entirely new genre of film making. A man who, in the same year, will do a retro CIA comedy with superstar Matt Damon and then a soft drama about the life of a high-end call girl where he casts porn star Sasha Grey in the lead role. A man who in 2012 releases a balls-out action thriller starring MMA fighter Gina Carano, who has never acted before, in the lead role and a few months later releases a drama about a male strip club with Channing Tatum and Matthew McConaughey. Adding on to that, these two films are released less than a year after his sprawling pandemic thriller which starred no fewer than seven Oscar-nominated actors.

If there is anyone currently working in Hollywood who is constantly testing himself along with the audience’s perception of him, it’s Steven Soderbergh. Haywire stands out primarily because of the man behind it, but it’s also a wicked tight action film in it’s own right. A mix of the style of Soderbergh’s Ocean’s series with action sequences reminiscent of the Bourne trilogy, Haywire follows black ops agent Mallory Kane as she is betrayed by the company she works for and set up to be taken out. Written by Lem Dobbs, who previously collaborated with Soderbergh on Kafka and The Limey, the premise is incredibly simple and that’s the way it should be. Soderbergh isn’t trying to make a twisty espionage thriller here, he’s creating a vehicle for a genuine action heroine to be a badass in and he makes it work.

Soderbergh built the entire film around the idea of getting a female action star who actually looks like she could beat the hell out of you, and that’s exactly what he does, aided by the untrained and impressive Carano. She keeps her emotions appropriately close to the chest here, instead letting her physicality do the talking and Carano is as convincing an action star as there’s been one. You don’t doubt for a second her abilities to take these men down hard, and by the end of it you’re well aware that her Mallory Kane isn’t someone you’d ever mess with. Soderbergh surrounds her with an impressive ensemble of gifted men such as Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender and Michael Douglas, all of whom give quality work while being well aware that this isn’t an actor’s piece. It’s just a no-bullshit action thriller with Soderbergh’s trademark sleek design and some incredibly choreographed, wicked intense action sequences.

B

Film #145 of The 365 Film Challenge.

movieemporium:
Haywire: Review

Steve Soderberghs action movie about a female black ops officer who is hunted by her own people arrives on DVD and Blu ray tomorrow. Should you watch it? Probably.

The quirk of this film really is that the main character is a woman played by real life MMA fighter Gina Carano. An unknown in a lead role? Well yes, but the supporting cast of men that betray her features Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum and Antonio Banderes. Michael Douglas is as smooth as ever too.

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All those big names guarantee a plethora of good performances and the story moves quickly as each of these characters come and go in Mallory’s (Carano) life as she journeys through the movie fuelled by the betrayal and surviving on her wits.

The action scenes took me a while to get used to, instead of moving so fast that you can’t see a thing the fight scenes are flinchingly real, something we’re simply not used to seeing on screen but something I really started to enjoy.

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The film manages to stay stylised and interesting all the way through although i have to admit i didn’t find it gripping. Soderbergh however is a the kind of director who likes to provide steady dramatic pieces which is what Haywire is. The soundtrack was also a strange choice, the retro feel didn’t fit with the modern movie and overall i found the OST to be out of tone with the rest of the film.

Overall, if you like Soderbergh you will like this and if you’re a fan of action movies this will give you something different without moving you too far from unfamiliar territory.

@vickyhinault