Review of Haywire (2011) by Joshua B — 22 May 2013

There is a certain charm in the sly gender commentary in Soderbergh's Haywire, in the way he sets up a series of leading men as mandarins in the scheme to take down the female protagonist, only to have each one handily dismantled by her. In a sense he also reflects that more-than-meets-the-eye attitude in his casting of Gina Carano in the lead role of Mallory Kane, a rogue secret agent who has been betrayed by her agency: Carano is a non-actor who gives a passable, physically-impressive performance, and she is an MMA fighter, itself a male-dominated sport. And Soderbergh's style is a joy to watch, with his notable eye for a shot and a patient sense of editing, the movie feels slick from top to bottom.

Unfortunately he seems more concerned with the mechanics of Carano's on-screen presence and less with substantiating it with a compelling narrative. The gender commentary is fun, but it is not enough by itself to drive the plot, and the end result feels somewhat ponderous despite being a slight 90 minutes. Still, the film is definitely worth a watch, as it is not lengthy, Carano is impressive, and the final scene is pretty wonderful.