Review of Haywire (2011) by Danijel J — 24 Aug 2012

Haywire is a minor work by a director who's quite happy by making a minor work this time around. When it comes to expensive B movies made around New Year, it beats Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, though that one does prevail by far in budget terms. This has a more acceptable running time, the pacing gives the audience a chance to breathe between the action sequences and yes, the lead performance is much more charismatic!

Basically , the story follows Mallory Kane (Gina Carrano), who became a wanted woman after doing some dirty work for the goverment, the nature of which she was tricked by her employer and ex - boyfriend Kenneth (Ewan McGregor). In the begining she is already in trouble, and in flashbacks we find out how she got there. During that time she engages in few kung fu wrestling matches, with the impressive accent on naturalisam and physicality of those scenes. They are one of the movie's strongest sides.

There really isn't much more to say here. Steven Soderbergh does that thing of his where he, more than almost any other director, looks like making the movie exclusively for himself, untargeted to anyone but with enough respect for those who are ready to except his conditions. It's too slow moving for people who want straightforward action thriler, too indulgent for those who ask for something more from the director. There is one sequence where the heroin is running from the police. And running. And running. It goes on for close to ten minutes through streets, builldings and rooftops, photographed in every possible way until the question wheather she will be caught becomes inferior to how Soderbergh is going to film it.

And yet, I enjoyed it throughout. I think Gina Carano is the main reason, regardless of the capacity of actors around her. She is one more winner for Soderbergh when it comes to his experimental casting choices, after Sasha Grey in The Girlfriend Expirience. He apparently saw her in some martial arts commercial and decided to build a film around her talents. People who criticize her acting capability should remember that there are many "proper" actrices with only slightly stronger skills who lack her screen presence. For an action picture, she is more than passable. In smaller episodes there are names like Michael Douglas, Michael Fassbender, Antonio Banderas and Ewan McCgregor in a role which couldn't be further away from his acting sensibility.

One thing the script doesn't explain is the nature of Channing Tatum's Aaron hearing problem. Or was the constant head tilting a way to build a character? Anyway, it was very distracting. And I see Soderbergh had already cast him in two of his future projects, with Magic Mike already playing in cinemas worldwide. Well, I gues you can't win 'em all!