After last week’s uninspired and boring release, Contraband, and after seeing a few of the films yet to open, I was beginning to fear 2012 was going down the road of mediocrity at the box office. Then Steven Soderbergh’s Haywire came along and things were put back on the right track.
The story revolves around Mallory (Gina Carano), an ex-marine who now works as a special agent. She’s tough and can give a beating just as well as she can take one. This is demonstrated right from the start when one of her co-workers (Channing Tatum) comes to collect her and she beats him to a pulp in the middle of a diner and breaks his arm. As we soon find out, Mallory has been betrayed by her bosses and is now on the run for her life.
Carano is a former mixed martial arts competitor and is awesome to watch on screen during the fight scenes, which Haywire delivers a plethora of (MTV could fill their Best Fight Scene category with this movie alone). Unfortunately, she is one of the worst actresses I’ve ever seen and when she has to talk or do something that doesn’t involve running, kicking, or punching, it’s painful to sit through. Thankfully she fights more than anything else.
Soderbergh makes up for Carano’s lack of acting abilities by surrounding her with a lot of other great actors. There’s Ewan McGregor as Mallory’s boss, Michael Douglas as a politician, Michael Fassbender as a fellow secret agent, and Bill Paxton as her father. Antonio Banderas also makes an appearance as a diplomat of sorts. All of these actors deliver their A game and own each role, especially Fassbender who is quickly becoming my favourite actor of his generation.
Another element to the film that makes it stand out is the score by David Holmes, who was also responsible for the soundtrack on Soderbergh’s Out of Sight and Ocean’s 11 trilogy. It’s got a cool vibe and is the one piece of the film that truly feels like it could have been lifted straight from a ‘70s crime thriller.
Haywire is far from being Soderbergh’s best work, but it’s an enjoyable film that is a lot smarter than it looks. I’m sure with time it will become more of a favourite of mine too, which is always a good sign.
Rating: 
Rated 14A
Cast: Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas, Michael Fassbender
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Top image: A scene from Haywire. Courtesy Alliance Films.
