Genre: Action
Released: 2012
Rating: 
“Haywire” is just non-stop awesome. I realize that is grammatically incorrect but that sums up my feeling for the film. You have a kick-a** female lead, an awesome score that makes you bob your head and action that is shot without a lot of edits. Steven Soderbergh knows exactly how to direct action. We, the audience, don’t want to see a zillion cuts in the action, i.e. see “Quantum of Solace.” It takes away from the realism and puts the audience in a weird position because we have no idea where to look. If you choreograph your action sequences correctly, you can let the camera roll for more realism. Pay attention to the number of long takes in the film; specifically Gina Carano’s fight sequence with Michael Fassbender. The scene was so real that he actually broke Carano’s pinky during the filming. The opening shot of their fight is absolutely brilliant so pay attention to how long Soderbergh keeps it rolling.
»Watch the Interviews with the Cast
The brilliance behind the film is the use of music and sound. It’s almost like you are watching two different films. One part of the film is very much in the same musical and pacing style as Soderbergh’s “Ocean’s” films. You have that quirky music and a lot of characters setting up aspects of the story leading us to the action sequences. Though, once these action sequences take place, Soderbergh turns off any and all music, let’s the camera roll longer and allows the audience to be right there with some of the most realistic fighting I have ever seen.
The realistic fighting is obviously helped by the fact that the lead star is a professional mixed martial artist. Gina Carano is well-known for being one of, if not the best, female fighter in Mixed Martial Arts. She also participated in the reincarnation of American Gladiators. Much like what Soderbergh did with Sasha Grey for “The Girlfriend Experience”, he is taking Carano and putting her somewhat in her element but adding depth. Carano really did a fantastic job with the part and I loved her subtleties. Yeah, she’s going around kicking everyone’s butt but she als has a soft side which pokes out every once in a while. I loved how the layers would peel back very slowly in the film.
The film’s plot revolves around Mallory (Carano), a hired gun special ops soldier who is sent on a mission to Barcelona, where she is then betrayed by employer. A murder is pinned on her and she has to fight her way back to the U.S. and take revenge on anyone who set her up. When it all comes down to it, the movie is essentially Gina Carano beating the living daylights out of a bunch of male actors, including Ewan McGregor, Antonio Banderas, Michael Fassbender and many more. The film also stars Michael Douglas, who Soderbergh featured in one of his best movies, “Traffic”.
“Haywire” is pure fun. I did find it a bit confusing but when the fight scenes started to occur, any confusion went out the window. My jaw dropped to the floor as I watched these beautiful camera shots of Carano beating people up. I felt like I could feel every single punch.
I highly recommend checking the film out in theaters, hence the 4.5 BDK rating.