Posted January 18, 2012 by Scott Lawlor in Cinema

Cinema Review – Haywire

Certified Hard Girl Gina Carano shows us that she means business in Steve Soderbergh’s latest outing, Haywire. Here is Scott’s review

TITLE – HAYWIRE

YEAR – 2011

DIRECTOR – STEVEN SODERBERGH

CAST – GINA CARANO, EWAN MCGREGOR, MICHAEL FASSBENDER, MICHAEL DOUGLAS

WRITERS – LEM DOBBS

Now I am not sure that Gina Carano has a vast career ahead of her as a high browed thespian, accepting awards for her dramatic prowess, but oh my days can she kick butt!! She proves this and then some in Steven Soderbergh’s high octane action thriller, Haywire.

The story penned by the writer behind The Limey, Lem Dobbs, is a highly paced and lean story full of action sequences and dark intentions. Most of these are directed at Gina Carano’s character Mallory Kane. She is a gun-for-hire operative used for hush-hush government ops.

The film starts with Kane as a fugitive, on the run from her employers after an operation goes wrong. In Barcelona she rescues a hostage and stumbled into so very dirty business within her own organization. Now she must track down her boss and try to uncover exactly what went down in Barcelona.

The story of HAYWIRE is not trying to break any new ground. It is a simple maths equation of trying to solve what X is by using the factors that are there for us all to see. Where the film works though is that Soderburgh is intent of moving us along at a very fast pace and from a very restrictive point of view. We learn of ever deceit as Kane does, every twist and turn is fed to us in a very careful manner.

Carano is the strong silent type. She was hand-picked for the role by Soderburgh because of her physical power and fighting skills. She is a MMA legend and she certainly knows her stuff. She struck me as a bit of a Jason Statham with boobs in her performance… Which for me was a good thing. She takes on opponent after opponent, she takes no prisoners, she asks no questions.

The amount of talent she takes on is impressive too, Channing Tatum, Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor as well as numerous nameless soldiers. She can dress up and look glamorous and sexy but she looks most comfortable in a fight banging someones head through a wall!

Now I am not trying to say this movie is the best film this year. It never really challenges you to think. But my word is it entertaining. There are many moments through the film that make you say … ‘WHAT?? Did she just? Oh my!!’.

Soderbegh keeps it simple. He sets up a number of set pieces and impressive camera runs which will leave you breathless. The actual explanation of the plot is slightly beside the point – we know who the heroine is, we know she is in trouble, and it keeps us looking over her shoulder while she tries to figure a way out of it all.

In many ways HAYWIRE reminds me of an old 70s action movie, wasting little time to explain itself, and just getting on with it with a pumping funk soundtrack. As a side note if I were Carano’s other half I would NOT dare to leave the toilet seat up!

FRC Rating

[starreview tpl=16 size='30']

HAYWIRE IS RELEASED NATIONALLY IN UK ON 18TH JANUARY 2012

Have you seen this film? Do you agree with me? Or did you not enjoy it as much? Comment below…