HAYWIRE (2011)

Editing, Cinematography & Directed By: Steven Soderbergh
Written By: Lem Dobbs

Cast: Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum, Bill Paxton, Michael Angarano, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas

Freelance covert operative Mallory Kane is hired out by her handler to various global entities to perform jobs which governments can't authorize and heads of state would rather not know about. After a mission to rescue a hostage in Barcelona, Mallory is quickly dispatched on another mission to Dublin. When the operation goes awry and Mallory finds she has been double-crossed, she needs to use all of her skills, tricks, and abilities to escape an international manhunt, make it back to the United States, protect her family, and exact revenge on those that have betrayed her.

This film is built around star Gina Carano who directed Steven Soderbergh saw on television fighting and was inspired to write a film for her and it shows. As most of the scenes in this spy thriller don’t center around believability in a role or even look what matters more is action and self-defense. As she makes a More than an adequate action hero. (Her voice was dubbed in By Laura San Giacomo) Making her and the film dazzle by putting various celebrities in small but pivotal roles all around her.

The film has good action sequences that are more hand to hand then gunfights and explosions.

The problem is that the star isn’t that charismatic or interesting. So that we know she must survive but can’t actually care about her.

The film also comes off more subdued more like a spy film than an action extravaganza. As it withholds that excitement that audiences might be looking for. As the film comes off So cold and clinical. That there seems no room for questionable behavior or the event of a surprise. As everything feels more planned out. Even for an espionage film. It feels too tight and limiting.

Which certainly doesn’t help when watching as it feels longer then it should.

In the fight scenes, most of her opponents (men)  treat her as an equal which might be more shocking to audiences who might expect her to be and win. The fights while well-choreographed also feel realistic as they don’t seem as complicated or epic as other films present them. At least they feel realistic. As the cameras stay up close and personal for the action rather than just covering it from the outside and away 

Ewan McGregor fits as the weasel's villain who tries to come off more as a businessman. Strange that he keeps seeming to play villains in female-oriented action films as once again he would play a more flamboyant and campy villain in BIRDS OF PREY which is guilty of being the same.

What one can admire about director Steven Soderbergh is that he is always experimenting and goes forward with whatever uncanny ideas he has for cinema and his own films. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t, but they are always interesting. 

The film seems more interested in exposing its star rather than the story or plot. As it seems to have a more sour disposition while having some ideas and enough style to keep it entertaining. Though each of them is there for a reason story-wise and film-wise. Considering the  talent involved should be much more fun and better in general 

Grade: C