Step aside Jason Bourne and Ethan Hunt; there’s a new tougher and sexier spy in town.
Gina Carano may not have the acting chops of Matt Damon or Tom Cruise, but she’s certainly no Steven Segal either. With a host of strong male co-stars to lend her support, Carano, even with a few hiccups along the way, is able to adequately entertain for 93 minutes in Haywire. Even more so, the cliffhanger ending leaves you wanting more. Not of the confusing plot, but of her.
Carano’s character, Mallory Kane is one cool cat.
Although her misgivings as an actor don’t help the film, (the voice dubs are obvious at times) the larger problems have to do with the multi-layered plot. In spite of that, “Haywire,” at the very least, is a rock-em sock-em tribute to old school action flicks, with a yummy new vixen we’re definitely sure to hear more from.
Director Steven Soderbergh has long said he’s a fan of early James Bond flicks and while the ode to those films is present in “Haywire,” especially in the music and shot selection, the picture is ultimately memorable for the gritty fight scenes and uber-sexy lead star. The Don Siegel-inspired shots and language, double-crossings and not knowing what’s coming next, feels borrowed from his other films, mainly “Ocean’s 11.” The big-name cast, also a staple of the Soderbergh style, is in full effect here as well. While Bill Paxton, Channing Tatum, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, Michael Fassbender and Ewan McGregor are all solid, the need for them is minimal.
After the film’s first fight scene, it’s obvious that Carano’s skills as an MMA fighter and her look translate beautifully to the big screen. That’s where this flick shines. Not the hard-to-follow plot, which has Kane on the run after she’s double-crossed, not all players involved or the way it all comes to a close.
This picture is all about Carano’s ability to be a sultry and seductive, yet tough-as-nails bitch who doesn’t have friends. Her life is all about taking out her targets and the amount of cash she gets for her time. She’s great at her job. She knows it. Carano’s ability in the octagon in real-life only makes this easier to convey. So much so that if the Grim reaper had C-cups and could slap on a rear-naked choke in a flash, it might be Carano under the hood. It’s sad that Soderbergh felt the need to protect Carano when it becomes clear by the climax of the flick that she can defend herself on-screen just fine.
The end result is an adventure that tries too hard to be something special. The scope and locations across the world are great and add a level of intrigue, but it wasn’t needed either. Action buffs don’t care about that. They want to see those fights. Thankfully, that’s exactly what Carano gives them.
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