Like David Fincher, Steven Soderbergh is one film director that whenever I see his name attached to something my interest goes up just a smidge. Okay more than a smidge. Very few people would argue his body of work (that reminds me, watch "Che" soon) as he can make films with mainstream appeal (the "Ocean's" trilogy) and those that will fly under the radar but still tell a rock solid story (everything else -to paint with a broad stroke). For me, his film with former adult film star Sasha Grey, "The Girlfriend Experience" was that film (read the review here) that put him in the category of favorite directors. Last year he had "Contagion*," with an all-star cast and this year he has "Haywire" staring mixed martial artist Gina Carano.
*I saw "Contagion" under the guise of a work outing and I remember coming out of the theater and colleagues had the fear of God in them in the form of an addict-like need to wash their hands and worry about a sneeze. I was amused.
When you look closely at the premise of "Haywire" and if you have seen enough action/spy thrillers, you can see how the plot unfolds. So why see it? Well the thing about Soderbergh is that he likes to take a chance at times with casting a lead. It was the case with Grey and "The Girlfriend Experience" in the sense of can this girl do a legitimate acting role, and it is such the case with Carano. That's if you want to call it taking a chance, because what Carano brings to the role of Mallory Kane, contract assassin is credibility to the fight sequences in the film. Not to say that if another actress were given the role and spent some time doing some fight training they would not have made it work. Carano's MMA background is why you watch the film. The fight sequences in "Haywire" are nowhere in the neighborhood of the grandiose, served up on a platter scenarios reserved for video games. And the beauty of the fight sequences in "Haywire" are that the majority of them are shot from a proper distance that you see all of the action unfolding right there in front of you. Think of the fight sequences in the Jason Bourne movies, then think of the opposite. You won't find any quick-cut, motion sickness inducing snapshots here. The punches, kicks, and slams are very believable as far as individuals that would have proper close quarters combat training. It all results in a pretty good action flick.
That said, her acting chops were okay enough. Those that choose to see this film should have it in their mind that when you are opposite some damn good actors like Michael Dougls, Michael Fassbender, Bill Paxton, and Ewan McGegor, you are not going to top them in that department. Could Carano build on this should she pursue more films down the road? Absolutely. Carano has talent and that vaunted "crossover appeal" that is some sort of a requiem for someone to be a star. In a lot of ways, Steven Soderbergh cannot do wrong for me. He can tell a good story, as well as doing a good job with the visuals under his pseudonym of Peter Andrews. His films always have that certain look as far as visuals go. A form of suave and cool is displayed (not the glitzy and glossy kind) in his films in the fashion of that timeless statement of less is more. "Haywire" follows Soderbergh's formula and works as only Soderbergh does with his films. Going into watching "Haywire," I had an idea of what to expect and they were satisfyingly met. In short, Soderbergh does it again, this time with the talents of Gina Carano.
*I saw "Contagion" under the guise of a work outing and I remember coming out of the theater and colleagues had the fear of God in them in the form of an addict-like need to wash their hands and worry about a sneeze. I was amused.
When you look closely at the premise of "Haywire" and if you have seen enough action/spy thrillers, you can see how the plot unfolds. So why see it? Well the thing about Soderbergh is that he likes to take a chance at times with casting a lead. It was the case with Grey and "The Girlfriend Experience" in the sense of can this girl do a legitimate acting role, and it is such the case with Carano. That's if you want to call it taking a chance, because what Carano brings to the role of Mallory Kane, contract assassin is credibility to the fight sequences in the film. Not to say that if another actress were given the role and spent some time doing some fight training they would not have made it work. Carano's MMA background is why you watch the film. The fight sequences in "Haywire" are nowhere in the neighborhood of the grandiose, served up on a platter scenarios reserved for video games. And the beauty of the fight sequences in "Haywire" are that the majority of them are shot from a proper distance that you see all of the action unfolding right there in front of you. Think of the fight sequences in the Jason Bourne movies, then think of the opposite. You won't find any quick-cut, motion sickness inducing snapshots here. The punches, kicks, and slams are very believable as far as individuals that would have proper close quarters combat training. It all results in a pretty good action flick.
That said, her acting chops were okay enough. Those that choose to see this film should have it in their mind that when you are opposite some damn good actors like Michael Dougls, Michael Fassbender, Bill Paxton, and Ewan McGegor, you are not going to top them in that department. Could Carano build on this should she pursue more films down the road? Absolutely. Carano has talent and that vaunted "crossover appeal" that is some sort of a requiem for someone to be a star. In a lot of ways, Steven Soderbergh cannot do wrong for me. He can tell a good story, as well as doing a good job with the visuals under his pseudonym of Peter Andrews. His films always have that certain look as far as visuals go. A form of suave and cool is displayed (not the glitzy and glossy kind) in his films in the fashion of that timeless statement of less is more. "Haywire" follows Soderbergh's formula and works as only Soderbergh does with his films. Going into watching "Haywire," I had an idea of what to expect and they were satisfyingly met. In short, Soderbergh does it again, this time with the talents of Gina Carano.



















