Haywire (2012) Review

Haywire

Given that its director is the eclectic Steven Soderbergh, I should not have doubted “Haywire” to be more than it appeared. On the outside, the film looks like a regurgitation of the “Bourne” series and other agent-gets-betrayed films, only this time with a female action hero. And truthfully, there aren’t any major plot twists or “out-there” characters to change the formula drastically. Instead, Soderbergh’s crisp presentation of the material, Lem Dobb’s swift writing, and newcomer Gina Carano’s fight scenes elevate what could have been just another disposable action movie.

Normally I would give a basic plot synopsis about the film here, but the nonlinear order of the scenes means this is more a slow burn mystery with some rough-and-tumble action. The movie starts off with our protagonist, Mallory Kane (played by Carano), already burned by her private government firm and on the run to find out why she was. After an incredibly brutal fight with her old friend Aaron (Channing Tatum), we learn what lead to this point through flashbacks.

The back-story is occasionally convoluted, with character ties and motivations not always entirely clear until the very end of the movie, but never confusing. The slow burn pacing is atypical of other action movies, where it’s one action scene after another in rapid succession. It’s more reminiscent of an old-school spy story, especially in the music score, which wouldn’t feel out of place if it were composed 30 years ago (in a good way).

When the action does come though, it is very believable and grounded in reality. With her M.M.A. training and strong physicality, Carano really seems like an equal to her numerous male costars. Her hotel room fight with Michael Fassbender is the standout here, as furniture is broken and punches are thrown. Ewan McGregor has a great line in the film where he warns Fassbender, “You shouldn’t think of her as a women, that would be a mistake.” Carano gets beat up a lot in the film (before getting the upper hand), and it’s nice to see an action movie where the hero can be injured and isn’t an invincible force.

Despite this being her first starring role, she holds her own in the acting department against her more distinguished costars. In addition to Fassbender, McGregor, and Tatum, there’s Bill Paxton, Michael Douglas, and Antonio Banderas bringing up the rear in smaller, but no less important roles. The only weak link here is Tatum, who is just as wooden an actor as he has ever been, and is out-acted in every scene by the others, even Carano.

This isn’t an entirely serious endeavor though, as Dobbs’ screenplay finds instances to inject some wry humor into the scenes. Michael Angarano, who plays a civilian pulled into the chase, has some funny lines as the character that could easily have been just a boring audience stand-in. Even when it’s not overtly funny, the dialogue can often be witty and sharp. The final line of the film is excellent and hilarious in the way it gets the point across.

“Haywire” isn’t going to rock the action genre in a big way, but thanks to its strong and even inventive execution, the film provides an entertaining and swift ride along with some great close-quarters fights and an impressive cast. And newcomer Gina Carano also deserves to become the new action heroine. One character jokingly calls her Wonder Woman at one point, which doesn’t seem too implausible after seeing her physical prowess and charisma shown here.

3/4    Rating Criteria