Haywire

Haywire, theoretically a thriller, is Stephen Soderbergh's most recent genre experiment that stars Gina Carano (an MMA fighter) as an incredulous backhander of lesser men. The mistrust is not unfounded or hard for Mallory (Carano) to swallow. From the first swallow of tea, which she ingests in such a way that strips us of our own incredulity--can an MMA fighter carry a film featuring men with red carpet fuzzies on the soles of their Jimmy Choo's (Michael Douglas, Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas and Ewan McGregor)? Yes. I was floored by her presence. Who knew that drinking tea could serve as a quick roundhouse to the teeth of skeptics? Like I said, the first sip of tea in the homey upstate New York diner is shared with her unexpected, hungover, colleague Tatum and not the expected, tail-between-the-legs Kenneth (McGregor), her boss and director of a privately owned gun-for-hire company. With so much distrust on the table in an unassuming, peaceful diner the introductory ass kicking couldn't be far off--it wasn't and it served to set the dial at full-throttle.

Soderbergh excels in allowing true fighting skills to dictate his first action movie. Carano is athletic enough to make Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan shout-outs worth the effort. I don't think Soderbergh was trying to make an epic like Traffic. Nor was he fulfilling expectations for another too cool for school Ocean's. I think he is successful enough and rich enough to do whatever he wants and get whatever actors he needs. I imagine that he has some favorite action movies and wanted to make one, so he did. So don't expect an Oscar worthy script or bracket busting acting. Expect entertainment and enjoy the parody/genuine action movie.

The narrative takes from the Usual Suspects. The ending is teased out in the beginning. Major gaps are left that could only be filled in by camo-painted faces and thigh-around-your-neck-choke-outs. For the story to work we needed what I call I check-back. A check-back is the character that we can periodically check-back with to make sure that we are getting everything. The check-back in this case is the owner of the car that Mallory needed to borrow for a bit on her way to tie up loose ends. She drives, the check-back listens to her story. He'll be the alibi when it's all said and done. Check-backs are always endearing and non-threatening. Someday, a main character is going to get in a car with a check-back and the check-back is going to be a Navy Seal or something. At any rate, this check-back serves as a reminder that Haywire is supposed to be fun. Not a Bourne movie (she is athletic and agile but still takes her time climbing over fences), nor a Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (intriguing plot twists and subtle clues but none that are intense enough to warrant really long conversations). It's more a movie to go see with your friends from high school, it would most likely be OK to text during this one--the mood is that light.

Kenneth (McGregor) is the sleazy, spineless, money and fear driven boss of the contracted hit-woman company. It's obvious from the first meeting wherein he's pitching Michael Douglas (Senator), that he is probably going to get his ass kicked. Antonio Banderas is one of his main clients. He must be in on the whole scheme that Mallory slugs her way through. Their motives, Douglas', McGregor's, and Antonio's are murcky. What is important is that Mallory has been targeted and she is not going down without going way past tap-outs.

All in all, a slimmer of cerebral chill, but not much backbone. Soderbergh has made a fun one and Carano has left her mark. How she kept such a mark-less face only Bruce Lee would know. She is feminine-sexy enough to make you say whoa, yet physically inclined enough to say, I don't think I can handle that. Most of all, she had that presence. Check her and Haywire out, good times.