On paper, Haywire looks like a promising film. It has a well-known and well-liked director, Steven Soderbergh (Erin Brockovich, Ocean’s Eleven), an all-star supporting cast including Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas and Ewan McGregor, and a world-champion fighter and mixed martial artist as the heroine. But despite all of these wonderful qualities, this action thriller is just as messy and unorganized as its title suggests.
Newcomer Gina Carano, a retired mixed martial arts fighter, stars as the film’s protagonist Mallory Kane, a mercenary employed by an enigmatic company who is on the run after her boss and former lover, McGregor, tries to have her framed as a traitor and then murdered. It’s hard to be more specific regarding the plot because it was more twisted and full of holes than a pretzel. The film does not seem to know what to do with all of its characters and possible plot lines. People are introduced for one scene and then leave without any thought or explanation, and Carano is given an almost-love interest in her colleague Aaron (Channing Tatum) but nothing develops. When the film ends, it is difficult to understand the motives of the characters even when they are explained.
As to Soderbergh’s directing, it was hit-and-miss. His action scenes were gritty and brutal in a great way. They lacked any soundtrack, which helped add to the severity of the scenes, and were edited to give the audience full view of the combat between Carano and her various assailants. Adults in the audience with me actually cried out in horror when Tatum first punches Carano. Over time, however, these soundless scenes become repetitive as they are contrasted with more dynamic moments of Carano’s movements from place to place, all with the same musical underscore.
The film is not all bad. Carano is well-suited to her role and does extremely well for her first major film. Although her acting skills often falter into monotonous stares, she has moments of real depth and character. Her fight scenes are the real stars of the film and she definitely has a future as an action actress.
The best part of the film, hands down, is Michael Fassbender as a freelance mercenary who goes up against Carano’s character, Mallory. Fassbender, who starred in X-Men: First Class and the recent, critically-acclaimed Shame, is one of the best actors on the scene today. In this role he was suave, charming and devious, and he even held his own in a pretty epic fight with Carano. I wish he had a larger role in the movie; maybe then it would have been more of a must-see film.
With the A-list cast and the eye-popping action, Haywire is almost good enough to be a “B” Movie. Too bad the inconsistencies of the script ruin what could have been a decent film.
-Aliza Weinberger
