Haywire

With “Haywire,” director Steven Soderbergh achieves an uncommon achievement: making a girls-kicking-ass movie that itself kicks ass. Over the past few years, we’ve seen many failed attempts at this; we’ve had films such as “Tomb Raider,” “Aeon Flux,” “Ultraviolet,” “Resident Evil,” “Elektra,” “Salt” and, most recently, “Colombiana,” all of which didn’t so much kick ass as they did suck it. Only two recent examples spring to mind that rose above this menstrual stream of crap; these are Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill” from 2003 and Joe Wright’s “Hanna” from 2011; “Haywire” is set to join them.

In the leading role of this girls-kicking-ass action-thriller is retired mixed martial arts fighter Gina Carano, who some Americans may recognise as Crush from “American Gladiators.” This is Carano’s first acting role, a fact which admittedly rears its head on some occasions throughout “Haywire.” Nevertheless, Carano’s job here is all about the action and little about the acting; it is her job to fight good, and fight good she most certainly does.

Carano stars as Mallory Kane, a no-nonsense American superspy who handles jobs that often veer towards the murderous side of things. Mallory is a professional fighter, shooter, killer and rooftop-jumper. Get on her bad side, expect a few broken bones. Get on her good side, still expect a few broken bones.

In the opening scene, Mallory enters a small café in the middle of nowhere. There, she meets with ex-partner Aaron (Channing Tatum, “The Eagle”) and unexpectedly engages in a bloody battle with the buff potato-face. Soon enough, Mallory’s driving a car with its owner, stranger Scott (Michael Angarano, “Red State”), and telling him her story.

Through flashbacks, it is revealed that Mallory was double-crossed during a mission in Dublin that went a bit awry. Now a fugitive, Mallory is forced to go on the run from the law and from her own organisation. She’s gunning for revenge. But who betrayed her? Was it Aaron, was it the shadowy Rodrigo (Antonio Banderas, “Puss in Boots”), or was it ex-boss Kenneth (Ewan McGregor, “Perfect Sense”)?

For the most part, “Haywire” relies on its action, which is not a bad thing; it is an action movie, after all. The action is frequent, although not in a non-stop, “The Adventures of Tintin” kind of way. There’s a ton of action to be thrilled by, and thrilled by it we most certainly are. Scenes not featuring violent physical conflicts are rare, which is a good thing because “Haywire” is at its very best when it’s in combat mode.

The action is fast and lean. Soderbegh films and edits it with refreshing clarity. The action relies much on the fighting skills of Carano, who applies her mixed martial arts skills wherever applicable. She’s clearly endlessly talented in the area; she pummels guys in the gut, boots them in the face and bounces off walls with impressive ease; it’s mesmerising to watch, and also refreshing to witness – far too often is movie action reliant on special effects and wirework; good old-fashioned stunts will always be king.

Carano does a good job in the leading role, and not just on the ass-kicking front. She has a fairly powerful on-screen presence and succeeds in constructing a believable character out of a superspy action-chick. Sure, some of her line delivery is a bit off and can be rather wooden on occasion, but in terms of becoming and performing this character she is mostly successful. I predict a luxurious future for Carano in the movies, most likely in the action genre.

There’s also a superb supporting cast starring alongside Carano. As mentioned earlier, we have Ewan McGregor, Antonio Banderas and Channing Tatum (this is one of his better roles) lending their talents. We also have Michael Douglas (“Wall Street”) starring as a high-up official of Mallory’s organisation and Michael Fassbender (“Shame”) starring as a spy who works alongside Mallory in the ill-fated Dublin mission. It’s long been said that Fassbender will one day be James Bond; here, he’s the next best thing: a Bond girl.

This is Soderbergh’s 25^th feature film. As he’s proven time and time again, he’s a wonderful director of mainstream cinema. With “Haywire,” he’s proven this again: he’s made a splendid genre flick that serves as a hopefully successful star vehicle for Carano. It’s a fun, albeit forgettable ride that provides impressive, bone-crunching action that astounds and enthrals; many action directors should take note.

7/10