TITLE: Haywire
STARRING: Gina Carano, Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Channing Tatum, Michael Douglas
DIRECTOR: Steven Soderbergh
STUDIO: Relativity Media
RATING: R
RUN TIME: 93 min
RELEASE DATE: January 20, 2012

By Seth Miller
Staff Writer, Part-Time Ninja

Steven Soderbergh is a director who I have always respected. Apart from his more commercial work, when he gets an idea for a movie or sees someone to build a movie around he follows it through to the end. The result is sometimes not the best film, but I admire his determination to follow through on his idea. The latest example is the film Haywire, a movie in which Soderbergh builds a spy film around MMA fighter Gina Carano.

Mallory Kane (Carano) is a former Marine and an independent contractor who is hired to handle work that intelligence agencies feel requires her skills. After a job in Barcelona, she is asked to partner up with another agent (Fassbender) for a routine assignment. Mallory discovers that she is being framed by her boss and ex-boyfriend (McGregor), so she goes on the run to clear her name.

Soderbergh has built the whole movie around Carano, and she delivers for the most part. She has charisma and does well with the material; she is not the best actress, but she shows some skill, carries the movie, and should improve over time if Haywire is a hit. The main draw is the action scenes and they deliver better than I expected; they are kinetic, brutal, and Carano shows exactly why Soderbergh would want to build an action movie around her skill.

The plot of the film is window dressing for the action scenes; but it gets the film moving forward, has a couple of nice character moments, and it doesn’t clog the movie up and overshadow the action sequences. To help sell the film, Soderbergh has assembled a superb supporting cast that helps give the film some weight.

The cast is both a benefit and a bit a hindrance. The story could have used some fleshing out here and there, but the way it is doesn’t fully utilize the amazing supporting cast that the film has.The movie was made for action scenes for Carano, which are great, but because other areas are lacking, the movie doesn’t become too noteworthy. Soderbergh stages some great action scenes, but one or two could have been great but became too stylized and take from the action.

Haywire may not stick with people for a very long time, but Carano and Soderbergh have still come up with a very entertaining action film and that it’s worth the ticket price.

RATING: 7.5/10