Rating : 7.1/10
Review :
“Haywire” is divided by places- Upstate New York, Barcelona, Dublin, Majorca, New Mexico, each holding significance to Mallory Kane’s (Gina Carano) revenge. She’s a freelance covert operative, working across the globe. In one of her jobs, she heads to Barcelona to rescue a man who seems to be hostaged. Aaron (Channing Tatum) and other coverts help Mallory complete the task. In what seems to be the end of that job, Mallory gets dispatched to Dublin only to find out that the man she has helped escape is now dead. She realizes she is getting double crossed by the same people who have hired her. Motivated by revenge and equipped with martial arts athleticism, Mallory hunts down the man who has set her up and manages to kill a few along the way.
Steven Soderbergh’s “Haywire” has the typical set-up for a double-crossing film. Most of the plot line feels ludicrous as the heroine manages to escape all kinds of security- Interpol, the local police and border lines. Considering she is being labelled a terrorist in order to arrest, she single-handedly avoids all chances at getting caught.
The joy of the movie lies right there. Designed by spectacular martial arts fighting sequences (and I’m assuming no stunt double was used), the bad ass no non-sense nature of Gina Carano is highly enigmatic. She pulls you in at first glance. I heard that her voice has been altered to sound deeper but her presence itself is powerfully intense. She glues you in from the moment you see her and you can’t take your eyes off until the end credits. Movies like such succeed because of its main character. And considering this is a debut for the former martial arts champion, it’s a rock-solid introduction.
“Haywire” never wants to be an important film. It knows its genre well and more importantly, it knows its audience. Hence, with the brilliance of Soderbergh’s direction, the film delivers very well. Most people might be turned off by the lack of dialogue but the way Carano moves and fights her opponent, it’s already a mouthful. I especially appreciate how Soderbergh uses color as an added effect to an already suspenseful moment. In the film’s climax where most of the characters come face to face at Mallory’s home, Soderbergh dilutes the scene in a chilling dark blue. He eliminates most of the sound and is left with footsteps and minor thumps. That scene itself is a major triumph for the film. You know what’s coming and you know where the players are situated, and when the truth about the events are revealed, Soderbergh delivers an electrifying and violent climax.
The film also has an excellent array of supporting players in Michael Douglas, Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Antonio Banderas, Bill Paxton, Channing Tatum and Michael Angarano. These are talented individuals that helped each scene arrive more intensely. others should take pointers on how this film was perfectly edited. There were no fillers, leaving you pumped from start to finish. It’s well-acted, well-directed and well-executed. “Haywire” is a first-rate action thriller.
