Haywire Starring Gina Carano (Guest Chick Review)

She’s been pushed too far! Things are gonna get all Haywire in here! Revenge is a bitch and so is Gina Carano!

Haywire tells the story of Mallory Kane (Gina Carano), a freelancing operative who works on contract when the Government officials don’t want to get their hands dirty. Ewan MacGregor is her ex-BF/boss, booking those gigs for her. Michael Fassbender, Antonio Banderaas, Channing Tatum, Bill Paxton, and Michael Douglas round out the cast of men who support Carano.

The first scene of the movie is what you see in the trailer – Mallory Kane is in a little coffee shop and Channing Tatum comes to escort her back. A balls out, brutal fight happens in mere seconds and we’re off on the run. As Kane “kidnaps” one of her innocent bystanders and she has him dress her wounds in the car, she tells him the story. We see how the gig in Barcelona goes down, how her follow up gig in Dublin goes awry, and we watch her on the run for the rest of the movie, seeking revenge. Let me just say this: I loved it! I loved how every bit of action was important to the story. I loved that for once, I could see a fight from start to finish without any flashy editing or camera angles to give an impression that I saw a fight. I loved that I could see this woman get the snot beaten out of her, yet she would still come out on top and kick ass and it wasn’t due over the top reasons. As Steven Soderbergh directs his homage to an espionage thriller, he lets the audience meet a character in between ass-kicking scenes and then reels us in when the action hits.  He takes out the music only heightening the moments as we’re forced to watch and feel every hit and moan, groan, and kick that happens each time. Gina Carano can do no wrong, she nails this role. She can carry acting and stunt performance with great ease. Soderbergh wanted every fight as realistic as possible, there are no wires, no effects, and no explosions. When Carano chokes someone to death with her legs, we see every awesome harsh second of it.

Some might have a problem with Soderbergh’s pacing in between fights, but not me. You’re not allowed to leave your thinking caps at home on this film, you are meant to be riveted on every realistic moment. Major points to the stunt and fight choreography team for such awesome work. This movie kicks ass.

Time Until Action: Just about 3 minutes.
Best Chase: Through the rooftops of Dublin!
Best Fight: Between Gina Carano and Michael Fassbender.
Action Rating: I give it 4 out of 5 fists of ass-kicking.

See also:
* Who’s the #1 Ass-Kicking Movie Heroine? With Haywire Giveaway!