Piégée

Once again, I stepped into a movie with zero expectations, and was pleasantly surprised. People told me to avoid "Haywire" but I found it reasonably entertaining.

First off, I was amazed by the number of likable actors that are in the movie - Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas and Bill Paxton (where has he been hiding?) all star in co-roles. I don't know the main actress in the movie but she did a fine job, and apparently did all her own stunts.

Flick has been un-fairly compared to Angelina Jolies "Salt." Why? Because it stars a woman kicking guys ass's perhaps? I guess their plots are kind off similar too, but "Salt" was an over the top action movie. Outside of a couple of movie-style fights "Haywire" feels more realistic, but where it really succeeds is in its style. It works as a cool thriller that I found myself smiling at because off the way it tells its ex-assassin-getting-chased-again plot. Although maybe not everyone will give it a thumbs up, I will because I enjoyed it.

Sharp, uncomplicated, and thrilling, 'Haywire' packs its punches quite effectively. The gloomy tone, the serious setting, the unapologetically aggressive fight sequences; this is an unusual action drama.

From the initial confrontation scene to the movie's comic ending, there isn't a single dull moment in it. The list of talented male actors involved is endless - Tatum, McGregor, Douglas, Banderas, Fassbender, Paxton. But it's the athletic and talented female lead, not-so-known Gina Carano, who carries the movie forward. She's like the female Bourne. I wonder why she hasn't done more movies.

The action sequences between Carano and the male actors are uniquely brilliant; the male and the female punch, hit and kick each other with the same amount of raw brutal force, which is not usually seen in movies. In that regard, the movie is quite feminist, in my opinion. And the fact that no sound effect or background score is used during the fight scenes make the sequences feel more real and effective.

The editing is tight, the camera-work is beautiful, the background score is minimal, and the story doesn't try too hard to be complex, which makes the movie an exhilarating ride.

Don't be put off by many of the poor reviews and generally low aggregated rating here. 'Haywire' is a solid action thriller, with good fight and action scenes, and good use of music, and solid direction. The pace moves along swifty and fits plenty in within the lean 93 minutes runtime. I'm not sure why so many people didn't like this enjoyable movie. To each either own, I suppose. But I think it's more than worth a watch.

Steven Soderbergh, Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum - the hype pre release was high but the reviews lacklustre. So when I finally came to watch this movie I had little expectation. As stated previously Soderbergh has tried to put an arty spin on an action movie which doesn't quite work. The story is too loose and some of the character development far too shallow. However for me the highlight was the surprisingly good performance from Gina Carano. A great introduction to high profile acting from a believable actor who looks stunning and can really pack a punch. Hopefully we will get to see a lot more of Gina in the future.

The problems with HAYWIRE can be laid firmly at the door of director Steven Soderbergh, who is entirely unsuited to directing what should be a pulse-pounding thriller. Soderbergh's light 'n' breezy, art-house-style direction is at odds with the kind of gritty, realistic, down 'n' dirty vibes he's aiming for here, and the result is an oddly unrewarding movie that goes through the motions, ticks all of the boxes, and yet fails to make any impact on the viewer whatsoever. Although it looks good, it turns out to be a hollow, slightly soulless exercise in movie-making.

The good thing about HAYWIRE are the martial arts scenes: they're very well filmed, highly exciting and utilise to full advantage the skills of real-life mixed martial arts fighter and lead Gina Carano. Having recently rewatched the BOURNE trilogy (in preparation for the upcoming BOURNE LEGACY), I can acknowledge they're the equal of anything in those movies. However, it's the long, slow passages in-between the action that really cause this film to stall. Soderbergh shoots them in his usual way, with jazzy music playing in the background and subdued, quick-fire dialogue, and while that worked in the likes of THE LIMEY and OCEAN'S ELEVEN, it just doesn't here.

The whole exercise feels artificial, and you get the impression that Soderbergh is trying too hard. There's no palpable tension, no sense of build-up, no suspense about what's going to happen to the protagonist. In fact, it's all rather boring, and you're left itching for the next fight scene to take place. Compare this with THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, in which I was on the edge of my seat during the non-action bits, caught up in an involved conspiracy storyline, unable to wait to find out what was going to happen next. HAYWIRE flatlines between the martial arts antics.

The script doesn't help; it's on the level of the average Seagal DTV actioner, and makes some truly odd decisions (like highly skilled/unbeatable agent Carano telling her life story in flashback to a random stranger throughout the course of the film – far better to have adopted a linear structure and just begun at the beginning instead of this wannabe clever-clever stuff). There are other pluses: the cast is faultless, and Soderbergh even elicits a rather effective performance from walking muscle Channing Tatum. But some of the seasoned performers are underutilised: Douglas, Banderas and Paxton are given little to work with, and Ewan McGregor is miscast in a wishy-washy role.