Haywire

Ive never done (done here means kill) a woman before says Michael Fassbender. You shouldnt think of her as a woman. That would be a mistake replies... read more

Ive never done (done here means kill) a woman before says Michael Fassbender. You shouldnt think of her as a woman. That would be a mistake replies Ewan McGregor. Until yesterday Gina Carano was a name I didnt know existed in Hollywood but after watching this film I will be on the look out for the next one that has her name in the credits.

Whats it about? Gina Carano is double crossed by the company she works for. She has to find out who did it and stay alive while doing that which means chase, action, thrills.

How is it? Awesome

Why? The trailer gives you the impression that its a Bourne film with a woman in the lead but Steven Soderbergh infuses new life to a genre in which the chase & editing style are beginning to look the same lately. Love the way the men in the movie dont even think for a second that they are dealing with a woman. More than the flimsy story what hooks you and wows you is the way Soderbergh is telling it. It felt so refreshing to see action sequences where the camera is quietly observing it like a patient bystander. Even though the film has a superb cast in Michael Fassbender, Michael Douglas, Anotonio Banderas and Ewan Mcgregor it was only Gina who kept me glued. The last shot of this film goes straight to the series of best last shot in a movie. If you loved the use of music in the Oceans series then you will love what David Holmes adds to this one. Soderbergh is one director who has been consistent with every film he directs. He goes from Indie to Blockbusters and back to Indie with such smoothness that sometimes I think he suffers from multiple personalities & one of them would be Peter Andrews.

Final few words: Haywire is an action film for Jazz lovers. If you are a sucker for the regular fare served in the name of action thrillers do not go close to this one. The rest, RUSH NOW!!!

Rating: ***

Ticket Meter: Worth 150 bucks.
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Haywire is MI4 sans all the glamor, fun and shining star power. A minimalist attempt that makes too little actually seem enough if not more.The sto... read more

Haywire is MI4 sans all the glamor, fun and shining star power. A minimalist attempt that makes too little actually seem enough if not more.

The story is simple, an international assasin is implicated by her own team and labelled rogue. She is in turn out to find the truth behind this and avenge her honor. The film begins with the chase having already begun, and muchof the backstory is told in flashbacks.

The plot is devoid any gimmickry or extravaganza, baring it all to the fights, chase and story. Details given out on the whys and hows of things are only half, forcing the audience to deduce and join the blocks together.

The lead actress, an obviously important part in the film, Gina Carano, cannot act to save her life. She is brilliant in the action parts however hence the director uses her aptly and puts in huge elaborate fights and chases. Rest of the cast is either making odd faces or grumbling under their breath as they chase the lady. Antonio Bendaras too doesn't really get the ball rolling with his performance.

Haywire is not a good script. It is however a smartly put up piece that engages and entertains. The film is shallow lacking any real meaning or depth. Watch it for the action, chuck it if you are looking for anything more. view less

Trust an auteur like Steven Soderbergh to take a run-of-the-mill spy-thriller story and churn out something refreshing and unexpected. Hes been som... read more

Trust an auteur like Steven Soderbergh to take a run-of-the-mill spy-thriller story and churn out something refreshing and unexpected. Hes been someone whos never played by the rules and if his first foray into the action genre is something to go by then Im glad he hasnt hope he continues to do so. Those expecting a rerun of the James Bond or Jason Bourne style of filmmaking and shaky-cam action sequences will be in for a huge disappointment; this is a different beast all together, a child of jazz, unabashed brutality and subtlety.

A young woman, Mallory (Gina Carano) walks into a diner only to have an assassin, Aaron (Channing Tatum) walk in and try to accost her away. A fight ensues where other patrons of the diner get involved and Mallory escapes with one of them, Scott (Michael Angarano). As the movie moves into a lengthy flashback we learn about Mallory. Shes an agent working for a private contractor, Kenneth (Ewan McGregor) who gets hired to carry out some of the governments dirty work. After carrying out a job in Barcelona, shes betrayed and now a wanted fugitive on the run, shes desperate to clear her name and extract revenge on those who framed her. Much globetrotting, double-crosses, kicks and punches ensue before the movie reaches its slightly anti-climatic ending.

Soderbergh has an acute visual style which is only accentuated by his understanding of how to play around with the background score. He utilises mundane locations to great effect, giving certain warmth or depth to the imagery that makes the place more real than it might actually appear in the hands of someone else. No shaky camera movements & fast-cut editing means a greater cohesion in the action sequences, but by no means are they any less athletic or brutal than your Bonds or Bournes. Also by employing a jazzy background score to the action sequences, Soderbergh makes them refreshing to watch.

The story on the other hand is run-of-the-mill and only seems convoluted thanks to the disjointed narrative. At an hour and a half running length however, things move at a breakneck pace which unfortunately sacrifices things such as a character or plot development. Things are in shades of far too much absolute at times.

Newcomer Gina Carano has the physicality that is required of her to pull off a part such as this but falters a bit on the emoting end of things. This matters simply because she is in the thick and centre of things through much of the running length. The rest of the cast with high profile names seem a little wasted though each one serves their part amply enough.

Haywire is a not exactly a very smart or thinking mans action flick driven by plot or characters, rather its an interesting example of how the genre doesnt have to stick to clichs when it comes to technical aspects of filmmaking or even how to stage action sequences. Its definitely worth a watch, for something truly refreshing; just dont go in expecting an old-school slam-bang action fest.
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