Promo material for Haywire in 2011 quickly caught my attention, as it was to feature the acting debut of Gina Carano of MMA fame. Not that I'm big on MMA, but such crossover talent usually creates scope for the addition and introduction of interesting sport/art forms to cinema. Looking up her MMA stats, looks like Gina Carano had a string of victories, until she lost to Cris Cyborg Santos in 2009, and retired from MMA. In Haywire she plays a special ops mercenary, who is setup by her boss, and then is out on her own to exact revenge and set the record straight.
As expected, Haywire didn't play for very long in our theaters; and though it managed a worldwide gross in excess of its production budget, it wasn't a huge hit. My guess was that the international trailers and promo activity was limited, cause quite honestly it had an impressive cast including, Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, Bill Paxton, and Michael Fassbender. Add to that the trusted direction of Steven Soderbergh, and it had all the elements for a big hit. From a plot perspective the movie is very reminiscent of the Bourne series, and as much as the pace is mostly slow, it’s gripping. The action sequences are quick, and feel exquisite, with some moves and intensity that was startling. Considering that Carano was allowed to work some of her MMA moves into the fight choreography, it made for some entertaining action. Another nice touch was the seemingly real feel to everything. Not only was the action quick and rough-edged, but the narrative process too was filled with realities, that showcased the setup and the struggle-after as real life events, versus heroic. If you enjoyed the Bourne trilogy and would like to see some gritty action sequence from a very capable female lead, Haywire will quite impress you.
It's easy to see why Gina Carano has got into movies, and will probably do well. For one she has actual martial arts experience, and her moves do look good on screen. The extra features on the DVD had a good deal of content wherein the fight choreographers and trainers praised Carano for her ability to have quickly picked stuff up and gotten into the action. Add to that, her screen friendly visage, and there you have it, the practicality and appeal for an action star. While I can't say her acting was great, it was okay. Being her first movie, and being from a sports background, perhaps it's understandable. She does do a good job of the Mallory Kane character though, thanks to her tough as nails portrayal, with little to no emotion, which would be expected of a highly trained special ops mercenary. Channing Tatum of G.I.Joe fame plays Aaron, and it was interesting to see him in a slightly different action star role. He comes across as a not so smart, take-orders sorta guy, versus his usual characters; gotta give him credit for pulling it off so convincingly.
I watched this movie on DVD, and as most often it was a Region 1 US release. Picture was good, and the color tone was dull, grayish, and yellowish, in line with the spy/thriller theme; there were no bright or vibrant colors. Sound complemented the movie well, and was presented by means of a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround soundtrack. The extras on the DVD were worth checking out, to get some background on Gina Carano's entrance into Hollywood, and Steven Soderberg's vision for Haywire.
My Recommendation: Watch It (Gina Cerano, dishing it out… MMA Style)
As expected, Haywire didn't play for very long in our theaters; and though it managed a worldwide gross in excess of its production budget, it wasn't a huge hit. My guess was that the international trailers and promo activity was limited, cause quite honestly it had an impressive cast including, Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, Bill Paxton, and Michael Fassbender. Add to that the trusted direction of Steven Soderbergh, and it had all the elements for a big hit. From a plot perspective the movie is very reminiscent of the Bourne series, and as much as the pace is mostly slow, it’s gripping. The action sequences are quick, and feel exquisite, with some moves and intensity that was startling. Considering that Carano was allowed to work some of her MMA moves into the fight choreography, it made for some entertaining action. Another nice touch was the seemingly real feel to everything. Not only was the action quick and rough-edged, but the narrative process too was filled with realities, that showcased the setup and the struggle-after as real life events, versus heroic. If you enjoyed the Bourne trilogy and would like to see some gritty action sequence from a very capable female lead, Haywire will quite impress you.
It's easy to see why Gina Carano has got into movies, and will probably do well. For one she has actual martial arts experience, and her moves do look good on screen. The extra features on the DVD had a good deal of content wherein the fight choreographers and trainers praised Carano for her ability to have quickly picked stuff up and gotten into the action. Add to that, her screen friendly visage, and there you have it, the practicality and appeal for an action star. While I can't say her acting was great, it was okay. Being her first movie, and being from a sports background, perhaps it's understandable. She does do a good job of the Mallory Kane character though, thanks to her tough as nails portrayal, with little to no emotion, which would be expected of a highly trained special ops mercenary. Channing Tatum of G.I.Joe fame plays Aaron, and it was interesting to see him in a slightly different action star role. He comes across as a not so smart, take-orders sorta guy, versus his usual characters; gotta give him credit for pulling it off so convincingly.
I watched this movie on DVD, and as most often it was a Region 1 US release. Picture was good, and the color tone was dull, grayish, and yellowish, in line with the spy/thriller theme; there were no bright or vibrant colors. Sound complemented the movie well, and was presented by means of a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround soundtrack. The extras on the DVD were worth checking out, to get some background on Gina Carano's entrance into Hollywood, and Steven Soderberg's vision for Haywire.
My Recommendation: Watch It (Gina Cerano, dishing it out… MMA Style)
