Movie Review: Haywire
The last time I saw a film with the word "wire" in the title and a female lead was several years ago; that was Barbwire and the lead was none other than former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson. It was the perfect film for B-grade entertainment; a heroine executing action without her impressive cargo getting in the way and tossing amusing one-liners to anyone who stands in her way. I had reservations about the new film Haywire, but it's WAY different.
Plot
The movie opens with Mallory Kane entering a diner. She expected to meet former boss Kenneth but her friend Aaron shows up. Aaron tries to force her to leave the diner with him but she refuses: 1st fight scene in the film - ouch! One of the customers helps her to escape and as they flee the scene, she tells him the incidents leading up to the diner scene:
1) Barcelona
Kenneth is engaged by Rodrigo to rescue a journalist, Jiang from a "safehouse" in Barcelona. Kenneth assigns Mallory and Aaron to this mission, and they succeeded to deliver Jiang to Rodrigo.
2) Dublin
After another assignment Kenneth asked Mallory to join another mission; to pose as the wife of British agent Paul, while Paul meets a contact, Studer. While at Studer's mansion, Mallory discovers the dead body of Jiang and evidence that would incriminate her of the murder. When they return to the hotel room, Paul attacks her but she managed to overpower him and kill him.
3) United States
Mallory returns to the US and back to the diner scene, she and Scott encounter the police and a cool car chase scene ensues. She and Scott are apprehended by the police but they manage to escape when hired guns kill the cops. With the help of government agent Coblenz and the support from her father, she begins to uncover a betrayal and goes all out to get back at the perpetrators.
Cast
Gina Carano combines beauty and martial arts perfectly in this film. A former mixed martial arts fighter, she breaks no sweat in all the action scenes and looks great playing tough! Her acting is almost lazy but I'm gonna pin it on her inexperience. The male stars did great in their supporting roles: I'm not going to complain watching Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor and Michael Fassbender get their asses whopped on the big screen! :D The other male stars like Michael Douglas and Antonio Banderas did well to add mystery to the film.
Music
The soundtrack was composed by David Holmes. The music provided a good bass beat, some jazzy influence was present. It was simple and clean; a perfect match to the film's raw and direct storyline.
Conclusion
Haywire's plot does not stand out, but credits to the director Steven Soderbergh for presenting a heroine that's true to her character, not an unbelievably waify movie star executing punches for our viewing pleasure. There's something painful yet captivating about seeing a woman beat the living daylights out of big, strong men. You go, girl.
The movie opens with Mallory Kane entering a diner. She expected to meet former boss Kenneth but her friend Aaron shows up. Aaron tries to force her to leave the diner with him but she refuses: 1st fight scene in the film - ouch! One of the customers helps her to escape and as they flee the scene, she tells him the incidents leading up to the diner scene:
Kenneth is engaged by Rodrigo to rescue a journalist, Jiang from a "safehouse" in Barcelona. Kenneth assigns Mallory and Aaron to this mission, and they succeeded to deliver Jiang to Rodrigo.
After another assignment Kenneth asked Mallory to join another mission; to pose as the wife of British agent Paul, while Paul meets a contact, Studer. While at Studer's mansion, Mallory discovers the dead body of Jiang and evidence that would incriminate her of the murder. When they return to the hotel room, Paul attacks her but she managed to overpower him and kill him.
Mallory returns to the US and back to the diner scene, she and Scott encounter the police and a cool car chase scene ensues. She and Scott are apprehended by the police but they manage to escape when hired guns kill the cops. With the help of government agent Coblenz and the support from her father, she begins to uncover a betrayal and goes all out to get back at the perpetrators.
Gina Carano combines beauty and martial arts perfectly in this film. A former mixed martial arts fighter, she breaks no sweat in all the action scenes and looks great playing tough! Her acting is almost lazy but I'm gonna pin it on her inexperience. The male stars did great in their supporting roles: I'm not going to complain watching Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor and Michael Fassbender get their asses whopped on the big screen! :D The other male stars like Michael Douglas and Antonio Banderas did well to add mystery to the film.
The soundtrack was composed by David Holmes. The music provided a good bass beat, some jazzy influence was present. It was simple and clean; a perfect match to the film's raw and direct storyline.
Haywire's plot does not stand out, but credits to the director Steven Soderbergh for presenting a heroine that's true to her character, not an unbelievably waify movie star executing punches for our viewing pleasure. There's something painful yet captivating about seeing a woman beat the living daylights out of big, strong men. You go, girl.
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