Review - Haywire (2011)

           Hey guys, Chuck here. Throughout the year, I discussed the Ocean's trilogy from director Steven Soderbergh. Today, I wanted to take a look at something different from Soderbergh: an action thriller he directed called Haywire. Showcased at the AFI Fest in 2011, followed by a theatrical release in 2012, Haywire stars Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum, Bill Paxton, Michael Angarano, Antonio Banderas, and Michael Douglas. 

        The movie opens in a diner, where we meet Mallory Kane, who is approached by a former associate of hers called Aaron, and the two discuss a previous job they pulled in Barcelona, and about another incident she was involved in that happened in Dublin. Aaron then attacks Mallory, and she does her best to defend herself. Luckily, a civilian named Scott helps Mallory, and she takes him to his car, and the two drive off, and she tells him her story. 

       Mallory, like Aaron, worked for a private contract firm run by her former boyfriend Kenneth. The firm she worked for pulls various black ops jobs around the world, usually for clients, such as the CIA, who want plausible deniability. And, we see the job that Mallory and Aaron pulled in Barcelona, which was to rescue a Chinese national named Jiang, and deliver him safely to a contact named Rodrigo. The job is successful, and Mallory returns to the States with the plan being to end her career with Kenneth's firm. 

      But, Kenneth has one more job for Mallory: pose as the wife of an MI6 agent named Paul, and attend a party with him at Russborough House in Dublin. At the party, Paul meets a contact named Studer, and the two head to a barn outside. Mallory follows them, only to find Jiang dead, clutching the brooch Mallory was given to wear so Paul could identify her. And, it's here where Mallory realizes she's been set up. Back at the hotel, Mallory is attacked by Paul, and she shoots him dead in self-defense. She then redials Paul's phone to Kenneth, and she realizes who screwed her over. 

       Mallory contacts Rodrigo to find out who set her up, and he in turn contacts CIA agent Coblenz, who had arranged the Barcelona job to begin with. Coblenz then calls Mallory to inform her of his suspicions about Kenneth, and arranges a meeting in Upstate New York. Coblenz then calls Kenneth, telling him to inform John Kane, Mallory's father, of her supposed crimes. And, it's here where we are caught up to the present, and Mallory's current predicament. Mallory and Scott are caught by police, who are killed by Kenneth's men. Luckily, she and Scott escape in a police car, and she lets him go, while heading to her father's house in New Mexico. 

        At John's house, Kenneth and Aaron arrive to tell him of what Mallory has done, and Aaron receives a picture of Jiang, dead, on his phone, making him believe Mallory might have been set up. Aaron presses Kenneth for the truth, but Kenneth shoots him and escapes, while Mallory takes down his men. Aaron apologizes for not believing Mallory, and he dies in her arms. Mallory then goes to meet Coblenz, who offers her a job working directly for him, but she has to finish what she started, which means taking out Kenneth. 

         Mallory catches up with Kenneth on a beach in Mexico, where they fight until his foot is caught between some rocks. And, it's here where Kenneth finally reveals the truth. Jiang, it turns out, was a journalist being held in a safe house, as he exposed Studer's ties to a human trafficking ring. Mallory was to deliver Jiang to Rodrigo, who delivered him to Studer, who would kill him with Paul's help, and they would frame Mallory for the crime, as she was planning to leave the firm. Paul, who was in on the frame, would then claim to have killed Mallory in self-defense. Now knowing the truth, Mallory leaves Kenneth to drown in the oncoming tide. The movie ends with Mallory confronting Rodrigo in Majorca, ready to kill him. 

         So, Haywire was a really gripping action thriller. The fight scenes are really tight, but also really easy to follow and see what's going on, with one of my favorites being when Mallory chases down a guy on foot, leading to a badass hallway fight, which is really cool. The writing by Lem Dobbs is absolutely terrific, and it's amplified by really strong directing by Steven Soderbergh. And, on top of that, the mix of casting established stars like Ewan McGregor as Kenneth, Bill Paxton as John, Antonio Banderas as Rodrigo, and Michael Douglas as Coblenz, all of whom were fantastic, with rising stars at the time like Channing Tatum as Aaron and Michael Fassbender as Paul, both of whom were also fantastic, was definitely a strength in this movie. But, it's Gina Carano as Mallory who deserves a ton of praise, as this was her first film as a leading actress, and she kicked ass. The way she was able to hold her own in fights in this movie was very much indicative of her skills from her time fighting in MMA, and I love how she was able to do her own stunts for this movie. And, not only did she do all of her own fights, but they were actually against the trio of Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum, and Ewan McGregor. 

        Now, I will admit to not being sure about this movie at first. But, after I sat down in a movie theater and watched it, I was hooked. This was a genuinely kickass movie with some cool action scenes and fight scenes, and being led by a genuinely badass woman. Gina Carano, regardless of how some may feel about her more recent political outspokenness, was a genuine delight in this movie, as she gave a charming performance and kicked all manner of ass while doing so. I can totally see why Steven Soderbergh wanted to build an action movie around her, and I'm glad he did. I'm giving Haywire a rating of 5/5. 

        Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys next time.