Didn't expect much from this other than Soderbergh's involvement. The film has its flaws, but it is quite entertaining nevertheless. Gina Carano shines as she is truly an authentic protagonist .
513 Reviews
Formula Action/Thriller.
swordsnare5 January 2021
Enjoy Soderberg, especially enjoy Carano
A_Different_Drummer31 January 2016
And the reason I give that advice is that you will have the opportunity to experience Soderberg again but I am not sure I can say the same for Carano.
This is of course a change of pace for Soderberg who is actually becoming known for his ability shape-shift between genres and do a pretty good job at each one he chooses.
This is an average spy thriller lifted to above-average by an A-List cast backed by Gina Carano in the action scenes.
Carano is the actual reason I wanted to review the film. She is a rarity in modern film, a good looking actress who shows not the slightest hesitation at going all JCVD on someone's butt if the script demands it.
And she is good. I mean there are multiple scenes here where she carries the attention of the viewer and it is hard to imagine another actress doing that as well.
The unfortunate part is that it seems no one in Hollywood wanted to accept the challenge of moving her career along even though it deserved to be moved. I watched her in IN THE BLOOD, a later effort framed as a B movie and lacking all the class and polish in this one.
Too bad. I miss her already.
This is of course a change of pace for Soderberg who is actually becoming known for his ability shape-shift between genres and do a pretty good job at each one he chooses.
This is an average spy thriller lifted to above-average by an A-List cast backed by Gina Carano in the action scenes.
Carano is the actual reason I wanted to review the film. She is a rarity in modern film, a good looking actress who shows not the slightest hesitation at going all JCVD on someone's butt if the script demands it.
And she is good. I mean there are multiple scenes here where she carries the attention of the viewer and it is hard to imagine another actress doing that as well.
The unfortunate part is that it seems no one in Hollywood wanted to accept the challenge of moving her career along even though it deserved to be moved. I watched her in IN THE BLOOD, a later effort framed as a B movie and lacking all the class and polish in this one.
Too bad. I miss her already.
Nothing new, but likeably cool!
martinrobertson3004821 February 2012
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.
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.
Good Fight Scenes
jcbinok12 March 2021
Gina Carano is spectacular in her fight scenes. The storyline is a bit jumbled and murky. Not sure what else to say about his movie: it's not the worst thing I've ever watched. Much better than, let's say, Hateful 8.
Chasing Gina
Prismark1031 August 2014
Haywire is directed by Steven Soderbergh and features an all star cast that includes Michael Douglas, Ewan McGregor, Antonio Banderas, Channing Tatum and Michael Fassbender.
However the main star is MMA fighter Gina Carano as Mallory Kane who works in black ops and is hired to pose as he wife of a British agent and ends up being a target for elimination herself. Carano has to unravel who is trying to set her up.
The film is shot with little dialogue and a moody setting, many of the known cast has small roles and its a 'unHollywood thriller' although Carano does get to kick ass as well as getting chased mainly in the streets or rooftops of Dublin.
Fassbender and Carano's scenes standout especially their combat sequences. Its an unusual film given the director is an Oscar winner 'A' lister director who has gone back to his roots and decided to make an independent action film. By and large he succeeds and Carano looks like someone, given the right material who could breakout as an action star.
However the main star is MMA fighter Gina Carano as Mallory Kane who works in black ops and is hired to pose as he wife of a British agent and ends up being a target for elimination herself. Carano has to unravel who is trying to set her up.
The film is shot with little dialogue and a moody setting, many of the known cast has small roles and its a 'unHollywood thriller' although Carano does get to kick ass as well as getting chased mainly in the streets or rooftops of Dublin.
Fassbender and Carano's scenes standout especially their combat sequences. Its an unusual film given the director is an Oscar winner 'A' lister director who has gone back to his roots and decided to make an independent action film. By and large he succeeds and Carano looks like someone, given the right material who could breakout as an action star.
Meh....
Chris018421 January 2012
Warning: Spoilers
I've literally just seen this and came out of the cinema thinking 'Was that it?'. OK, the fight sequences were good, an easy rival for the likes of Bourne, and the occasional one line comments did make me chuckle but the acting, especially from the lead character, was pretty poor. I even expected more from the likes of Douglas, McGregor and Fassbender!
The general plot was there and developed over what seemed like 3 hours, however I felt the film was disjointed, predictable, and why she insisted on befriending a random bloke and telling him her entire life story after stealing his car is beyond me.
All in all I felt cheated, let down, and like I was watching a well budgeted university film.
The general plot was there and developed over what seemed like 3 hours, however I felt the film was disjointed, predictable, and why she insisted on befriending a random bloke and telling him her entire life story after stealing his car is beyond me.
All in all I felt cheated, let down, and like I was watching a well budgeted university film.
Not expecting much so not disappointed
dejenkins6 November 2012
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.
Right ingredients, wrong director
Leofwine_draca22 June 2012
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.
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.
Classy Action Thrills
billygoat10715 February 2012
The story of Haywire is not really appealing. It's about someone tough who got betrayed then wants revenge. It's been used in so many action films. But Haywire has a different purpose to exist. It's about giving Gina Carano her own show with Steven Soderbergh's direction. It's pretty fascinating. Both merits cover the "cookie-cutterness" of the plot. It's not your standard action film with senseless explosions and mediocre dumbness. It's a film with art, style, and action scenes that are ridiculous and realistic. It's short but it's still worth the ride.
The film isn't really trying to be original, big, or loud. Haywire is one of Soderbergh's experiments. The story may not be original but he tells it in a pretty clever way. The first half of the film takes place on a car and shows a lot of flashbacks. The scenes are pretty slick. The action is silent but it's pretty awesome. Gina Carano made every fights dangerously exciting. The other stars does their thing but they don't appear that much. It's one of Soderbergh's trademarks. He casts some big stars but they end up being minor characters. Well, this is Carano's show. It's all about her.
The only thing that disappoints me here is it's too short and there are only few fight scenes. But there are still some action scenes that are pretty exciting like the car chase in New York and the SWAT chase in Dublin were well shot and have a good amount of suspense. The rest of the filmmaking: Well written. The score is fancy. The cinematography and editing are simply art.
Haywire is as simple as it gets. It may not be a fast action blockbuster but it is more interesting than that. It's not quite recommendable to everyone unless you like art films, Soderbergh's directing style, or Gina Carano. No female action star can fight like Gina Carano. It's fun to see her beat up all of these men. Since we are now stuck with action films with mediocre filmmaking, at least we get to see another classy action film like this. But the true core of this film is Gina Carano.
The film isn't really trying to be original, big, or loud. Haywire is one of Soderbergh's experiments. The story may not be original but he tells it in a pretty clever way. The first half of the film takes place on a car and shows a lot of flashbacks. The scenes are pretty slick. The action is silent but it's pretty awesome. Gina Carano made every fights dangerously exciting. The other stars does their thing but they don't appear that much. It's one of Soderbergh's trademarks. He casts some big stars but they end up being minor characters. Well, this is Carano's show. It's all about her.
The only thing that disappoints me here is it's too short and there are only few fight scenes. But there are still some action scenes that are pretty exciting like the car chase in New York and the SWAT chase in Dublin were well shot and have a good amount of suspense. The rest of the filmmaking: Well written. The score is fancy. The cinematography and editing are simply art.
Haywire is as simple as it gets. It may not be a fast action blockbuster but it is more interesting than that. It's not quite recommendable to everyone unless you like art films, Soderbergh's directing style, or Gina Carano. No female action star can fight like Gina Carano. It's fun to see her beat up all of these men. Since we are now stuck with action films with mediocre filmmaking, at least we get to see another classy action film like this. But the true core of this film is Gina Carano.
Mediocre, oh so mediocre...
pagangod21 January 2012
It's got a simple, but hugely unoriginal plot - Special Ops agent gets doubled-crossed (yawn) and proceeds to exact her revenge on those who wronged her, yeah, it sounds very much like the standard plot for your average Steven Seagal straight-to-DVD actioner - not a film directed by Steven Soderbergh!
I suspect that Soderbergh is not overly familiar with this particular genre, otherwise he might have avoided the clichéd script like the plague...
The direction for this piece is restrained almost to the point of inertia - any energy generated within the action scenes comes sorely from the mixed-martial artistry of Ms. Carano, it almost feels as if Mr. Soderbergh is embarrassed by the notion of directing an action thriller.
Soderbergh does his usual thing of peppering his films with stars and/or solid character actors, but despite the presence of the likes of Ewan MacGregor, Michael Fassbender, Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas, etc, they are underused in what are essentially expanded cameos - only MacGregor gets to shine a little, but his character is underwritten and lacks any credible motivation for his actions.
Gina Carano acquits herself quite well, especially so given the fact that she is carrying the movie on her inexperienced shoulders - that and the cold, hard reality that her character is basically a Jason Bourne clone, albeit with female genitalia...
The film also suffers from the fact that it doesn't have a climax, it just simply stops.
The restrained approach Soderbergh adopted for this film is it's undoing - short, sporadic bursts of action in an uninspired and leisurely-paced script damage Haywire badly, if Steven Soderbergh had bothered to have injected a bit more zest and flair into his direction, the film might have been redeemed somewhat and not turned into the lifeless, miserable clone that it is.
PG.
I suspect that Soderbergh is not overly familiar with this particular genre, otherwise he might have avoided the clichéd script like the plague...
The direction for this piece is restrained almost to the point of inertia - any energy generated within the action scenes comes sorely from the mixed-martial artistry of Ms. Carano, it almost feels as if Mr. Soderbergh is embarrassed by the notion of directing an action thriller.
Soderbergh does his usual thing of peppering his films with stars and/or solid character actors, but despite the presence of the likes of Ewan MacGregor, Michael Fassbender, Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas, etc, they are underused in what are essentially expanded cameos - only MacGregor gets to shine a little, but his character is underwritten and lacks any credible motivation for his actions.
Gina Carano acquits herself quite well, especially so given the fact that she is carrying the movie on her inexperienced shoulders - that and the cold, hard reality that her character is basically a Jason Bourne clone, albeit with female genitalia...
The film also suffers from the fact that it doesn't have a climax, it just simply stops.
The restrained approach Soderbergh adopted for this film is it's undoing - short, sporadic bursts of action in an uninspired and leisurely-paced script damage Haywire badly, if Steven Soderbergh had bothered to have injected a bit more zest and flair into his direction, the film might have been redeemed somewhat and not turned into the lifeless, miserable clone that it is.
PG.
A decent action thriller
Francois8415 February 2021
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.
A very cool retro spy film
jbarnes-1024 January 2012
I really liked "Haywire" and Gina Carano is one tough cookie with an ax to grind. The film has a very independent feel about it, along with a very retro style. Carano is great in her role, totally believable and the girl does her own stunts! The story is a bit hard to follow so you do have to pay attention and have a normal adult attention span. If you are expecting "Fast and Furious" or some other schlock like that, this is not the movie for you. There are intense action scenes and slower parts where the story really unfolds. All of the male stars in this film are simply backdrop for Gina's kick ass, don't f**k with me fellows attitude. A very unique and intelligent story worth seeing.
It's just bad.
guud21 January 2012
Warning: Spoilers
I was really looking forward to see this movie, because i like Jina Carano and love thrillers and action films. But Haywire is just bad. Weird colors and sound choices, supposed to add suspense but they didn't. Fights, that looked like sparring, because there were no strong punches and power in the moves. All the strikes and grips because of this looked fake. Overall bad and unconvincing action - chases were about mindless running, there were nothing special about them, despite all the tries.
I wish my English allowed me to explain it better, but i will do my best: if you, as a director, want something (fight or running scene) to look real, it would be wise to do some research, otherwise you will get really poor result. For example, in the Barcelona chase Jina's bottom was wobbling - nobody runs like this in the real life if he was in army, because, you know, everything you do in the army is running. It's just looks unprofessional and fake. Script is on same level of quality - huge conspiracy with big plot holes. Just bad movie.
I wish my English allowed me to explain it better, but i will do my best: if you, as a director, want something (fight or running scene) to look real, it would be wise to do some research, otherwise you will get really poor result. For example, in the Barcelona chase Jina's bottom was wobbling - nobody runs like this in the real life if he was in army, because, you know, everything you do in the army is running. It's just looks unprofessional and fake. Script is on same level of quality - huge conspiracy with big plot holes. Just bad movie.
Girl power
blanche-222 January 2014
According to what I read (or should I say waded through), Steven Soderbergh saw Gina Carano fight (she is an expert in martial arts) and wanted to build a film around her.
Haywire isn't your typical Soderbergh film. The plot is barely there -- a black ops agent is betrayed and seeks revenge on her betrayers. Big whoop. The star of the show is Gina Carano kickboxing, jumping, throttling people, you name it. That is one amazing athlete there. And the fact that she was up against all men was impressive. And she has a great figure.
The film also stars Channing Tatum, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, and Ewan McGregor, so the inexperienced Carano was surrounded by good people who didn't have much to do.
This isn't an action film up to the standards of a Bourne film, due to Soderbergh not doing much in the way of directing. It just doesn't pop. The ending is just blah.
Carano is the only reason to see it, if you want to see a top-notch female kickboxer in action.
Haywire isn't your typical Soderbergh film. The plot is barely there -- a black ops agent is betrayed and seeks revenge on her betrayers. Big whoop. The star of the show is Gina Carano kickboxing, jumping, throttling people, you name it. That is one amazing athlete there. And the fact that she was up against all men was impressive. And she has a great figure.
The film also stars Channing Tatum, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, and Ewan McGregor, so the inexperienced Carano was surrounded by good people who didn't have much to do.
This isn't an action film up to the standards of a Bourne film, due to Soderbergh not doing much in the way of directing. It just doesn't pop. The ending is just blah.
Carano is the only reason to see it, if you want to see a top-notch female kickboxer in action.
Take it for what it is
emtsulita10 June 2020
Gina Carano is a WICKED MMA fighter, which made the fight scenes epic. The plot was fairly basic, which made the movie go a little slow, but watching her kick ass and knowing she definitely could take those dudes down is definitely worth it.
Dumb movie. Too many big actors, too little brain-work.
shushens29 January 2012
Better than Ocean 13 perhaps, but still quite bad. Gina Carano did so much better than John Cena. Too bad the director was Soderberg and not an 'actually' intelligent man. IMDb published an interview of Antonio Banderas on Haywire, but I wonder why. His screen time is less than 5 minutes in total, and not the most interesting 5 minutes either. Reasons are not explained, characters are not detailed, it is not a respectable film overall. Some people called Mallory the female Bourn. That is another mystery, because when I saw the world through Bourn's eyes, I never had any problem understanding what he was feeling or going through. In this film, I had no attachment with any of the characters. If the bad guys just killed Gina Carano in the middle of the film, I would not really feel any different, because I had no idea why a bunch of people were just randomly hurting, shooting at, or killing each other. I read a review a while back, where someone criticized those who came to watch this film expecting a real action film or some award- winning performances. He wrote he liked this film honestly because of the surreal feel. I can kind of appreciate his remark. Surrealism and retardedness are two extremes that can sometimes cross over from one side to the other. For mentally healthy people, who expect to see female Bourn with stylish performances from McGregor, Banderas, Fassbender, etc., I do not recommend this film at all. The film is well shot, well edited, the soundtrack is not too horrible, so I give it a 5. If I had to rate only the substance, I would rate it 1, like many others have done.
Good action movie
synevy2 May 2012
Haywire is about a female special ops agent who has been set up while on a mission, and her effort to get herself out of any more trouble for she's still being chased. The film covers the story usually back and forth with many agents involved. Gina Carano and her fighting skills have been chosen for the leading role, alongside an interesting supporting cast such as Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas, Ewan McGregor, Channing Tatum, Bill Paxton and Michael Fassbender. Nevertheless, the film is moving around Carano's character. Douglas and McGregor seemed to play a decorative part and Banderas is charming his way through, while Tatum and Fassbender get their ass kicked pretty well! Don't expect jaw dropping performances because mostly it's all about the action.
The outcome looked like a Richie-Tarantino attempt. Lots of action and mystery with a little bit of sarcasm and a weird selection of music. Not bad (David Holmes in charge), but at a few points it just seemed that it didn't match the scenes.
A nice action film. No need for high or low expectations. Steven Soderbergh is just trying stuff. Enjoy!
The outcome looked like a Richie-Tarantino attempt. Lots of action and mystery with a little bit of sarcasm and a weird selection of music. Not bad (David Holmes in charge), but at a few points it just seemed that it didn't match the scenes.
A nice action film. No need for high or low expectations. Steven Soderbergh is just trying stuff. Enjoy!
No... Just no...
Jeromea_9122 January 2012
Warning: Spoilers
On a level I genuinely wish there was a way to get back the hours i just wasted
Acting - Gina is awful really, really bad. Fair enough, she's not an actor. But it is easy to see why. there's nothing to her and on top of that her poorness seemed to seep into the performance of others. Overall it was a bad project for all actors involved.
Action - -_- at no point was i even close to the edge of my seat in this film. the fighting is decently choreographed but nothing special whilst everything else was boring and predictable. Real low point was a chase scene on roofs where she did nothing that i am not capable of. I've seen more impressive things on youtube.
Music - this has to be mentioned simply because its annoying as hell.
Overall i'm glad to see the ratings of this film falling. I only wished i'd looked at these reviews a few hours later. I could have saved a tenner.
Acting - Gina is awful really, really bad. Fair enough, she's not an actor. But it is easy to see why. there's nothing to her and on top of that her poorness seemed to seep into the performance of others. Overall it was a bad project for all actors involved.
Action - -_- at no point was i even close to the edge of my seat in this film. the fighting is decently choreographed but nothing special whilst everything else was boring and predictable. Real low point was a chase scene on roofs where she did nothing that i am not capable of. I've seen more impressive things on youtube.
Music - this has to be mentioned simply because its annoying as hell.
Overall i'm glad to see the ratings of this film falling. I only wished i'd looked at these reviews a few hours later. I could have saved a tenner.
Nice Run
Tweetienator12 November 2021
One could be tempted to vote "style over substance" because the story itself is more or less just an old book in a new cover but a fine cast (Fassbender, McGregor, Tatum, Douglas, Banderas, and last but not least, Gina Carano, who is a superb and believable heroin - completely different from those typical Hollywood actress who do not weight more than a feather or two and beat up guys 10 times their weight ;) ) and the momentum of the movie and all those fine composed cam shots/perspectives make Haywire a fine action ride.
Laugh out Loud Fun
akol42521 January 2012
Warning: Spoilers
I must start out by saying I found myself laughing throughout the entire movie. The only problem is that this wasn't a comedy at all. The painful dialogue and nonexistent plot line, almost made me leave in the middle of the movie. However I stayed waiting for the plot to take forum and for the action to pick up... it never did. Not a single character is developed throughout the movie, and for the most part it is just a series of bland discussions that are pointless until the end of the movie. This isn't a Fight Club or Usual Suspects twist ending either, it is just simply a recap of what had happened. While the plot is bad it is hardly the worst part of the movie. Some of the action scenes are just incredibly boring. While I wasn't expecting a well developed plot going into this movie, I did expect good action sequences. Whether it was the car chase where she is driving backwards at about 5 miles per hour, or the stupid sprint on the beach it was astoundingly boring. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY.
I really enjoyed this movie for one reason
imdb-1265011 May 2012
This movie stands out from any movie I've ever seen for one reason: it is the only movie I've seen where I believed the people fighting were actually fighting. I can't remember ever seeing a film where I was actually wincing and tensing up from fear that somebody was going to get hurt.
This isn't a film that depends on CGI or fast cuts or clever angles or even stunt people for the most part. The star of the film is clearly a very physical and capable woman of action, and she made me believe she was actually hurting the people she was pretending to hurt.
For that reason alone, it will always stand out in my memory. Most action films these days are terribly boring because it's all so cartoonish and exaggerated and stylized, and therefore unbelievable and fake. But this film kept the action grounded in the physical capabilities of its very capable star, and that made it anything but boring. I guess it didn't do to well at the box office, which is too bad. If this had launched a franchise I'd have been a big fan.
This isn't a film that depends on CGI or fast cuts or clever angles or even stunt people for the most part. The star of the film is clearly a very physical and capable woman of action, and she made me believe she was actually hurting the people she was pretending to hurt.
For that reason alone, it will always stand out in my memory. Most action films these days are terribly boring because it's all so cartoonish and exaggerated and stylized, and therefore unbelievable and fake. But this film kept the action grounded in the physical capabilities of its very capable star, and that made it anything but boring. I guess it didn't do to well at the box office, which is too bad. If this had launched a franchise I'd have been a big fan.
'Haywire' looks really special but doesn't live up. It's merely decent.
Movie_Muse_Reviews7 December 2012
Steven Soderbergh has a reputation for directing films that are great, weird or anywhere in between. You can, however, always depend on the right pieces to be in place, as he has a devoted following of A-list actors who agree to star in everything he does. With Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, Ewan McGregor, Channing Tatum and Michael Fassbender in supporting roles, "Haywire" certainly has a large part of the equation covered in order to work, but it falls decidedly in the "anywhere in between" category.
MMA fighter Gina Carano is the foundation around which "Haywire" attaches its many Oscar- caliber ornaments. A fresh-faced action star padded with so many superb talents, Carano automatically rises to the top of this vanilla action-thriller concoction. Despite some really wooden line delivery in a number of scenes, she's got action star chops, and her character, contracted black ops agent and ex-marine Mallory Kane, isn't treated differently for being female.
"Haywire" isn't quite by-the-numbers as far as modern post-Bourne special agent action- thrillers go (nothing by Soderbergh ever is), but it places all its novelty in Carano's hands. She's an entertaining watch, but she's not going to take generic material and make it awesome — no one's that talented.
Lem Dobbs' screenplay isn't really a problem, as plenty of films in the genre have been made out of worse, but neither he nor Soderbergh make an argument for why you should watch "Haywire" instead of another movie (or even another viewing of any "Bourne" film) other than to see all the stars that have been collected to play minor characters.
"Haywire" follows a classic betrayed agent looking for revenge premise. Mallory is an asset working for a private ops contractor named Kenneth (McGregor) who is thinking about getting out. The film opens after he's betrayed her and left her for dead in Dublin, and she's set to meet with him in upstate New York, except he sends her coworker, Aaron (Tatum), who attacks her in order to bring her in. She breaks his arm and escapes in the car of a random person at the diner (Michael Angarano) and tells him the whole story of her betrayal as she flees.
Soderbergh downright refuses to follow some of the most fundamental conventions of the action genre in this film, which keeps "Haywire" fresh but ultimately renders it somewhat stagnant. The trade off for avoiding something stylistically generic is depriving the audience of some of the usual tactics of action films to engage and maintain interest. With a short run time, "Haywire" never gets too boring, but it does at times feel flat.
The technique Soderbergh uses that stands out the most involves flipping the traditional use of scoring in an action film. Whereas most movies use silence to build suspense and then use music to underscore the intensity of an action sequence, Soderbergh does the opposite: he enlists David Holmes (of the "Ocean's" films) to create synthetic-sounding '70s action music leading up to action confrontations and then cuts the sound completely to make the fighting feel more raw and natural. It has an interesting effect that manages to work in the fight scenes, but it sets an awkward tone for the build-up given how dated the music sounds.
The hand-to-hand (or I should say foot-to-throat) combat scenes we get are rather exciting with this raw presentation, and it suits Carano well given her talents before she decided to try acting. She is definitely beautiful, but she's not lady-like, and as you watch her you aren't distracted by her sex. The point is that it would be wrong to categorize her as a femme fatale or anything we've previously seen in this genre. She's an action star and she earns it here.
Solid is one and perhaps the most applicable of the many unremarkable yet reputable adjectives one could use to describe "Haywire." Its detractors will likely come from disappointment over potential rather than poor filmmaking and considering the names on the poster, it's not an unwarranted complaint. One could also argue that without the level of pedigree, the material wouldn't warrant any attention but the bargain bin. Best, then, to attribute to "Haywire's" lack of being special to some miscalculation on all fronts. Fortunately, it's quite tolerable nonetheless.
~Steven C
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MMA fighter Gina Carano is the foundation around which "Haywire" attaches its many Oscar- caliber ornaments. A fresh-faced action star padded with so many superb talents, Carano automatically rises to the top of this vanilla action-thriller concoction. Despite some really wooden line delivery in a number of scenes, she's got action star chops, and her character, contracted black ops agent and ex-marine Mallory Kane, isn't treated differently for being female.
"Haywire" isn't quite by-the-numbers as far as modern post-Bourne special agent action- thrillers go (nothing by Soderbergh ever is), but it places all its novelty in Carano's hands. She's an entertaining watch, but she's not going to take generic material and make it awesome — no one's that talented.
Lem Dobbs' screenplay isn't really a problem, as plenty of films in the genre have been made out of worse, but neither he nor Soderbergh make an argument for why you should watch "Haywire" instead of another movie (or even another viewing of any "Bourne" film) other than to see all the stars that have been collected to play minor characters.
"Haywire" follows a classic betrayed agent looking for revenge premise. Mallory is an asset working for a private ops contractor named Kenneth (McGregor) who is thinking about getting out. The film opens after he's betrayed her and left her for dead in Dublin, and she's set to meet with him in upstate New York, except he sends her coworker, Aaron (Tatum), who attacks her in order to bring her in. She breaks his arm and escapes in the car of a random person at the diner (Michael Angarano) and tells him the whole story of her betrayal as she flees.
Soderbergh downright refuses to follow some of the most fundamental conventions of the action genre in this film, which keeps "Haywire" fresh but ultimately renders it somewhat stagnant. The trade off for avoiding something stylistically generic is depriving the audience of some of the usual tactics of action films to engage and maintain interest. With a short run time, "Haywire" never gets too boring, but it does at times feel flat.
The technique Soderbergh uses that stands out the most involves flipping the traditional use of scoring in an action film. Whereas most movies use silence to build suspense and then use music to underscore the intensity of an action sequence, Soderbergh does the opposite: he enlists David Holmes (of the "Ocean's" films) to create synthetic-sounding '70s action music leading up to action confrontations and then cuts the sound completely to make the fighting feel more raw and natural. It has an interesting effect that manages to work in the fight scenes, but it sets an awkward tone for the build-up given how dated the music sounds.
The hand-to-hand (or I should say foot-to-throat) combat scenes we get are rather exciting with this raw presentation, and it suits Carano well given her talents before she decided to try acting. She is definitely beautiful, but she's not lady-like, and as you watch her you aren't distracted by her sex. The point is that it would be wrong to categorize her as a femme fatale or anything we've previously seen in this genre. She's an action star and she earns it here.
Solid is one and perhaps the most applicable of the many unremarkable yet reputable adjectives one could use to describe "Haywire." Its detractors will likely come from disappointment over potential rather than poor filmmaking and considering the names on the poster, it's not an unwarranted complaint. One could also argue that without the level of pedigree, the material wouldn't warrant any attention but the bargain bin. Best, then, to attribute to "Haywire's" lack of being special to some miscalculation on all fronts. Fortunately, it's quite tolerable nonetheless.
~Steven C
Thanks for reading! Visit moviemusereviews.com
Haywire was so bad it made me mad!
toddatthemovies23 January 2012
I don't know where to begin, it was just awful. Reviews with a negative base are never taken seriously or noted as helpful but I am here to tell you DON'T SEE THIS MOVIE! There has been so much praise and hype about this movie its mind boggling. I enjoy an action movie, heck I even enjoyed Mark Wahlberg's movie "Contraband". Gina Carano simply cannot act. Not even a little bit. I heard they reedited her voice for the movie and for the life of me I can't imagine it was worse then it is now. The scenes were painfully long and incredibly slow. The fighting was predictable and terrible. Now let's talk about the movie.
The movie starts with Gina, a special op for hire, meeting a colleague for some unspecified covert meet and some nondescript diner. After some Thoroughly confusing double talk, a fight ensues. This quick action and actually decent fight scene gets ones hopes up that we may be in store for a good movie quickly deteriorates to the dumbest escape scenes ever. This entails hijacking a random car with a guy who she proceeds to tell her out of Sequence life story to. The storytelling is fractured and set in a 70's kind of vibe and feel, very similar to "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" but not remotely as successful.
I could bore you with details about how there's a double cross and she wants to get even with everybody, but why? The movie is packed with stars and directed by Soderbergh and can't manage to be watchable. With low expectations I was still brutally disappointed. Do yourself a favor if you must see it wait till redbox. Even then it will suck but you'll only be out $1.50 for Blu-ray.
The movie starts with Gina, a special op for hire, meeting a colleague for some unspecified covert meet and some nondescript diner. After some Thoroughly confusing double talk, a fight ensues. This quick action and actually decent fight scene gets ones hopes up that we may be in store for a good movie quickly deteriorates to the dumbest escape scenes ever. This entails hijacking a random car with a guy who she proceeds to tell her out of Sequence life story to. The storytelling is fractured and set in a 70's kind of vibe and feel, very similar to "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" but not remotely as successful.
I could bore you with details about how there's a double cross and she wants to get even with everybody, but why? The movie is packed with stars and directed by Soderbergh and can't manage to be watchable. With low expectations I was still brutally disappointed. Do yourself a favor if you must see it wait till redbox. Even then it will suck but you'll only be out $1.50 for Blu-ray.
Excellent Action and Fight Scenes
blperoc28 April 2012
If you have watched the Bourne Identity you have seen some of the worst fight scenes ever. Missing frames and shaking cameras don't make for great fight scenes.
This movie just had excellent fight scenes that depended on the knowledge and abilities of an great, real life fighter and man does it show.
It is puzzling that this only has a 6.1 because there is also a cerebral element to this film, you have to watch closely to know what is going on.
Maybe there is why it is rated so low, most out there like quick action, but poor fight scenes and dumbed down fluff.
This is a solid 7 of 10 and I'm looking forward to the next movie from Miss Carano.
This movie just had excellent fight scenes that depended on the knowledge and abilities of an great, real life fighter and man does it show.
It is puzzling that this only has a 6.1 because there is also a cerebral element to this film, you have to watch closely to know what is going on.
Maybe there is why it is rated so low, most out there like quick action, but poor fight scenes and dumbed down fluff.
This is a solid 7 of 10 and I'm looking forward to the next movie from Miss Carano.
Good, but her latest film is a lot better.
planktonrules7 April 2014
Mallory Kane is a paid operative--an agent who is one of the best in the business. However, when the film begins, someone she thinks is a friend tries to kill her--and the action doesn't stop there. But why are all these folks shooting at her? Who is behind it? All this is for Mallory to discover...if she manages to survive.
"Haywire" is an amazing film. After all, it stars a relatively unknown actress (Gina Carano) and yet is make by one of the top directors and features cameos from some top stars. Clearly, they feel Ms. Carano can be a top star herself--and I strongly agree. However, I do not agree that this is a great showcase for her. While it's a good film, it has one huge problem--a confusing plot that you really don't need! Her latest film, "In the Blood" has a much simpler plot and allows the real star of the movie to shine--Carano's INSANE fighting skills! Her MMA and Muay Thai training clearly are seen in both films--and she makes Van Damme and the other male action stars look like pansies. She does all the stunts, she gets tossed around like a rag doll and she probably has a lot of bruises to show for it! But, she also has some amazing films-- filled with intense action and which will get your adrenalin pumping.
"Haywire" is an amazing film. After all, it stars a relatively unknown actress (Gina Carano) and yet is make by one of the top directors and features cameos from some top stars. Clearly, they feel Ms. Carano can be a top star herself--and I strongly agree. However, I do not agree that this is a great showcase for her. While it's a good film, it has one huge problem--a confusing plot that you really don't need! Her latest film, "In the Blood" has a much simpler plot and allows the real star of the movie to shine--Carano's INSANE fighting skills! Her MMA and Muay Thai training clearly are seen in both films--and she makes Van Damme and the other male action stars look like pansies. She does all the stunts, she gets tossed around like a rag doll and she probably has a lot of bruises to show for it! But, she also has some amazing films-- filled with intense action and which will get your adrenalin pumping.
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