Today’s quick review: Haywire. Mallory Kane (Gina Carano) is one of the best private operatives in the intelligence business and the only reason her struggling employer Kenneth (Ewan McGregor) still has a company. Hot on the heels of a job in Barcelona, Kenneth convinces her to go to Dublin and work with Paul (Michael Fassbender), a British agent, on an undercover operation. But when the job goes south, Mallory is forced to strike out on her own.
Haywire is an action thriller from director Steven Soderbergh. Gina Carano stars as Mallory Kane, a savvy special operative who finds herself caught in a web of danger and deception. Haywire has a typical thriller setup, but the plot is handled well, Mallory is a capable protagonist, and the movie has a few good twists up its sleeve. The fight choreography is fast-paced and weighty, centered around some impressive stunt work by Gina Carano.
Haywire also has some subtler touches that help give it an identity of its own. A jazzy soundtrack, nonlinear storytelling, and a couple of well-placed montages show more thought than the typical action flick. The tradeoff is that nothing else about the film is groundbreaking. The plot falls within the established bounds of the action genre, the fight scenes are engaging but not unique, and Mallory makes for a solid protagonist but not a memorable one.
The end result is a movie that will appeal to action fans but won’t win over any skeptics. Haywire is a competent thriller that delivers on both plot and action, as well as a few minor stylistic touches to call its own. Viewers who are content with that will want to give it a shot. But those who are looking for something unexpected, with bigger thrills or a flashier main character, may want to keep looking.
For another action thriller in the same vein, try Close. For a more revolutionary action thriller with some of the same elements, try The Bourne Identity. For a more stylized action movie about a female agent paired with a partner she’s not sure she can trust, try Atomic Blonde. For a gritty, low-budget action movie with tight, brutal fights and a similar setup, try All the Devil’s Men.
5.8 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 for strong fights and a fairly interesting plot.