Action films are often polarizing. They're either really cool...or a "Fast and the Furious" installment. Put the right director behind the film, and that often means the difference between quality and shit.
"Haywire" is an example of how an action film can be done right. What could've easily turned into another "Salt" or "Alias" became something more -- with nothing more than quality writing, cast and direction. No heavy special effects needed.
Mallory Kane (MMA fighter Gina Carano) is in serious trouble. What was to be a simple kidnapping job in Barcelona for a covert US government group has gone wrong, and now, she's on the hook for murder and several other charges she's not responsible for. In order to track down those responsible, she has to go through her handler Kenneth (Ewan McGreggor), US Government agent Coblenz (Michael Douglas), head of the Barcelona job Rodrigo (Antonio Banderas), and fellow agents Paul (Michael Fassbender) and Aaron (Channing Tatum) to find the truth. The problem is...with every answer comes two more questions, and the web of deceit keeps getting more tangled.
Cult classic director Steven Soderbergh ("Ocean's 11/12/13", "School of Rock", "The Good German", amongst MANY others) takes the reigns of "Haywire" in attempts to make one of the few truly intelligent action movies. From a script by Lem Dobbs ("The Score", "Dark City"), "Haywire" disposes of the explosions, catch phrases and muscular men from East Germany, and focuses on the story.
When you get a cast like this together, it's hard not to enjoy the top notch performances, especially from Tatum, Fassbender and McGreggor, who usually put in amazing performances in what they do anyhow. The major surprise here is MMA fighter-turned-actress Gina Carano. Perhaps not the seamless transition Quentin "Rampage" Jackson in "The A-Team", Carano manages to maintain her presence in the league of vastly bigger names. By keeping her performance low-key in the midst of high-tension situations, Carano takes the lead role by the reigns and makes her mark wonderfully.
Like many of Soderbergh's films, the key to success is subtlety. Much like last year's great "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy", the action is kept to a minimal and the score is underplayed, intensifying the dialogue and situations so that the action is more meaningful.
Keep one thing in mind: this film is NOT for the typical action fan. The main reason this film didn't succeed with audiences but did with critics is that subtlety and action don't really combine well for the typical contemporary audience. While people came expecting Milla Jovavich left empty handed, while those knowing Soderbergh's work know exactly what they were getting out of it.
FINAL VERDICT: "Haywire" proves the existence of the intelligent action film without being as visually spectacular as "Inception" nor as explosion-ridden and blood-thirsty as "The Expendables". Low-key and dialogue-heavy, yet still enough pulse-pounding action to keep your attention going, "Haywire" is a great break from the normal action film.
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