Haywire (2012)
Certified: 14
Duration: 93 minutes
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Gina Carano, Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Bill Paxton, Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas, Michael Angarano, Mathieu Kassovitz
KRS release

Director Steven Soderbergh once again flaunts off his versatility by following up on the excellent Contagion with a different kettle of fish but without any drop in quality.

In protagonist Gina Carano he has found an action heroine that really fits the part well and propels the film forward at full speed. A bit of background about Ms Carano is that she is a fitness model and also a retired mixed martial arts fighter.

Operative Mallory Kane (Gina Carano) is in trouble. She realises this immediately when she meets Aaron (Channing Tatum), her former partner and lover. He wants to take her back to their handler Kenneth (Ewan McGregor). She does not agree and in the ensuing fight she manages to defeat Aaron and escape. Unwitting help is provided by a bystander, Scott (MichaelAngarano).

As she takes a ride with Scott, she tells him her story: She was a Marine who had become an operative for hire. Kenneth was a private businessman who supplied the government with services. This included Coblenz (Michael Douglas), a US top-ranking figure, and Rodrigo (Antonio Banderas), a rather shady character. She had been involved in a hostage rescue operation where she had been teamed up with Paul (Michasel Fassbender). Kenneth, however, was not happy that she had left and this was going to have some repercussions.

Mallory has returned on the side of the state to settle accounts. Scott is enlisted to help together with her father John (Bill Paxton), an ex-Marine who now works as a novelist. Mayhem and chaos will be left in her wake.

Haywire is almost an artistic and female version of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Commando. Ms Carano has an air to herself that does not scream sexy model playing action heroine who looks prone to being broken at every jump or kick; instead she simply feels and looks to be the real deal. She is tough from the word go and the film moves to her rhythm.

This is no mean feat as despite the A-list cast, she dominates the screen whenever she is in focus. She transforms Mr Angarano into her sidekick while all the rest, including the versatile Mr Fassbender, play second fiddle to her.

Mixing together elements of The Bourne Identity and a gazillion of other special forces movies, Mr Soderbergh directs Haywire with an economic hand, boosting the script in no small way.

The movie does not simply present a female stereotype but rather a powerhouse action presence, which may be masculine at times but imbued with feminine charms.

This is the birth of a new action heroine that will make men wilt next to her.