Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Haywire’ Premieres At AFI Fest In Hollywood
Odds are when you first saw thetrailerforHaywire,Steven Soderbergh’saction filmstarring MMA fighterGina Carano, you thought, “Why is a Steven Soderbergh movie starringMichael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas, Channing TatumandAntonio Banderascoming out in January?” January is an odd movie month as it’s generally a place studios can release films they’re unsure about. It doesn’t necessarily mean they’re bad, just without obvious award or blockbuster potential and such is the case withHaywire. It’s an understated, down-the-middle action/spy film elevated by Soderbergh’s direction.Haywirebasically comes off as an exercise to watch an attractive woman beat the crap out of a bunch of famous guys.
The film had its world premiere in Grauman’s Chinese Theater Sunday night as part of the 25th annualAFI Fest Presented by Audi. Read some thoughts after the jump.
Haywire’s DNA developed on the night when Steven Soderbergh saw Gina Carano, one of the best known female mixed martial artists in the world, fighting on TV. He thought she’d make an imposing screen presence and decided to develop a film around her. The result sees Carano as Mallory, an in-demand gun for hire who gets framed for murder and ends up on the run. Story isn’t of much consequence here though, nor does it make much sense. All you need to know is Mallory is mad and when she’s cornered, she’ll throw a triangle choke on you.
The fight scenes inHaywireare highly entertaining. All the actors did their own stunts and, with Soderbergh behind the camera, they have a strong sense of realism and weight. Plus, when Carano is simply a presence, she’s supremely bad ass and magnetic. When the movie isn’t showcasing Carano’s physical talents, though, her shortcomings are on full display. In a film filled with phenomenal actors, she’s simply outclassed. Her speaking scenes always feel like she’s trying too hard. To her credit, it’s not an awful performance, just an elementary one and even when she’s being blown off the screen by Fassbender or Douglas, you can’t take your eyes off her. She’s a star in the making. Her acting just has a long way to go before it can live up to her fighting.
Soderbergh’s direction is what truly distinguishesHaywirefor good and bad. Everything from way the film is edited, the shot selection, David Holmes’s (who also did theOcean’sfilms) mellow score to the choice of fonts alerting us to the international setting, is all done with a delicate precision. It takes a very familiar action story and makes it feel like a muted version of aBournemovie. There’s nary a moment that’s pulse pumping or hyper kinetic like we’ve become accustom too, which is kind of refreshing. If that’s something you crave in your action,Haywiremight put you to sleep. But if your eager for something a little more subtle, you’ll enjoy it.
Haywireis a typical action movie wrapped in atypical action skin. From the brain of Steven Soderbergh, we’d expect nothing less. Just maybe a little more. It’s scheduled for release July 17, 2025.
