MOVIE REVIEW: ‘Haywire’ creates realistic, engaging action film

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Steven Soderbergh does something with “Haywire” that can be very difficult to do with an action film: He makes it feel different.

“Haywire” could have easily been filled with over-the-top chase sequences and gun fights, but Soderbergh shows some restraint and creates a more realistic action film that also manages to stay engaging.

The movie stars Gina Carano as Mallory Kane, an operative who travels around the world performing covert operations for a government contractor owned by Ewan McGregor’s character, Kenneth.

Kane is part of an operation with motives more sinister than they appear, and someone tries to have her eliminated soon after the operation is complete.

The rest of the film consists of Kane trying to figure out who wanted her dead and why.

Carano is mostly known for her work in the octagon as an MMA fighter, so it seems like a natural transition for her to be in a film that requires athleticism and coordination during a chase or fight.

The fight scenes in “Haywire” are extremely well done. They differ from most action movie fights, because Soderbergh refrains from getting too close. Instead, the camera pulls back and follows the fights as they seem to unfold dynamically.

They may be choreographed, but they look completely natural. Punches are not accompanied by booming sound effects, and the moves characters perform on each other seem practical and completely plausible. The lack of exaggeration in the fights actually goes a long way in making them seem more visceral — more real.

The other action sequences are done in a highly stylized fashion. Some switch from color to black and white, while others have no dialogue and muted sound effects.

Each scene felt unique, and was usually accompanied by an awesome musical score. Each one is fun to watch for different reasons.

Carano may handle the fights with grace and deadly fluidity, but her acting falls a little short at times. She isn’t necessarily bad when it comes to the more dramatic scenes, but she doesn’t stack up too well when compared with the people she is sharing the screen with, like Michael Fassbender, Michael Douglas or Bill Paxton. Some of her lines just seem a little awkward in their delivery.

“Haywire” is not for everyone; mainstream audiences may actually find it somewhat boring at times. However, for anyone seeking an alternative to the bombastic sensory overload and break-neck pacing of most action films these days, “Haywire” may be just what they’re looking for.

Genre: Action-Adventure

Rated: R (Restricted)

Score: 4 out of 5