Haywire (2012)

I am usually harder on action movies than I am on any other genre. It is probably the most popular type of entertainment in the movie industry, which is probably why I get the most backlash for dissing them. At some point, it became the standard rule that all men are required to enjoy every action movie they see, lest they then be labeled boringly artsy or gay. I cannot conform to this way of thinking. I often criticize action movies because most of the ones I see are quite simply bad movies. They have no goals, content to live in fast-paced immediacy that dissolves into mindless lunacy. Your brain can gain weight like everything else without exercise. The fat-free action movies are scarce these days. They are the ones that put thrills second to story, but certainly use thrills as the building of character. Steven Soderbergh’s latest film Haywire is one of these rare entries.

The film sports a great cast, including Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas and Gina Carano as the woman spy who is on the run from her own employers who are trying to blackmail her. The story strives for a sense of realism, while also occasionally embracing its wilder elements. The film unfolds much more quietly than you might expect, which allows the story to sink in and be understood. When it breaks into a more traditional action mold, it is done with a definite degree of excitement, but with a careful precision that brings that essential element of sophistication that so many spy movies today lack (Remember the times when it wasn’t embarrassing to be involved in a James Bond movie?). Carano’s character is one we can believe in. I recall one particular scene, a roof-top chase that is done unlike any other. Our heroine is not able to leap and fly over buildings with the ease of a superhero. She has small flaws she must conquer to win her battle, which makes her quite human. Also, the action scenes are cinematic treats, flowing logically like music instead of being a sickening chaotic montage. The absence of a loud, distracting score is also beneficial.

Haywire is a vast improvement over Soderbergh’s last movie Contagion. That one made the mistake of trying to squeeze a million different subplots and characters into one movie and expecting us to follow and associate with each and every one of them. This film has only one star, with all the other characters actually supporting the story, rather than making attempts to have every subplot be equally important. This film is separated from others by featuring a heroine actually worth cheering for. I suspect many young ladies will be able to take away some girl power message from Carano’s ability to equal or better men in all of her predicaments. This movie can be neatly placed in-between two of last year’s great action movies, the beautifully poignant Drive and the expertly crafted Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, as it is equally exciting and interesting.

9/10