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Haywire

Haywire (DVD Cover)

Cast: Mallory Kane (Gina Carano), Aaron (Channing Tatum), Kenneth (Ewan McGregor), Paul (Michael Fassbender), Rodrigo (Antonio Banderas), Alex Coblenz (Michael Douglas), John Kane (Bill Paxton)

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Theatrical release: 01/20/2012
DVD Date: 05/01/2012

Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 93 minutes

Note(s): An orginal screenplay by Lem Dobbs.

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Haywire

Review: This is a stylish thriller though at times a confusing one due mostly to the way the plot unfolds in a non-linear manner, with some of the scenes set in the present time and some presented as backstory.

Gina Carano stars as Mallory Kane, a talented if also overworked operative for a private security film. Looking forward to some well-deserved time off, she's given an assignment for which she seems to be uniquely qualified, one that the buyer insists she participate in. It is successful — extraction of a Chinese journalist from a "safe house" in Barcelona — though not without a hitch or two. Still, she's back in the US when she finds herself a target … of her employer.

There are a few elements to the storyline that I found quite appealing, mostly some unexpected twists that are simply sprung upon the viewer without much foundation … though to be fair, that's intentional given how the plot unfolds, jumping back and forth in time. The performances are all good, the direction crisp with a minimum of fuss. The international locations and the remote setting in New Mexico towards the end provide an interesting backdrop to the action, which seems designed to highlight Mallory's skills as a fighter.

I enjoyed Haywire, mostly for the intricate conspiracy-centered storyline, though I think it could have been more effective had it be told in sequence rather than as backstory cutscenes.

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Watch a trailer for the film below: