Haywire

And the reason I give that advice is that you will have the opportunity to experience Soderberg again but I am not sure I can say the same for Carano.

This is of course a change of pace for Soderberg who is actually becoming known for his ability shape-shift between genres and do a pretty good job at each one he chooses.

This is an average spy thriller lifted to above-average by an A-List cast backed by Gina Carano in the action scenes.

Carano is the actual reason I wanted to review the film. She is a rarity in modern film, a good looking actress who shows not the slightest hesitation at going all JCVD on someone's butt if the script demands it.

And she is good. I mean there are multiple scenes here where she carries the attention of the viewer and it is hard to imagine another actress doing that as well.

The unfortunate part is that it seems no one in Hollywood wanted to accept the challenge of moving her career along even though it deserved to be moved. I watched her in IN THE BLOOD, a later effort framed as a B movie and lacking all the class and polish in this one.

Too bad. I miss her already.

This movie stands out from any movie I've ever seen for one reason: it is the only movie I've seen where I believed the people fighting were actually fighting. I can't remember ever seeing a film where I was actually wincing and tensing up from fear that somebody was going to get hurt.

This isn't a film that depends on CGI or fast cuts or clever angles or even stunt people for the most part. The star of the film is clearly a very physical and capable woman of action, and she made me believe she was actually hurting the people she was pretending to hurt.

For that reason alone, it will always stand out in my memory. Most action films these days are terribly boring because it's all so cartoonish and exaggerated and stylized, and therefore unbelievable and fake. But this film kept the action grounded in the physical capabilities of its very capable star, and that made it anything but boring. I guess it didn't do to well at the box office, which is too bad. If this had launched a franchise I'd have been a big fan.

Don't be put off by many of the poor reviews and generally low aggregated rating here. 'Haywire' is a solid action thriller, with good fight and action scenes, and good use of music, and solid direction. The pace moves along swifty and fits plenty in within the lean 93 minutes runtime. I'm not sure why so many people didn't like this enjoyable movie. To each either own, I suppose. But I think it's more than worth a watch.

Sharp, uncomplicated, and thrilling, 'Haywire' packs its punches quite effectively. The gloomy tone, the serious setting, the unapologetically aggressive fight sequences; this is an unusual action drama.

From the initial confrontation scene to the movie's comic ending, there isn't a single dull moment in it. The list of talented male actors involved is endless - Tatum, McGregor, Douglas, Banderas, Fassbender, Paxton. But it's the athletic and talented female lead, not-so-known Gina Carano, who carries the movie forward. She's like the female Bourne. I wonder why she hasn't done more movies.

The action sequences between Carano and the male actors are uniquely brilliant; the male and the female punch, hit and kick each other with the same amount of raw brutal force, which is not usually seen in movies. In that regard, the movie is quite feminist, in my opinion. And the fact that no sound effect or background score is used during the fight scenes make the sequences feel more real and effective.

The editing is tight, the camera-work is beautiful, the background score is minimal, and the story doesn't try too hard to be complex, which makes the movie an exhilarating ride.

Steven Soderbergh, Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum - the hype pre release was high but the reviews lacklustre. So when I finally came to watch this movie I had little expectation. As stated previously Soderbergh has tried to put an arty spin on an action movie which doesn't quite work. The story is too loose and some of the character development far too shallow. However for me the highlight was the surprisingly good performance from Gina Carano. A great introduction to high profile acting from a believable actor who looks stunning and can really pack a punch. Hopefully we will get to see a lot more of Gina in the future.