More

4

I really like when a movie is about a character so skilled at what they do it formally opens it up to move with a playfully stylish and effortless ease, even if what that job is the weightiest, matter-of-fact hand-to-hand operator combat of its decade. I think it was rejected on release for taking a genre so inherently exciting and emphasizing the banal savagery of it but that quality is exactly what makes it an interesting entry in the long line of assassin conspiracy actioners. Shame about Gina Carano too because she basically gives a perfect physical performance in this and Soderbergh builds it so well to her strengths it's genuinely insane that he's never tried his hand at this type of action again. Gorgeous digital anamorphic framing, very sharp montage cutting and of course a who's who of wonderful character actors playing slimy human trafficking CIA agents. What’s not to like?

7

Feels like an art-house action movie. Shot extremely well with many interesting and creative shots and moments. The music is fantastic, as well as the scenes without music. Editing is great, cinematography is beautiful. A nice assembly of talented, high-profile actors and a very solid turn by Gina Carano, who is a great screen presence and an absolute force. I truly believed she could kick everybody's ass. The fight choreography is stellar. The scene in the hotel room with Carano and Fassbender might be the greatest hand-to-hand combat scene in film history.

So...what went wrong?

Well, the script is just so god damn awful.

Get the script right, and everything else is icing. Mess up the script, and all you get is empty calories.

3

basically what’s been going on in my apartment between me and the mice

12

Haywire, or as it is better known 'Butch chick running around for hours in various cities with cool, swanky, used to death music in the background intermixed with a couple of fight scenes'

Surely there must be a plot? Nope, classic case of style over substance. Films like this need to have some sort of original idea story-wise. Haywire's plot borders on the senile, it is that obtuse. And it clearly thinks its viewers are morons as well as it has the urgent need to explain everything we already know.

I like Soderbergh, but he really overplays his hand here. A film like this cannot justify its existence by style and a supposedly cool soundtrack alone. It has to have suspense, shocks, involvement, in short, a plot. The only teeny, tiny merits I find here are a couple of cool and well-directed fight scenes. And that's it, really.

Review by Willow Maclay ★★★★

The athleticism and strength of the female body

5

After reinventing the heist genre with Ocean's Eleven, Steven Soderbergh is back with another classic but certainly entertaining spy thriller with plenty of kicks and punches.

Everyone´s favorite actress Gina Carano does a good job delivering some of the sassiness and the punches, though even with dubbing, it was evident she wasn't the best actress when it came to delivering anything resembling emotion and just felt a bit wooden. Additionally, the other great cast are also really good though not their best in their filmography, but they sell their characters; though at the end of the day, it was likely the stunt crew who did the bulk of the work, so they should be lauded for that.

On the…

Review by Bobby Wagner ★★★

Gina Carano super can’t act, but she can really throw a punch. Antonio Banderas has never missed. Channing Tatum is Soderbergh’s muse. Ewan McGregor is MY muse. Bill Paxton is there.

1

The most calming action movie I’ve ever watched. It’s like Soderbergh was holding my hand and stroking the top of it with his thumb the whole time. Neat! Four stars!

Review by matt lynch ★★★★½

hello operator.

4

Gina Carano, Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Channing Tatum, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, Bill Paxton. Everybody in this movie, please just punch me in the face and choke me out.

👧👊🤼‍♀️🤸🏻‍♀️🥋🗡🔫

Review by Max ★★½

Haywire is Soderbergh mixing his famous espionage thrillers with a full fledged action flick. After seeing this, I’m glad that he reverted back to his dialogue-focused, sleek dramatic thrillers. There are some good pieces, but the picture doesn’t come together.

The cinematography and editing are Soderbergh’s usual standards, but the script is very lackluster. The cast is surprisingly stacked in all the ing roles, but the one role miscasted was the most important.

I know she comes from UFC, but I thought Carano was absolutely dreadful in this movie. Her facial expression almost never changes and she seemed uncomfortable even in the most basic acting scenes.

The last 20 minutes were interesting and harken back to what Soderbergh does best, but 85% of this film feels hollow and lifeless.

Ranking Steven Soderbergh

Review by Joe ★★★★★ Liked

"Do we need to have a conversation about Barcelona?"

This is a perfect object, a multicourse meal of fights, chases, and espionage lingospeak without any even mildly unstimulating elements allowed in the frame. There should have been three or four more of these already.