Haywire: They Gave Her No Choice
I have to admit I was very skeptical of this movie. The only acting I saw from a mixed martial arts fighter was the Iceman Chuck Liddell in Entourage and Dancing With The Stars. Borrowing a line from the classic show Taxi, let’s just say the Iceman can’t act his way out of a paper bag. Sorry Chuck! So how will MMA’s cover girl fare?
Fighter Wannabe Actor
For the first few minutes I kept thinking, “Aw man, it’s just a fighter, Gina Carano trying to act!” Granted she’s easy on the eyes, but please don’t put me in a sleeper hold with your acting, ok? Is it just me or does she kind of look like Danica Patrick. Sorry I digress.
She’s Heating Up
As the story unfolded, I started to get more engrossed in the story. Half of the credit must go to the stellar supporting cast, half goes to the decent action adventure plot, and the last half goes to Carano herself. I was pleasantly surprised!
Final Thoughts
Not exactly sure what the mindset of the producers and Soderbergh was going into the project, but they did a great job surrounding Gina with some big names to cushion her acting debut. Fassbender and McGregor were great while Paxton, Banderas, and Douglas provided nice support and comedy relief. Tatum is thrown in as eye candy for female viewers, but not much else. Last, but not least, Carano could be in the running for action heroine of the future. She is an above average actor who participated and choreographed some amazing and very realistic fight scenes. A friend of mine who is a big MMA fan was itching to see this movie. This movie was entertaining, but for more bang for your buck, you’re better off catching Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Nothing personal Gina and keep up the good work.
Stay Inspired!
Buck
You better hope “Chuck” doesn’t find you Buck 🙂
Tatum is eye candy? Oh well; I have no further comment! Just kidding 🙂
I’ll stop making jokes. To be serious, I have heard that this movie is a first class thriller given an impossible premise. For example, how could any operation be in business for long with THAT much blood shed. I am aware that her performance was lauded critically, so that supports your claim. Overall, I am glad Soderbergh decided to tackle this genre.
While on a much higher magnitude, I will say that sometimes non-actors debuts can be remarkably strong such as Jennifer Hudson and Gabrielle Sidibe.
Great write up. Now I want to see it even more!
You know I love you Chuck! Yeah I know. Just wanted to cover all the main players. You’re on a roll. Haha! Thanks for the insight. Are you a movie critic in disguise?
I thought it was a good movie, but I definitely thought Gina Carano was just in there due to her MMA skills. She was a horrendous actress. However, the movie did get better as it progressed. I enjoyed it overall.
Horrendous? Tell us how you really feel, haha! I respect your opinion. I think I was looking for a female fighting machine, sly Stallone type. In that regard, I thought she did the job. I wasn’t looking for award winning acting. Like I said, her support and the story helped her along. Thanks!
Why does Tatum rub me the wrong way in films? I’ve never bought him…. I’m a Soderbergh fan, so I’m excited to see this flick. I have no expectations that a movie coming out in January (this one) will stand up to a holiday-box-office smash (MI: GP)….which WAS awesome, by the way (I can’t believe TC did his own stunts….).
Now your Danica Patrick comment has me fired up. I’d love to stay and comment but I’m grabbing the keys to head to the theater…..
He rubs me the wrong way too, but like I said, wanted to cover all the main players. Good mindset. Low expectations. Hopefully a pleasant surprise at the end. Have fun and tell me how it goes!
After watching her take a beating from Cyborg, I figured she would move on to something a little bit softer. Would love to see her in a Kung-Fu esque movie, thats for sure! Over dubs and all!
Nice to see you again David. If I got throttled by Cyborg, I would want to try my hand at something else, too. You are quite passionate and knowledgable about MMA. Kudos for totally nailing Jones vs Machida. Amazing call. You should get out of credit cards and into the UFC!
I’ve considered it! But I don’t think I’d last a round with any of them… including Carano!
Haha. I think you would purposely let her win! Who wouldn’t?
I wanted to see this movie because the trailer looked pretty good. I think I can get lost in the story through the action sequences. It will probably never win an award, but hopefully it will entertain me.
You nailed it. No acting awards, but it was entertaining.
The trailer makes me think of Angelina Jolie’s Salt except with less action. They have a good cast on hand. I not running to the theater though. Of course nothing has dragged me to the theaters in years.
Lee
See my guest post at Breakthrough Blog
This was similar to Salt. Jolie is always fun, but Haywire is better. What was the last movie you saw in the theater?
I like the Bourne Supremacy look and feel to this flic. Not sure I’ll make the effort to see it on the big screen, but definitely on Netflix. Are you a Danica Patrick fan BI?
It does have a Bourne look and feel. Nice call! Very observant Hunter. I guess I do have a soft spot for brunettes!
Acting is tough. I did a 3 year conservatory, movement, and voice and speech and needed therapy when I left. I did a few independent films, commercial work and several plays (2 plays that traveled all over.) Even though I got a lot of love from my community and fellow actors there were a lot of rough and depressing times. Good for her for trying and succeeding and I wish her all the success in the world.
Wow, you are a quite passionate about your craft! Are you still acting now or are you focused on your photography and writing?