Big Picture Big Sound

The Film

The thought of watching Ewan "Obi Wan" McGregor, Michael "Magneto" Fassbender, Antonio "El Mariachi" Banderas, and Channing "Duke" Tatum get their asses handed to them by a female Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) star is intriguing to say the least. And if you're anything like me, the fact that this bevy of beatdowns is orchestrated by none other than Steven Soderbergh (Out of Sight, Ocean's Eleven), you should be downright giddy with anticipation to see Haywire.

MMA all star Gina Carano jumps into acting with both feet (literally) with her role of Mallory Kane, a double-crossed black ops agent with revenge on her mind. Told largely in flashbacks, Haywire pits Mallory against a network of shady spooks with only her father (Bill Paxton) and a questionable government big wig (Michael Douglas) to turn to as she aims to set things right.

Haywire relies heavily on the physical presence of Carano to move itself along, and truth be told it's easy to see why Soderbergh was so impressed by Carano that he decided to build a movie around her. Her dialogue delivery will surely benefit from further practice, but she's clearly practiced plenty when it comes to kicking ass. Haywire's fight scenes are its saving grace, and Carano is both convincing and intimidating when it comes time to throw down.

Helping matters is the refreshingly natural and realistic shooting style employed by Soderbergh. Soderbergh wisely foregoes overpowering music during his fights and he doesn't overdo the sound effects when punches land. Instead, he lets the good old fashioned ultraviolence stand on its own, and it's in those moments that Haywire (and Carano) truly shines.

The Picture

Haywire boasts a fantastic high definition transfer courtesy of the folks at Lionsgate. Soderbergh's film isn't terribly colorful, but skin tones look quite natural in the sunlight and fine image detail - especially during close-ups - is rather impressive at times. This Blu-ray presentation of Haywire maintains a pleasant film grain veneer throughout and black crush and a loss of shadow detail is relatively minor during the film's nighttime visit to dad's house.

The Sound

Unlike most spy thrillers, Soderbergh's Haywire is a relatively quiet film, particularly at the onset. Dialogue is crisp and intelligible throughout, and subtle ambient sounds persist for much of the film's brief 93-minute run time. Despite the relative quiet, Gina Carano's aforementioned beatdowns do punctuate the soundtrack with nicely rendered sounds of shattered glass, low-end gut punches, and the occasional spray of gun fire. Overall, this is a solid soundtrack and every bit a match for the top notch video.

The Extras

If it's bonus material you're looking for, you best look elsewhere.  Unfortunately, we only get a pair of featurettes on this Haywire Blu-ray and only one of them is worth your time. "The Men of Haywire" is a throway collection of short interviews with some of the film's male cast members, but "Gina Carano in Training" does at least show us some of what Carano went through to get ready for her big screen debut. Still, at a mere 15 minutes or so, there's not much here to sink your teeth into.

Final Thoughts

Unfortunately, compelling fight scenes aren't enough to sustain a film. When Carano isn't opening a can of whoop ass, Haywire suffers from slow pacing, a needlessly convoluted story, and a wholly unsatisfying conclusion. The good news is that Haywire's awesome fight scenes look and sound great, thanks to an excellent technical presentation from Lionsgate. In the end, Haywire is worth a spin, but only to see Carano's christening as one of our newest action movie stars. Word is she's attached to the next Fast and Furious installment, and something tells me she'll make a fine addition to the mix.

Product Details:

• Actors: Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas, Michael Fassbender, Bill Paxton
• Director: Steven Soderbergh
• Audio/Languages: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (English)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Rating: R
• Studio: Lionsgate
• Blu-ray Disc Release Date: May 1, 2012
• Run Time: 93 minutes
• List Price: $39.99
• Extras:
  • Featurette: "The Men of Haywire"
  • Featurette: "Gina Carano in Training"
  • Digital Copy