Haywire follows Mallory Kane (Gina Carano), a freelance member of a private firm that is employed by the American government for covert operation assignments along with fellow member Aaron (Channing Tatum) and a few others. After handling a hostage rescue situation in Barcelona, Mallory is assigned another mission by ex-boyfriend and firm manager Kenneth (Ewan McGregor) in Dublin, which teams her with a British agent Paul (Michael Fassbender). In Dublin, Mallory realizes that a double cross has taken place, leading to her going rogue. From there, the chase is on, resulting in a tangled web that also involves Kenneth’s boss (Michael Douglas), his contact (Antonio Banderas) and Kane’s father (Bill Paxton).

As one might tell from the synopsis, the plot for  Haywire isn’t that complex. Screenwriter Lem Dobbs’ work here is very run of the mill in terms of action films. There are government double crosses, twists and turns, and a partnership/romance/betrayal angle that could honestly be found in any of those Cynthia Rothrock B-movies that play late night on channels like USA or TNT. Yet, the conventional writing is acceptable here. Sure, the script can be annoying at points; there’s a pretty big lull during the first half involving the set up of Carano & Fassbender’s mission that just bored me and the very end does leave something to be desired, especially after a pretty satisfying climax. Yet, for the most part, the story keeps at a fast pace thanks to Steven Soderbergh’s direction. Plus, it serves as a decent storyline that moves the film along enough in order to showcase the two main attractions: the action and the cast.

I’m not the most versed in the works of director Steven Soderbergh, but I’ve seen enough to know what I like and don’t like about him. Luckily, Haywire exhibits most of his positive traits directorially. The way he shoots the action here is refreshingly absent of style, letting the fight scenes and the participants within them speak for themselves. His use of style can be quite oppressive (such as the nerve wracking editing in The Limey or the needless 1970s infomercial style to the 1990s set film The Informant), but here the few distinctive stylistic touches fit well, particularly David Holmes’ 1970s Blaxploitation like score that keeps up with the film’s fast running pace.

The cast is impressive on the whole given the big names Soderbergh managed to pull. Yet, the most impressive performance comes from the relatively inexperienced newcomer. Gina Carano is really only known for her work as a mixed martial artist, which really serves her well during the impressive action scenes. However, she isn’t just a pretty (and I mean PRETTY) face who can kick the crap out of people. She does a surprisingly impressive job with the actual acting, managing to show some genuinely subtle emotion that makes her a human female character. As for the more recognizable names, their performances can be split up into three categories: doing the best they can with limited material (like Ewan McGregor, Bill Paxton, and Michael Fassbender), pulling a decent but forgettable performance (Channing Tatum and Michael Douglas) or unfortunately being just plain miscast (*ahem*… Antonio Banderas). Banderas is really the biggest flaw of the cast, bringing his usual Latin fast-talking charisma, which really doesn’t fit his out-of-shape and heavily bearded character.

Overall, this is a fun action thriller that’s a breath of fresh air in the dark pre-March theatrical releases. Sure, it’s got big issues and I doubt it’ll be that memorable come the end of 2012, but the action is consistently engaging and Carano is a worthy discovery for a specific reason; at one point, a cop in the film calls her “Wonder Woman.” Seeing her performance here, I could see someone calling her that in non-joking fashion. But that may just be me…

-Thomas Mariani