There is nothing quite like starting off a year in movies with a definitive question mark, but Relativity Media seemed to have no problem with jumping into 2012 on a huge gamble. With a director of Steven Soderbergh’s caliber and a cast that included household names like Ewan McGregor, Antonio Banderas, and Michael Douglas, Haywire had all the makings of an early blockbuster, but the wildcard was undoubtedly Gina Carano. In the world of mixed martial arts, Carano is nothing short of an icon, holding a near-immaculate fighting record and having formerly been ranked the #3 female fighter in the world within her weight class …she certainly had the credentials to portray a female superspy who could give Jason Bourne a run for his money. Now, a strong fighting record was no guarantee that Carano could act, but certain personalities have made a successful transition from fighting ring to silver screen…case-in-point: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. I wasn’t expecting Oscar-caliber acting, but Haywire still looked like a legitimate and entertaining action film, and RottenTomatoes reviews were through the roof, so I was still excited to see and review Relativity’s newest project.
Wow, I’m not sure I can ever trust RottenTomatoes again, because Haywire was a colossal disappointment, misfiring on almost every level and offering no clear redeeming values. The first and most apparent shortcoming is the extreme mismatch in directing, with Soderbergh applying the wrong tone to the film; to put it simply, scoring a “spy thriller” with the same music you used in the Ocean’s Eleven movies is distracting and a little insulting. Now, bad directing aside, Haywire could have had a coherent, engaging, and entertaining story, but (SPOILER ELERT) it didn’t…at all. As for our leading lady, Carano shows shockingly little acting talent, showing that filmmakers clearly lost their gamble with the MMA fighter. Add in painfully obvious fight choreography, and it is hard to fathom how any of the big names attached to this project (some of whom who had little more than an extended cameo) were persuaded to have their names associated with this train wreck. Don’t let the critics and post-release promotions fool you…Haywire is not worth your attention and is an easy and early contender for Worst Film of 2012.
Overall Recommendation: Very Low
