Haywire

[Ted C]

Saw Haywire on Sunday evening. Not too shabby. The script writer holds on to exposition like it's made of gold, so if you miss an important moment (like my date did), then you remain confused for the rest of the movie. Gina Carano can act (although she's no Meryl Streep), and it looks like they blew most of the budget on the casting department. No special effects to speak of, and the leads seem to be doing most of their own stunt work.

There are a couple of "how did they know to find that there" moments that are never explained, and the lead (Mallory)never seems to learn how to avoid sucker punches, but I was entertained.

[WingedSerpent]

Saw it for a matinee on Sunday and was glad I did.  I really liked the fact that the fights where made to look real, taking advantage of Gina's mma training.  There's no real music playing during them, and the sound effects weren't overdone.

The movie is sort of a action/ thriller combo since there are plenty of lying, double crosses, who-did-what-to-who-and why-was -that -important moments. 

HOWEVER
The third act is a bit of a let down. The final fight is really anti-climatic.

As for Carano's acting, I almost feel there's a problem in saying how good or bad you find it. One of the things I learned about this movie is that they altered her voice. It may have just been the pitch, but it makes me wonder how it sounded originally. There may have been some things lost in the alteration.
(Below is a scene from the movie, and then an interview. See if you can tell what they did)
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ApCVw3PopE" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ApCVw3PopE</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESA1bajwK1Y" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESA1bajwK1Y</a>

There's already the movement on the internet to get her to star as Wonder Woman in a movie.

[Rev. Powell]

I thought it was pretty average, held together entirely by Gina Carano's charisma.  She is unexpectedly good, like movie-star quality good.  (Interesting point about her voice, WingedSerpent.  I never would have guessed).

I had lots of problems with the script.  It contains one of the worst planned and executed double-crosses in history.  Not only was the actual assassination attempt incredibly weak and unprofessional, but for some reason they deliberately set it up so the target could discover an important clue beforehand! 

[WingedSerpent]

I' somewhat disappointed by that this film isn't doing that well. Don't get me wrong, the movie has its flaws-but I wouldn't call it bad.

But this means

A.) Gina Carano probably won't get many other starring roles (outside of maybe some direct to DVD movies) and thus not have a real chance to improve. Which leads me to....

B.) We as a viewing audience may have missed out on a chance to get a real believable action heroine. Instead we'll get more wafer thin ex-models whose butt-kicking owes more to the special effects and editing departments.

[Hammock Rider]

I think they got too complicated with it. If they wanted to make her a star they could have started her off with some nice, old-fashioned 80's style action movies. Simple, exciting, that would have been the ticket for Gina. Just drop her into some unuused Steven Seagal/Chuck Norris vehicles would have been fine. How can you screw up making a star out of someone like this?

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YUkSudJ9ac" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YUkSudJ9ac</a>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xu_js1ZLhmQ" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xu_js1ZLhmQ</a>