Gina Carano kicks ass. The former pro martial arts stars and American Gladiator spends the majority of Steven Soderberg's tense action film Haywire knocking seven bells out of the likes of Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender (yep, him again) and assorted extras - and it's a pleasure to see. As Louise pointed out, it's good to see a woman beating up tough guys in a movie, especially as she looks so very capable. Forget Angelina Jolie and Zoe Saldana - Gina Carano is the real thing.
Some reviewers have carped that because of this, Carano's acting chops don't quite match up to her karate kicks. To that I say: bollocks. Admittedly, this is hardly a role to stretch an actor, and I doubt she'd be able to pull off costume drama (unless it was Pride And Prejudice And Zombies), but as action heroines go she's not only believable: she's likeable. And just as good at the flirty dress-up stuff as she is the smackdowns. She's a hell of a lot more sexy and charismatic than Scarlett and not half as Terminatrix-scary as Angelina. And if you were to line her up against Sly or Arnie or Jean-Claude, she'd win in every category.
Haywire's plot is a typically convoluted affair (typical of Soderberg rather than most action movies) that'll have you scratching your head if you stop to think. Thankfully, you're rarely given a second to do so. The supporting cast, which also includes Michael Douglas (who I can't take seriously since Alan Patridge described him as "a grey crow") and Antonio Banderas, is uniformly solid and nobody seems unhappy about playing second fiddle to a virtual unknown. The weak link for me was Channing Tatum, a young actor with a head so square he can't help but remind me of Mr. Strong. Louise assures me he's not without his appeal... and along with Fassbender and Banderas, she was adequately catered for, so I didn't feel too guilty about my admiration of Ms. Carano. Something for everyone then...
