I know I said I would talk about War Horse and Warrior, and I will. I'll also try to fit in something about Moneyball which I just saw as well, but right now I got Haywire on my mind.
I'm always down for Soderbergh. Even with his most commercial movies, he insists on doing something different. He's done comedy, drama, thriller, experiemental, documentary, and now with Haywire, he's made his first straight-up action flick. It's not the best or most exciting action movie out there, but then that's not what Soderbergh is trying to do. He set out to make a lean, mean, and surprisingly quiet action movie.
He also set out to introduce the world to Gina Carano, a female MMA fighter whom Soderbergh randomly saw on TV during a fight one night and decided that she should have her own movie. OK, a lot more decision making went into to than just that, but still, that's the jist. As it turns out, Carano is a real find. Not only can she kick complete ass onscreen, but she didn't embarrass herself while acting next to guys like Michael Douglas, Michael Fassbender and Ewan McGregor. There were a few moments here and there where it felt like she was just reciting dialogue, but again, that's why Soderbergh got some major players to help pick up the slack.
One thing that really surprised about Haywire, though, was how loose it feels. Which, admittedly, shouldn't really be a surprise at all considering its a Soderbergh movie. But I couldn't help but compare this to the Ocean's films. Not the comedic aspect obviously, but the long zooms and soft jazzy score help give it a much more entertaining quality to it.
In terms of action, Soderbergh went realistic and surprisingly quiet. All the fights are rough, and all the fights are short. Carano's character is the ultimate operative whose goal in any fight is to end it, and end it quick. Not only does Soderbergh just set the camera down and let the action play out, but he does it in a relatively quiet manner. When a punch lands, it's not overdone. We feel it not because we hear it, but because we can see it and we can believe it.
I have to admit I was expecting something a little more experimental when I walked into the theater, although not for any good reason. As always though, Soderbergh delivered something unexpected, which is why I keep seeing his movies, and why you should too.
I have the weekend off, so no excuses. War Horse, Warrior, and Moneyball this weekend. Suck it.
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