Haywire Peek

Steven Soderbergh's Haywire (formerly Knockout), a spy thriller starring mixed martial arts champion Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas, Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas and Bill Paxton, was research-screened last night at the Arclight Sherman Oaks, with Soderbergh in attendance. A guy I know and trust was there, and has shared some positive impressions.


(l. to r.) Soderbergh, Carano, McGregor, Douglas. (Art stolen from The Playlist.)

"Mallory Kane (Carano) is young, tough, beautiful, determined, and a freelance covert operative. She is hired out by her handler, Kenneth (McGregor), to various global entities, to perform jobs which governments can't authorize and heads of state would rather not know about.

"For all her looks and youth, Mallory is still the best in her field, and her skills are in constant demand. But when one of her operations goes awry, Mallory needs to use all her skills, tricks and abilities to escape an international manhunt, make it back to the United States, protect her family, and exact revenge on those that have betrayed her.

"The associations that came to mind were (a) any Bourne movie, (b) any Mission Impossible movie, (c) Taken, (d) Michael Clayton, (e) Wanted, (f) Panic Room, (g) Obsessed, (h) The Informant, (i) Body Of Lies, (j) Edge Of Darkness and (k) Red Eye.

"First and foremost for me were the strong parallels to The Girlfriend Experience. There are lots of closeups of our female lead, who's no actress but whose skills in her field probably make her more interesting than a star in the role. And there's an almost complete lack of affect on her part, and yet, for me, a lot of engagement in her situation.

"Another GE current, unlike most big thrillers, is Soderbergh's focus on the nuts and bolts of the situation. This is what creates and sustains the drama -- how does one get out of, or in to, situations like these? For me 'reality' is much more interesting than movie fiction.

"The fights are great. I've been in, and have personally choreographed, a lot of staged violence, and this was quality stuff. It does my heart good to see a young woman really kick ass. The brutality and desperation of the fights, in fact, at times seemed to appall more than thrill the audience, which is as it should be. As I write this (i.e., the following morning) I'm still thrilled."

The screenplay is by Soderbergh's Limey collaborator Lem Dobbs. The Lionsgate film is reportedly slated for a January 2011 release.

Posted by Jeffrey Wells on June 16, 2010 at 2:15 PM

comment #1

Nick X Author Profile Page says ...

Can't wait to see this.

Posted by Nick X Author Profile Page at June 16, 2010 2:19 PM

comment #2

George Prager Author Profile Page says ...

Where's Glenn Kenny?

Posted by George Prager Author Profile Page at June 16, 2010 2:29 PM

comment #3

The Bandsaw Vigilante Author Profile Page says ...

Beat me to it, George.

Posted by The Bandsaw Vigilante Author Profile Page at June 16, 2010 2:42 PM

comment #4

Sabina E Author Profile Page says ...

hell YEAH.

Posted by Sabina E Author Profile Page at June 16, 2010 2:47 PM

comment #5

julieW Author Profile Page says ...

The fight stuff with Gina is insane..seriously, after seeing this, Angie Jolie should pack it up and go home with all her over edited hair flipping action crap. This stuff is the REAL thing.

Posted by julieW Author Profile Page at June 16, 2010 2:48 PM

comment #6

LarryGopnik Author Profile Page says ...

This sounds AWESOME. Oh, and I believe the movie's Lionsgate, not Warner Bros.

Posted by LarryGopnik Author Profile Page at June 16, 2010 2:49 PM

comment #7

BlakeAnderson Author Profile Page says ...

saw it last night and loved it! Gina Carano is off the chart sexy...can't tell you how shocked/thrilled I was watching her destroy every man in the cast.

Posted by BlakeAnderson Author Profile Page at June 16, 2010 2:55 PM

comment #8

LexG Author Profile Page says ...

No woman can destroy Michael Douglas.

Between Solitary Man (excellent), MONEY NEVER SLEEPS, and this, I am so fucking thrilled that MICHAEL MOTHERFUCKING DOUGLAS is done with his Mr. Mom decade of the occasional lame potboiler and mugging in a romcom supporting role...

And back to being the smirking, cigar-chomping, awesome-hair-flowing, inappropriate-chick-banging, money-embezzling, tourist-shooting bad-ass he always was.

Posted by LexG Author Profile Page at June 16, 2010 3:21 PM

comment #9

Kerry Frey Author Profile Page says ...

Hello? Alias? Young female operative on the run?

Posted by Kerry Frey Author Profile Page at June 16, 2010 3:44 PM

comment #10

Sams Author Profile Page says ...

The next step for Carano would be to take acting lessons and join the long line of martial arts stars who transitioned to cinema stardom.

Posted by Sams Author Profile Page at June 16, 2010 3:50 PM

comment #11

LexG Author Profile Page says ...

Sorry, women doing martial arts or boxing or sports = NEVER sexy. Jocks = no irony or artistry.

Also never hot, ever? Italian women.

Posted by LexG Author Profile Page at June 16, 2010 3:52 PM

comment #12

Krillian Author Profile Page says ...

First thing that sprang to mind was Salt meets La Femme Nikita.

Color me intrigued, even though it has Ewan McGregor, who seems to be box-office death on everything he touches.

Posted by Krillian Author Profile Page at June 16, 2010 3:56 PM

comment #13

Billy Brown Author Profile Page says ...

Guys who are never right about women unless they're basically still nincompoop children (i.e. Kristin Stewart) = LexG

Monica Bellucci, Sophia Loren, Claudia Cardinale...all not sexy? REALLY?!

Posted by Billy Brown Author Profile Page at June 16, 2010 4:21 PM

comment #14

televisiontears Author Profile Page says ...

Can't wait for the commentary track in which Dobbs throws a tantrum over critics who attribute some of his ideas to Soderbergh.

Billy Brown, Belluci is in her forties, so she's about thirty years too old for Lex. Dude jacks it to Miley Cyrus for Christ's sake.

Posted by televisiontears Author Profile Page at June 16, 2010 4:25 PM

comment #15

Eloi Wrath Author Profile Page says ...

Gina Carano is great. Very hot. Sorry Lex, but you're wrong on this one.

Other hot sporty chicks: Hope Solo, the lady goalkeeper. And some tennis girls, no doubt.

Posted by Eloi Wrath Author Profile Page at June 16, 2010 4:26 PM

comment #16

MilkMan Author Profile Page says ...

Soderbergh has always been a kind of arch-genre deconstructor, so I'm glad he's finally gotten around to Andy Sidaris.

Posted by MilkMan Author Profile Page at June 16, 2010 4:36 PM

comment #17

Sams Author Profile Page says ...

Carano could join the Expendables sequel.

Posted by Sams Author Profile Page at June 16, 2010 6:32 PM

comment #18

Wes Caline Author Profile Page says ...

Milkman: please stay, man.

Posted by Wes Caline Author Profile Page at June 16, 2010 7:46 PM

comment #19

Josh Massey Author Profile Page says ...

Lex isn't a more-than-a-handful man, so of course he's not going to be into Italian chicks. To each their own.

Posted by Josh Massey Author Profile Page at June 16, 2010 8:01 PM

comment #20

CitizenKanedForPostingThoughts Author Profile Page says ...

Dobbs and Soderbergh? Count me in for sure.

And please add to the growing list of unbelievably attractive Italian foxes: Cristina Scabbia.

Posted by CitizenKanedForPostingThoughts Author Profile Page at June 16, 2010 8:14 PM

comment #21

CitizenKanedForPostingThoughts Author Profile Page says ...

Here's even a picture:

http://individual.utoronto.ca/sepehr/music/Lacuna_Coil2.jpg

You don't pop some wood from that, you are anti-vah-jay-jay, son!

Posted by CitizenKanedForPostingThoughts Author Profile Page at June 16, 2010 8:16 PM

comment #22

LexG Author Profile Page says ...

Oh, I like her, and Lacuna Coil. That version of Tout la Monde she did with Mustaine was better than the original (which is one of my favorite post-Countdown Megadeth songs to begin with.)

But more on topic, isn't it KIND OF weird for these pros to have to act opposite, and in support of, some MMA chick? Like when Sam Jackson used to do those rants about starring opposite rappers and how he's done all these years of theater and some hip-hop dude is suddenly starring in movies... I don't know, I gotta think if I'm Paxton or Douglas, I'd feel a little like Matthau and Heston roaming around the same movie set as Marjoe Gortner.

Posted by LexG Author Profile Page at June 16, 2010 8:21 PM

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jamesO.incandenza Author Profile Page says ...

Three B's to the MilkMan!

Posted by jamesO.incandenza Author Profile Page at June 16, 2010 8:39 PM

comment #24

CitizenKanedForPostingThoughts Author Profile Page says ...

You know, I'm sure that case with a lot of actors who work with rappers. Although I have to say, while I'm certainly no huge expert on "black cinema" (other than my usual suspects of auteurs like Lee, Hughes Brothers, Singleton, Peebles...maybe a little Fuqua) -- hell, I didn't know who Terry Crews was! -- the vast majority of dramatic performances given by rappers seem pretty damn decent to me. I'm thinking Cube in Boyz n Da Hood, Ice-T in New Jack, Diddy in Monster's Ball, 'Pac in just about anything (but especially Gridlock'd where he possibly outacts Tim Roth!), Will Smith in Six Degrees of Separation (still easily his best actual "acting," IMHO), Ja Rule in Fast & the Furious.

You know, I honestly can't really think of too many rappers who have given consistentlybad performances (LL Cool J would probably be one). They almost always seem to have loads of screen presence and believable line readings, neither of which I suppose should come as too much of a surprise given their day jobs. And doesn't being a rapper in and of itself almost force you to kind of take on an alternate persona, or at least shift or accentuate certain aspects of yourself for "the act?" In a way, they're almost more method than Dustin Hoffman circa 1975.

All of which leads me to believe that they should pair Daniel Day Lewis and Sticky Fingaz for the inevitable reboot of 48 Hours (and we all know it's coming, they're doing a prequel to Wizard of Oz, for chrissake!).

Posted by CitizenKanedForPostingThoughts Author Profile Page at June 16, 2010 9:10 PM

comment #25

Vadim Rizov Author Profile Page says ...

Thanks for that Marjoe shout-out, Lex. Made my day complete.

Posted by Vadim Rizov Author Profile Page at June 16, 2010 10:48 PM

comment #26

ZayTonday Author Profile Page says ...

LexG: Monica Bellucci would like to have a word with you and Wells, Gina Carano is not a MMA champion, Cris "Cyborg" Santos destroyed her to become the first Strikeforce Women's Champion and she is defending her title a week from Saturday on Showtime.

Posted by ZayTonday Author Profile Page at June 17, 2010 12:24 AM

comment #27

michael Author Profile Page says ...

I'm sorry, but even though I (secretly) share LexG's obsession with Kristen Stewart, I have to say that he is DEAD TO ME NOW. As an Italian American male, the idea that no Italian woman is sexy is absurd and ludicrous. It reveals the boy to be lacking in basic human sense.

Posted by michael Author Profile Page at June 17, 2010 4:54 AM

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Rich S. Author Profile Page says ...

Is LexG Jeffrey Wells' Tyler Durden? I'm beginning to wonder.

Posted by Rich S. Author Profile Page at June 17, 2010 5:51 AM

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Tryl3r Author Profile Page says ...

Oh, I like her, and Lacuna Coil. That version of Tout la Monde she did with Mustaine was better than the original (which is one of my favorite post-Countdown Megadeth songs to begin with
nice info thanks

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Posted by Tryl3r Author Profile Page at June 17, 2010 6:21 AM

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MAGGA Author Profile Page says ...

I can't believe how quickly Soderberg works! I remember him mulling about this project in that Poland intervjiew where they just filmed his shoes, around the time of The Informant!, and now it's done already? Staggering! If it's as good as reported it only makes it that much more impressive.

Posted by MAGGA Author Profile Page at June 17, 2010 6:34 AM

comment #31

Eloi Wrath Author Profile Page says ...

MAGGA: That's probably why he was able to assemble such a decent cast. Most of them probably only needed to show up for a week's work.

Looking forward to this one. Hopefully if "proper" directors start taking on more genre work like this, we might see an improvement in the quality of blockbusters.

Posted by Eloi Wrath Author Profile Page at June 17, 2010 6:36 AM

comment #32

Gaydos Author Profile Page says ...

Please alert me when someone makes a political thriller with a more radical and extreme (and righteous) stance than EDGE OF DARKNESS, which of course 90% of the critics in America missed completely.

Since WHO'LL STOP THE RAIN was largely overlooked in its time, I won't make too many judgements about the dismall times we live in, but will instead celebrate a movie that has the integrity to take its tale of corruption to a conclusion that includes the line "America is country full of people who deserve better leaders than they've got" and a chiling critique of the U.S. senate via Ray WInstone's icy stare and professional tidiness.

Posted by Gaydos Author Profile Page at June 17, 2010 7:26 AM

comment #33

DukeSavoy Author Profile Page says ...

"Is LexG Jeffrey Wells' Tyler Durden? I'm beginning to wonder. "

Rich S., you may be on to something. Is LexG just Wells' mechanical rabbit and we're the greyhounds giving chase?

Great way to build traffic, no? If so, hats off to Wells for sustaining the LexG persona.

Posted by DukeSavoy Author Profile Page at June 17, 2010 9:26 AM

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Ghost072 Author Profile Page says ...

"Also never hot, ever? Italian women."

And the winner, for Stupidest HE Comment of 2010 (so far), is...LexG!!

Posted by Ghost072 Author Profile Page at June 17, 2010 4:07 PM

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