Haywire (Steven Soderbergh) ***

It's hard not to like Steven Soderbergh. This is a guy that can make an experimental drama, follow it up with a pure genre film, and back again. What's especially cool is that he brings the same thought and artistry to both. He essentially took a tv-movie idea in Erin Brockovich and made it feel like an offbeat independent film. He made a bank heist film with one of the most star-studded casts in recent memory and it never felt like a big budget Hollywood production. He did a sequel to that film that was even more strange than the original. Now here he is at it again with an exciting action film starring an MMA fighter that contains the same signature touch as his other films.

Haywire exists in an intriguing world of secret operatives. Mallory Kane (Gina Carano) is one of the best, able to take down just about anyone in a fight. She's often called upon to handle unseemly tasks that exist beyond the realm of legality. One particular operation goes really bad, leading to the death of someone she was supposed to protect. The blame is immediately placed on her and she now must go on the run, trying to clear her name and find out who double-crossed her.

Like in many of Soderbergh's films, Haywire a features lots of time shifting between present and past. We first meet Mallory after she's been double-crossed and she quickly learns that even her closest allies are against her. After being attacked at a diner, she runs off with a bystander who tried to help her. We then flashback to earlier operations, leading up to the one where she was framed. There's not much point to this bystander character as his presence never amounts to anything, so he's a pretty odd inclusion to the story.

The real treat here is in the flashback sequences, particularly during an operation where Mallory ends up facing off against fellow operative Paul (Michael Fassbender). The long, extended fight scene between these two is incredibly exciting. This leads to a really fun chase sequence over building rooftops. Soderbergh takes a minimalist approach during these action scenes. He doesn't rely on a blaring score or rapid cuts to try and make things seem exciting, instead counting on his MMA star to deliver the goods.

Carano acquits herself nicely in the lead role. It's not the most deep or complicated performance, but she's never wooden and displays a quietly menacing confidence that suits the character well. The supporting cast is quite good as well, including appearances from the always great Michael Fassbender,  Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, and Channing Tatum. Haywire is a very entertaining film that proves once again that Soderbergh can take pretty much any idea and apply his own unique style with great success.