Haywire Review from Haunted Flower

Gina’s Review of Haywire (HauntedFlower.com)

Gina (from HauntedFlower.com) reviews Haywire, a Steven Soderbergh-directed spy/action film starring MMA fighter Gina Carano in the lead role. She originally went mainly because the movie includes several well-known male actors, but her overall impression centers on Carano’s performance and action work.

Main Plot (as described)

Gina plays a Black Ops agent working for Kenneth (played by Ewan McGregor), her ex-boyfriend.

During a mission, something goes badly, leaving her to figure out what went wrong, who’s responsible, and why. The story unfolds as a blame-mystery while she digs for answers.

Highlights & What Stands Out

• Carano’s strengths

  • Gina praises Carano’s tough, physical presence.
  • She emphasizes that Carano does all her own action, fighting confidently “toe-to-toe” with everyone.

• Early acting nitpicks

  • Gina notes that, early on, Carano seems self-conscious.
  • A specific example: Carano licks her lips repeatedly during conversations (including one with Channing Tatum’s character).
  • Gina says Carano has the “tough chick” persona down, but needs more time to build a character and show deeper care/emotion.

• Fight scenes: frequent and engaging—yet style-limited

  • The action is frequent and helps prevent the film from sagging—especially when action hits about every five minutes.
  • Gina also says the choreography is interesting and well-done.
  • However, she prefers the punchier, hype energy of other action films.

• Realism doesn’t fully land

  • Gina feels the fight sounds and impact are “watered down.”
  • The action comes off as quieter and more realistic, with less punch-comic-book energy than she wants.
  • Even though it’s well staged, that choice reduces excitement for her.

Jokes / Key Reactions

• Gina jokes that if Carano “heard” her mispronouncing Carano’s name, Carano would likely “choke her to death with her legs.”
• She criticizes an early plot beat: Carano hijacks a car, then insists on telling her entire story to the person she stole it from.
  • Gina says the purpose feels unclear, and that the movie contains plot holes.
• She concludes it’s a film you can likely wait to rent, because seeing it in a big theater won’t help if the action doesn’t deliver the big, loud impact she expects.

Overall Verdict

The review is mixed:

• Gina finds Carano’s action work promising and sees acting potential.
• But she thinks the plot is messy, and the action style is less exciting than it could be.
• Overall, the movie feels best suited for a rental rather than a theatrical watch.

Personalities in the Video

• Gina — Host/Reviewer, HauntedFlower.com / HauntedFlowerReviews.com

Mentioned Actors/Characters

• Gina Carano
• Ewan McGregor
• Channing Tatum
• Michael Douglas
• Antonio Banderas
• Bill Paxton
• Steven Soderbergh (director)