by Karl Madsen, Editor

Remember the first time you see a movie that’s told in a non-traditional fashion? For many in the movie viewing public, it was the classic Tarantino flick, Pulp Fiction that indoctrinated us to the alternate story telling styles. Now, the Steven Soderbergh thriller, Haywire, uses an unusual style to tell the story of a black ops soldier on the outs with her company.

Haywire follows the last official mission of Mallory Kane (Gina Carano – Blood and Bone) that is meant to be her last mission, ever. Mallory’s boss, Kenneth (Ewan McGregor – Angels and Demons), along with clients Coblenz (Michael Douglas – Basic Instinct), and Rodrigo (Antonio Banderas – Desperado) have decided that she is a liability, and is sent on a mission that is supposedly a “vacation”, if the vacation is in a demolition derby.  When Mallory figures out that she has been set up, it’s time to take this partner Paul (Michael Fassbender – X-Men: First Class) out of the picture. By now she’s been framed for murder and is on the run from Irish law enforcement as well as the Company.

What makes the telling of the story unique is that it starts in the middle with Mallory meeting another Company agent, Aaron (Channing Tatum – G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra), at a diner, after making her way back in the states. Of course the reunion goes wrong, and she steals a car, and its owner, thus giving a vehicle for her to tell her story up to the point of the taking Scott (Michael Angarano – Red State) and his vehicle. The hardest thing about a movie like this is trying to tell you about it without spoiling the story. Suffice it to say that the story includes Mallory’s father John (Bill Paxton – Aliens), and revenge.

Special Features:

• Gina Carano in Training
• The Men of Haywire
• Widescreen Presentation
• English 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio

Karl’s Scores:

• Acting – A
• Setting – A-
• Special Effects – B+
• Tension – A
• Overall – A

Haywire is packed chock full of action and intrigue, with interesting twists and turns. The action sequences are fairly believable, and the one that aren’t are just plain fun. And like with any action thriller, it goes beyond reality and into a world we all wish we were in. I just realized that I compared the story telling style to Quentin Tarantino, but it doesn’t stop there. The flick concludes in a very satisfying, and somewhat implied, happy ending, but, there could be some loose ends that could easily lead to a Haywire 2, with some interesting plot twists.

ComicsOnline gives Haywire 4 ½ backstabbing bosses out of 5.

Get your copy of Haywire on DVD at Amazon.com.

Shoot ComicsOnline.com to the top of your favorites for more DVD Reviews and everything geek pop culture.