Paula Patton provides a convincing action heroine in the new film “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.” But Patton might not last 30 seconds – on screen or off – against the star of the upcoming “Haywire.
Gina Carano, a model-slash-actress-slash mixed martial artist, is the star of director Steven Soderbergh’s latest screen project.
“Haywire,” hitting theaters next month, casts Carano as a mysterious agent fighting back against those who double crossed her. Standard action movie bullet points, no doubt. But Carano’s off-screen scrapping lends the trailer a juicy kick, and the talented cast – including Michael Fassbender, Antonio Banderas and Michael Douglas – adds plenty of class to the proceedings.
Will Carano punch her way into action movie fans’ hearts? January is a dumping grounds for bad films, so “Haywire” should have precious little competition.
The rest may be up to Carano, whose delicate features clearly haven’t been rearranged too much in the ring.
The trailer’s narration could have been stripped from an ’80s action movie, and the editing clearly doesn’t give us a lingering look at Carano’s acting chops. That never stopped Arnold Schwarzenegger from muscling his way to the head of the action movie class.