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Haywire [Blu-ray] [Canadian]

1 disc
Region 1 USA/CA (info)

Mixed martial arts fighter Gina Carano makes her feature-film debut as a lethal government contractor who's betrayed by her own agency in this action thriller from writer Lem Dobbs (THE LIMEY) and director Steven Soderbergh (TRAFFIC, CONTAGION). Mallory Kane (Carano) is the woman the U.S. government calls on to take care of their dirty work. She's fast, efficient, and -- perhaps most important of all -- clean. But when Mallory makes the mistake of saving a Chinese journalist from certain death, she becomes an enemy to the very same government she once served. Mallory isn't going down without a fight, though, and after a close brush with death, she realizes that the only way to save her own life is to reveal the government's deception. Now, as assassins close in from all sides in an ominous attempt to silence her forever, Mallory sets a trap and races to reveal a massive deception that threatens global stability. Michael Douglas, Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, and Bill Paxton co-star.
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Credits

Gina Carano, Michael Douglas, Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Bill Paxton, Channing Tatum, Michael Angarano, Antonio Banderas, Mathieu Kassovitz
Critic Reviews

"[A]n elegant machine....Its lustrous surfaces offer great and guilt-free pleasure."
Wall Street Journal
3 stars out of 4 -- "[A] vigorous spy thriller that consistently beckons the viewer to catch up with its narrative twists and turns."
USA Today
3 stars out of 4 -- "Soderbergh is a master craftsman whose work moves almost eagerly between genres....It's a pleasure to see an A-list director taking the care to make a first-rate genre thriller."
Chicago Sun-Times
"Carano exudes the sort of self-confidence and physical wherewithal that leaves no doubt she can prevail in any situation."
Hollywood Reporter
3 stars out of 5 -- "It's about slick, muscular tag-team action chops....Pared-back purity of purpose is HAYWIRE's point -- and it's played with tough panache."
Total Film
3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[Soderbergh's] dexterity in managing a chronologically tangled multi-city narrative makes for stylish fun."
Box Office
"[W]atching Carano kick, spin, flip, choke, crack and crush the fiercest of foes -- mostly men about twice her size -- is thoroughly entertaining, highly amusing and frankly somewhat awe-inspiring..."
Los Angeles Times
"[T]he film, written by Lem Dobbs, proceeds through a series of expertly choreographed, meticulously edited scuffles and chases..."
New York Times
"[S]tylish, quietly exhilarating....That Carano does all her own stunts, of course, only adds to the allure."
Movieline
3.5 stars out of 4 -- "Soderbergh gives HAYWIRE B-movie oomph without sacrificing his fluid elegance."
Rolling Stone
3 stars out of 4 -- "HAYWIRE possesses a lean, unfussy style, from the blown-out lighting to fight sequences that Soderbergh stages with a minimum of unnecessary flourish or fanfare."
Washington Post
"Soderbergh drops all but the raw sound of pummeling from the fights, a masterstroke that Caranos dexterity makes possible....Shes a new model of action star." -- Grade: A-
A.V. Club
"Time and again, Soderbergh shows his mastery of action technique, filming and editing each set-to with electrifying composure, as the widescreen frame becomes a playground for limbs outstretched in combat."
Sight and Sound