After the slight misfires of “Bubble,” “The Good German” and “Ocean’s Thirteen” (the latter of which really put our theory that the director is incapable of making an uninteresting movie to the test), we were concerned that Steven Soderbergh might be moving into a lull in his career. Fortunately, the helmer followed up with “Che,” one of his best-ever efforts, the deeply underrated “The Informant!,” and his next project, “Contagion,” is one of our favorite scripts of the year so far.
But before that, we’ve got his semi-experimental action movie “Haywire” (recently renamed from working title “Knockout”), which toplines MMA fighter Gina Carano, alongside an all-star cast featuring Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas, Bill Paxton, Michael Angarano, Matthieu Kassovitz, Channing Tatum and Antonio Banderas. The release date is currently set for next January, but it appears that the movie’s already nearing completion, as Jeffrey Wells recently received reports from a ‘trusted source’ who was at a test screening at the Arclight in Sherman Oaks.
And, despite some questionable reference points raised in the review (“Taken?” “Wanted?” “Obsessed?”), the word is good. By all accounts, the action delivers, the source saying “the fights are great. I’ve been in, and have personally choreographed, a lot of staged violence, and this was quality stuff. It does my heart good to see a young woman really kick ass.”
At the same time, however, Soderbergh’s indie credentials seem firmly in place; apparently “Soderbergh’s focus on the nuts and bolts of the situation” is in evidence, lending a sense of reality to the film which “at times seemed to appall more than thrill the audience, which is as it should be,” while the writer also praises newcomer Carano’s performance, drawing parallels to Soderbergh’s work with non-actor Sacha Grey on “The Girlfriend Experience.”
Combined with other reactions from the screening, it seems like this could be something that’ll be enjoyed by fight fans and cinephiles alike, and could be a big hit for Soderbergh. Hopefully we’ll see a trailer soon; Lionsgate, the closer we are to seeing it, the closer we are to forgiving you for the “Saw” franchise… Head over to Hollywood Elsewhere for the full reaction.