Steven Soderbergh is a talented and very capable director. His past films include ‘Ocean’s Eleven’, ‘Che’, and ‘Contagion‘, which was released only four months ago. Soderbergh is known for making great films, so it’s disappointing that his newest release is less than impressive.

‘Haywire’ could have been a fantastic film considering it’s stellar cast, which includes Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, and, I have to mention, Channing Tatum. And these guys are only the supporting actors. This was supposed to be a star-making film for newcomer and ex-MMA fighter Gina Carano. Sure, Carano kicks butt in this film, but everything about the film could have been much better. Hopefully this debut film helps Carano land roles in much better action films in the future.

Carano plays Mallory Kane, who works for a private company secretly hired by the U.S. government to take on covert operations. She’s one of the best agents in the company, but she was betrayed by her superiors and co-workers, which begs the question the entire film revolves around: why was she betrayed? This “conspiracy” could have been really interesting, but the film makes the mistake of taking almost half its entire running time devoted to flashbacks. Mallory spends the first half of the film explaining her entire situation to a guy she met at a coffee shop (Michael Angarano, from ‘Sky High’). Through these flashbacks we see some very nice, cleanly-cut action sequences. The problem comes with the fact that we know Mallory survives all of this since she’s telling the story, so none of the danger can be felt while the action sequences are going on. This is a shame because the fight between Mallory and Michael Fassbender’s Paul was great.

Steven Soderbergh utilized his great ensemble cast very well in ‘Contagion’, but with ‘Haywire’ his great cast is under-utilized. Michael Douglas and Antonio Banderas are barely in the film, and Ewan McGregor (‘Beginners’ & the ‘Star Wars’ prequels) is completely underwhelming as the leader of the private organization. Michael Fassbender (‘X-Men: First Class‘) is at least used for a good while, but he’s ultimately only featured for a good 10-to-20 minutes.

‘Haywire’ deserves some praise for its clean action sequences, as the set up of each fight is  comprehensible, unlike other action-heavy films that use quick cuts and loud noises. Though the action is well-executed, there’s nothing else noteworthy about them. Sure, Carano’s MMA skills are used, which is a nice change and distinction from other action films, but there’s no “wow” moment from her. Also, it’s been reported that Carano’s voice had been “altered” in ‘Haywire’. I don’t know what she sounds like normally, but Carano’s voice in the film is a little off-putting. Her voice is too demanding and powerful in the film, which is a little bothersome compared to the regular voices of its supporting actors. Even when a scene is supposed to be quiet or in whispers, Carano’s altered voice is just doesn’t suit the tone.

‘Haywire’ is a nice, though not great, introduction to Gina Carano. It’s too bad the film was unfulfilling because it has such a great cast and director. There are just too many flaws and uninteresting aspects to the film that keeps it from being anything better. Also, I both love and hate the ending of the film. On one side, it’s good and I like it. On the other, I don’t like it because it’s an “open ending.” Too many films nowadays use open endings to initiate discussions and to leave it to viewers as to what happens next. Open endings are great when they’re used tastefully, but way too many films use it just because.

Two and a half out of four Kents.