Gina Carano's film Haywire has opened and critics and fans agree: it's not so bad. Metacritic has the film, directed by Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, Ocean's Eleven), written by Lem Dobbs (Dark City, The Score), scoring a 67/100 based on 37 reviews (27 positive). User reviews are a little more mixed with audiences split at Metacritic (50%) but more positive at IMDb (67%). Rotten Tomatoes has a very favourable 82% (certified fresh) rating based on 135 reviews but scores just 54% amongst viewers (about 12,000). Haywire has made $9-million so far at the box office, roughly 40% of it's reported $23-million budget. It will come close to making back the budget in the next month in theaters but will likely double that in rentals and DVD/Blu-Ray sales, ultimately coming in as a humble moneymaker for distributor Relativity Media (who this year are also responsible for Contraband, the upcoming Total Recall remake, and The Amazing Spiderman). Carano's personal reviews have painted her as a believable action star based on her martial arts prowess. Proper acting technique could come with more experience but is lacking at this stage in her career. Critics have been especially kind to her fast and visceral fight sequences. Favorable aspects of the film include the performances of Channing Tatum and Michael Fassbender, and a rooftop sequence in Dublin, where most of the film was shot. Unfavourable aspects include the performance of Ewan McGregor, who can't keep his accent in check, and Soderbergh's inability to develop the characters penned by screenwriter Lem Dobbs, instead opting for incessant plot layering. Carano's performance in the film will likely lead to more roles for herself as well as other martial arts stars.
