Soderbergh is going out with a bang. Haywire joins Contagion as a different kind of must see film. MMA star Gina Carano in the Haywire Trailer

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Well if Mr. Soderbergh really is going to retire after The Man From U.N.C.L.E then he’s doing his best to ensure he goes out in style. Last week we were treated to a trailer for the very promising Contagion (click here) 

and now we get a trailer for his action thriller Haywire. Typically the film is full of quality actors // exciting actors( Channing Tatum, Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Michael Angarano, Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas and Bill Paxton) but it also features mixed martial artist Gina Carano, doing the Michelle Yeoh thing and performing her own action stunts. She certainly looks the part and whilst it remains to be seen if she can reach Yeaoh’s high standards of acting, but you have to think Soderbergh knows what he’s doing in that department.

Here’s the official synopsis...

“This dynamic action-thriller directed by Oscar(R) winner Steven Soderbergh (Traffic) boasts a talented cast that includes Channing Tatum (GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra), Ewan McGregor (The Ghost Writer), Michael Fassbender (X-Men: First Class), Antonio Banderas (The Legend of Zoro), Bill Paxton ("Big Love"), Michael Douglas (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps), Michael Angarano (Almost Famous); and introduces mixed martial arts (MMA) superstar Gina Carano as Mallory Kane, in a demanding lead role that has her performing her own high-adrenaline stunts. Mallory Kane is a highly trained operative who works for a government security contractor in the dirtiest, most dangerous corners of the world. After successfully freeing a Chinese journalist held hostage, she is double crossed and left for dead by someone close to her in her own agency. Suddenly the target of skilled assassins who know her every move, Mallory must find the truth in order to stay alive. Using her black-ops military training, she devises an ingenious--and dangerous--trap. But when things go haywire, Mallory realizes she'll be killed in the blink of an eye unless she finds a way to turn the tables on her ruthless adversary.”

Now whilst the synopsis is fairly familiar territory the director of Ocean’s 11, Traffic and The Limey elevates this way  above the straight to DVD shelf. That the film is also written by Lem Dobbs, responsible for two f my favourite films of 90s (Dark City & The Limey) simply means that it’s a definite must see. But perhaps the most curious thing of all is the potential arrival of a new, female action star definitely has my  interest piqued. There’s precious few of these films made with female leads, and still far too much of a tendency for studios to cry that nobody wants to see female led action films (dumb or smart action) every time an awful one fails to make the big bucks; instead of, yu know, thinking it was because the film itself was rubbish. Michelle Yeoh, Milla Jovovich and Angelina Jolie have been holding down the action female fort for a long time now.

MMA fighter Carano

 Hmm maybe Sylvester Stallone should throw Gina Carano, Jovovich, Yeoh and Rodrigez into an expendables sequel?