Advertisement

Gina Carano’s ‘Haywire’ opening to very good reviews

The chances Gina Carano returns to get punched in the grill anytime soon gets slimmer and slimmer by the second with the release of her new movie "Haywire."

[Yahoo! speaks with Gina Carano about Haywire]

The L.A. Times wrote glowingly about the performance by the former "face of women's mixed martial arts."

[...] watching 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.

That's something MMA fans have been entertained by for years, but to hear a non-fan that impressed, has to make Carano feel pretty good. It's certainly going to make a huge impression on folks looking to include the fighter in future projects.

The film critic Betsey Sharkey says the movie isn't Steven Soderbergh's best effort - she lists "Traffic" - but says Haywire is far from his worst. She also hints strongly that Carano has future beyond on-screen kicks and submissions.

There is a sense within all the haywire high jinks that Carano might be able to do just fine with a role that didn't rest so heavily on fighting (though stunt coordinator R.A. Rondell proved a genius in choreographing all those tumbling rumbles). Her athleticism gives her movement a kind of force that translates powerfully on screen — people do seem inclined to get out of her way even when she's not angry.

Carano, the daughter of former NFL quarterback Glenn Carano, took up Muay Thai in her teens. She fought professionally in MMA eight times. She hasn't fought since losing back in aug. of 2009 to Cristiane Santos. Chances are she never will again if Haywire continues to get reviews like this.

The Vancouver Sun also liked the film. So did the Washington Times, AP, L.A. Weekly, and Rolling Stone invoked the name of Alfred Hitchcock. The U.K.'s Guardian found it a bit boring beyond the fighting scenes.