Haywire (2011)
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A betrayed black ops agent must unravel a conspiracy to survive after being framed for a crime she didn't commit.
The story
Mallory Kane, a black ops agent for a private intelligence firm, is tasked with a mission in Dublin to pose as the wife of an MI6 agent. However, after discovering the death of a Chinese national and realizing she has been set up by her own employer, Kenneth, she is forced to go on the run. Targeted for assassination and pursued by both the police and Kenneth's men, Mallory must navigate a web of betrayal. She eventually flees to New Mexico to find her father, while her former associates and the firm's director attempt to silence her.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Mallory Kane and her associate Aaron work for a private intelligence firm handling covert black operations. After a successful mission in Barcelona, Mallory is assigned by her ex-boyfriend, Kenneth, to pose as the wife of MI6 agent Paul in Dublin. During the mission, she finds a hostage dead and realizes Kenneth has framed her. After killing Paul in self-defense, she flees to England. She discovers that a CIA agent, Coblenz, suspected Kenneth's treachery but allowed him to frame Mallory to cover his own tracks. Mallory eventually reaches her father's home in New Mexico, where she is intercepted by Kenneth's men. After a series of violent encounters, she learns that the hostage was a journalist who exposed a human trafficking ring. Mallory tracks Kenneth to a beach in Mexico, where she confronts him. She learns the full extent of his betrayal—that he planned for Paul to kill her to maintain plausible deniability. Disgusted, she leaves him to the tide and later confronts Rodrigo, the man who delivered the hostage.
- First release year
- 2011
- Runtime (minutes)
- 93
- Production countries
- United States; Ireland
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Steven Soderbergh
- Writers
- Lem Dobbs · writer
- Cast and characters
- Gina Carano · Mallory Kane; Michael Fassbender; Ewan McGregor; Bill Paxton; Channing Tatum; Mathieu Kassovitz; Michael Angarano; Antonio Banderas; Michael Douglas
- Genres
- action; thriller; martial arts; mystery
- Themes
- betrayal; conspiracy; survival
- Tone and mood
- vigorous; fast-paced; lean
- Premise and plot tags
- spy thriller; martial arts; black ops
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews, praised for its action, choreography, and direction, though some critics were less favorable toward the lead actress's performance.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 67 · scale: 100 · review count: 40; CinemaScore · score: D+ · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- Gina Carano underwent a six-week intensive tactical training course with a former Duvdevan Unit officer.; Soderbergh reportedly clashed with Lionsgate over the film's action-centric focus.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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