Alleged Beef

Haywire (2011) is a lean spy film that isn’t as twisty as it thinks it is, but is every bit as fun and well-shot as it you’d hope. I talk to Natalie about it, we watch it, and then we talk about it some more now that she’s seen it.

Alleged Buff is a series where MattRob talks to Natalie about a film that she hasn’t seen: what she thinks it is about, whether she was interested in seeing it. Then they watch the film, and talk about it now that she’s seen it.

MR: What was your prior knowledge of this movie?

NR: Very little. You sent me a list of top action movies and it seemed cool.

MAR: I believe that I had gushed about it a few months before that, too. Although I imagine that by now you are inured to my rush of thoughts about movies you’ve not seen.

NR: I honestly didn’t remember you mentioning it.

MAR: That tracks.

MR: Based on the movie poster and the cast list, what are your thoughts?

NR: Love the cover, I’m into the vertical stripes and color scheme. As far as the cast, I recognize most of the actors. Ewan McGregor is a delight and Michael Fassbender is a personal favorite. I don’t know much about the star, Gina Carano. Apparently she is a UFC fighter.

MAR:  Seeing Soderbergh’s name as director didn’t resonate? Not a Channing Tatum fan either?

NR: It does, but I’m not as into directors as you. I’m getting better though because you make me watch movies more often.

MAR: Channing Tatum is one of my guys, yeah. Soderbergh directed Logan Lucky, which we had watched last year or the year before (also starring Tatum). 

NR: I’ve seen Channing Tatum in a few things now, and I like him. Logan Lucky made me change my opinion of him as an actor. Before it was like, yea he’s buff and dances..

MAR: Coming soon, Magic Mike movie watch.

NR: I guess?

MR: Any last thoughts, pre-movie?

NR: I like action movies and was told going in that this was pretty breezy with a short run time. That was appealing to me. I also was jazzed to see a woman as the lead who kicks butt. Also Michael Fassbender.

MAR: Yeah, the scene that people seem to remember from the film involves a brutal fight between Carano and Fassbender. Part of the appeal of Carano as your lead is that the fight scenes aren’t choppy and weird angles to hide the stuntman’s face. You get kinda longish shot length in the fight scenes and it is just Carano beating the hell out of people.

NR: I also appreciate that she fights men, not just other women. Cat fighting is pandering.

— Pause to watch movie —

MR: What did you think of the movie?

NR: I liked it, but I was expecting to going in (which is not often the case). Our tastes in movies don’t overlap a whole lot. The action scenes were brutal but not gratuitous. I loved the use of natural light and you got a feel for tension without action. There was minimal dialogue, and I did get lost a bit at times. But that was partially me talking when I should have been paying attention. I’d harken this movie to the Jason Bourne movies (the good ones).

MAR: Bourne is an interesting comparison because Greengrass also uses digital cameras in [Supremacy and Ultimatum], but I find the shaky cam stuff unbearable in those. The camerawork here felt silky smooth in comparison. But I do think they are spiritually similar in theme and in style.

NR: I can agree with that. I’d actually watch this movie again, which I rarely, if ever, do. Revenge is served.

MAR: High praise! This is my 2.5th time seeing the movie, and I continue to love it. It feels like the plot reveal at the end was unnecessarily kept from the viewer, as getting hints of it earlier wouldn’t have affected how the movie played out. It wasn’t a whodunit.

NR: Final rating, I liked it and would watch it again, but not right away. Natalie approved.