Reel Low: Haywire [2012]

Steven Soderbergh, a mere five months after Contagion came out, has given us yet another instant classic.

And it couldn't be more different than his previous effort.

Brutal slugfests in close quarters. Zig-zagging across rooftops. Gunfire in busy European streets. Shadowy betrayals. Off-road car chases in the snow. Showdowns on the beach.

Reminiscent of the action dramas of yore with its 70s-esque score and minimalist lighting deployed for much of the film, Haywire may be short on high-end acting performances, but doesn't lack for gruesome fisticuffs or thrilling action scenes.

Former MMA fighter turned actress Gina Carano plays an elite operative for a private security organization regularly contracted out by the United States' government for sensitive missions. We are introduced to her already on the run after being double-crossed and destined for elimination by the people she had trusted. Much of Haywire is relayed to the audience in flashback, as she tells her story to a at-the-wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time bystander (played by Michael Angarano who is now all growed up since I last took notice of him in the vastly underrated Sky High), after he has been swept into her predicament.

Carano doubles brilliantly as the unrelenting action star throughout Haywire, as well as the buxom starlet when called upon. However, disappointment lies in her acting, as she delivers far too many lines so flatly that even the likes of Michael Douglas, Ewan McGregor, Bill Paxon and Antonio Banderas weren't always able to salvage scenes completely. And that's not to mention the Carano/Channing Tatum tandem, which is... unfortunate.

However, Michael Fassbender, proving yet again he is simply operating on another plane than nearly all the rest of his fellow thespians right now, is so suave in every second he's on screen. Maybe I was just magnetized once more by his performance, but Carano's emotionless dialogue was not as noticeable in his scenes with her. I think even mid-60s Sean Connery would approve of what Fassbender has done this past year or so.

But these elements are merely the icing on a deliciously rich espionage plot loaded with fight and chase scenes that made my jaw drop at times.

I haven't watched all of the entries in Soderbergh's filmography yet, but Haywire reminds me of two of his previous endeavors in particular - The Limey and The Girlfriend Experience. While not as powerful of a revenge story as The Limey is, this film has a similarly escalating fury as it carries on, as well as some wonderfully exciting spurts of violence. Meanwhile, Carano's casting unmistakeably recalls Sasha Grey's in Girlfriend - Soderbergh gave both women their first crack at taking a staring turn in a mainstream movie - with mixed results in the final product. I think you can even toss in a bit of the vibe you get from parts of the Oceans series for comparison here too, just minus the fun those films refused to avoid; Haywire is all business.

Shit. This movie is awesome.

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Oh, remember last week when I said The Grey was the first great movie of 2012? Although I went to see it just this past week, Haywire was released the week before, beating The Grey to theaters. Man, what a start to the year.

Reel Low: Contagion [2011]

Just in time for flu season, Steven Soderbergh brings us a film that will make you seriously consider extreme couponing for hand sanitizer. Contagion [2011] explores one of the bleakest scenarios imaginable -- a disease so powerful, it decimates the population as it escalates into a worldwide pandemic. However, the film does so with such intelligence and command of the subject and drama, that you won't even mind being overcome with germophobia.

We live in a world where the transmission of a new disease has the potential to plague the entirety of humanity in little over a day. So rapidly can it travel the globe and infect millions -- roughly a quarter of the population -- the spread of it even outpaces progress in the search for a cure.

But this blight isn't the only danger sweeping through the world of the film. If one out of every four people are contracting the disease, at least twice that number were fully infected by panic, allowing the moral fabric of society rip apart with rampant looting, rioting and even more extreme measures (like kidnapping and murder) to assuage that fear. These events were often fueled by rumors -- some of which had merit and others entirely unsubstantiated -- but all of which are just as impossible to control in the times we live in as the it would be to cease the spread of a disease of this magnitude. The ripples of terror passing around globe were just as epidemic as the virus itself.

Infused with a barrage of stars and supremely talented character actors in minor roles, Contagion is a vehicle for everyone involved shine. The movie is comprised of multiple storylines, but ultimately they all spin out of one of three main threads. The first is driven by a CDC official played by Laurence Fishburne who is leading the charge at containing, understanding and curing the disease. There's also Matt Damon's portrayal of a husband and father who's painful personal account leads us through the decay of social order in suburbia. And finally the journalist/blogger, conspiracy theorist, and ultimately shrewd opportunist played by Jude Law, who through his incessant rejection of mainstream news leads him to and beyond the horror of the disease from the very beginning.

Unsurprisingly, Soderbergh handles this web of crisscrossing characters and plot masterfully. He ramps up tension early, making you cringe at even the thought of someone coughing on the other side of the theater. And although the film is never quite as suspenseful as those early moments again, it refuses to let your attention wane. At seemingly every perfect moment, he switches to another subplot as you become invested even deeper into the revolving door of the afflicted. Complimenting this progression is the magnetic industrial score from Cliff Martinez, as it made taut scenes even more uneasy and sometimes downright disturbing precisely when it needed to.

However, more than anything else, I adore how Contagion treated the audience as adults. There are a multitude of scenes where highly technical, sciency virus jargon is being dicussed, and thankfully Soderbergh doesn't inject some government stooge in a suit asking, "Explain that in English" at the end of them. Thankfully, he realizes that if you believe the characters understand what they're talking about and they're scarred shitless, we will be too. More filmmakers should take note of that technique.

Forget the Roland Emmerich and Michel Bay CGI extravaganzas of the last 20 years -- this is the sort of disaster movie I prefer, but that's probably because it's more of a procedural than traditional apocalyptic flick. The events depicted are completely plausible, a testament to the stellar script and strong cast. Contagion will creep you out; I know I used my sleeve-covered palms to open the door on my exit from the theater. This is real-world horror on screen.

Pardon me while I seek out a flu shot.