Haywire

Director: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Gina Carano, Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Bill Paxton, Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas, Michael Angarano
Running Time: 93 min.
Rating: R

★★★ (out of ★★★★)

Steven Soderbergh's Haywire is both more and less than it seems. On one hand, it's an action movie. But on the other, it sort of isn't. It's a conventional spy story that's presented in an unconventional manner, exceeding and subverting expectations while strangely at the same time barely managing to meet them. A second viewing is probably in order, but with only one to go on it's safe to say it distinguishes itself from most other mainstream action movies not so much in terms of plot, but style. It feels like a not-so-distant art house cousin of Drive or The American in the sense that it'll turn off viewers expecting a fast-paced, non-stop mindless action extravaganza (its D+ CinemaScore proves it) and reward those looking for something a little different. But the real story coming out of it is the arrival of a legitimate female action star capable of believably kicking ass. Recently, we've had Angelina Jolie in Salt and Zoe Saldana in Columbiana corner the action market in terms of charisma and willingness to get their hands dirty, but in terms of pure physicality and presence, former MMA fighter and first-time actress Gina Carano puts them both to shame. And her casting that proves just how ingenious Soderbergh is in tailoring his movies to the strengths of his stars.

The film opens in a diner in upstate New York, where we meet Mallory Kane (Carano), a contracted covert operations agent with a private firm employed by the government for missions they'd rather wash their hands of. She sits with a man named Aaron (Channing Tatum) who she thrillingly kicks the crap out of over coffee, breaking his arm and escaping with the help of passing customer Scott (Michael Angarano), who has no idea what he's just gotten himself into to. In flashback, we're told the story of how she was sent by her boss and ex-boyfriend Kenneth (Ewan McGregor) to do a job in Dublin where she'd pose as the wife of a British agent named Paul (Michael Fassbender). But it's all a set-up, putting in motion a chain of events that cause her to go on the run, alternating between being the hunter and the hunted, all while trying to uncover who betrayed her and why.

Initially, the narrative framing device is confusing because it takes a bit to differentiate what's happening in the present from the flashback scenes as the title cards indicate shifts in location (Dublin, Barcelona and New York for anyone keeping track) rather than time. It's worth noting how the picture looks since it doesn't quite visually resemble any other recent action movie. The color looks washed out and the image dim and out of focus, no doubt a deliberate choice by Soderbergh who often works as his own cinematographer in his films and wanted to distinguish this from the slick blockbusters we've grown accustomed to. Once we catch up the plot is pretty basic so most of the thrills come from the style and execution. Otherwise deliberately paced, when the action scenes do arrive they're brutally realistic, especially a hotel room confrontation between Carano and Fassbender that has to rank amongst the most exciting intergender onscreen fights in recent memory. Most of the rest of the action is saved for the final half hour, but it's worth the wait.

What Soderbergh does for Carano is almost exactly what he did for adult film star Sasha Grey in The Girlfriend Experience in taking an untrained actress and placing them in a carefully structured project that plays up their strengths while covering their weaknesses. On a lesser scale it's comparable with what Darren Aronofsky did for Natalie Portman in Black Swan by not only hiding her weaknesses as actress, but actually incorporating them into her character and transforming them into strengths. Soderbergh's careful not to give Carano long monologues and dialogue-heavy scenes that would expose her inexperience, instead playing up her intensity and presence. There's no need for tons of emotion in a movie like this and he's wise to not let Carano attempt to supply any. She's a bad-ass. Plain and simple. But in instances she's called upon to do more in "acting" scenes opposite her seasoned co-stars, she still holds her own, proving she can only improve as a performer moving forward. Pretty and powerful, it's not out of the question she could emerge as a the female equivalent of Jason Statham if she attaches herself to projects that make the best use of her talents. And unlike other action heroines, the ex-American Gladiator doesn't at all look like she can be snapped like a twig.

Soderbergh cleverly plugs in his star-heavy cast in utility supporting roles with Ewan McGregor relishing the rare opportunity to play a sleaze and Michael Douglas slipping into familiar authority figure mode as a powerful government agent. Even Channing Tatum fares really well as Mallory's ex-lover and potential adversary. But the real standout is Fassbender, who in his brief, but extremely memorable turn as a suave, dangerous British agent gives just cause to terminate Daniel Craig's 007 contract after his next outing. As perfect a fit as Carano would seem to be for Wonder Woman, Fassbender is for James Bond. And since the films cover much of the same territory it also wouldn't be off base to claim that the stuck-in-a-rut Bond franchise could stand to look and feel more like this.      

If there's anything holding the film back from greatness it's Lem Dobbs' script, which taken altogether seems very conventional and ordinary despite its sometimes convoluted presentation. It's a simple story told in a complicated way that succeeds in making you fell like you're watching something of considerable substance. Without Soderbergh's stylistic choices and such a believable, intimidating lead it wouldn't work at the level it does. But those elements are there and it does work because of them, making me think that once you have the story all sorted out on the first viewing, everything else will likely improve on subsequent ones. Besides marking the arrival of an exciting new action actress, it also provides a reason to re-examine just how talented a filmmaker Soderbergh is. Unlike any of his peers, he's been able to successfully alternate between low budget indie projects and mainstream blockbusters. Now with Haywire, he's proven himself capable of combining both.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

Director: Oliver Stone
Starring: Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf, Josh Brolin, Carey Mulligan, Frank Langella, Susan Sarandon, Eli Wallach
Running Time: 133 min.
Rating: PG-13

★★★ (out of ★★★★)

Don't count me among those who thought it was a terrible idea for Oliver Stone to make a sequel to Wall Street over 20 years after its release, but for whatever reason, a lot of people seemed to think it was. In my mind there are few greater thrills than catching up with a memorable movie character decades later and finding out what they're up to. How many times has a film ended and you wonder what happened to the key players after the credits rolled? In many cases it's better to just not know and leave it alone, but sometimes you just can't resist because there's more story there. Gordon Gekko, the role that won Michael Douglas his 1987 Best Actor Oscar, is one of those rare exceptions where we just need to know, even at the risk of shattering our perceptions of a film that was always meant to be trapped in its own time period anyway. No one can convince me that the idea of dropping him in the midst of 2008's economic collapse has no dramatic value and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is a sequel that lives and dies on Douglas' supporting performance. The big draw is finding out what happened to Gekko and how one of our greatest actors will re-interpret his most iconic role. Everything else is just gravy. Featuring a hammy central storyline, the film lacks the bite of the original, but we knew it would. This is more a human, emotional drama very much unlike the corporate thriller its predecessor was. It's slicker and more calculated, but still works in its own way.

The film cleverly opens with Gordon Gekko (Douglas) collecting his belongings (which hilariously includes a relic 80's cell phone) before being released from prison in 2001 after serving an eight year sentence for insider trading and securities fraud. No one's waiting for him when he gets out. We flash forward seven years and Gekko's now a best-selling author and lecturer, all over television promoting his new book, "Is Greed Good?" which puts a new spin on his famous catchphrase. His sudden re-emergence grabs the attention of Jake Moore (Shia LaBeouf), a trader at Wall Street investment bank Keller Zabel and boyfriend of Gekko's estranged daughter, Winnie (Carey Mulligan), an idealistic political blogger who's inherited none of her father's ruthlessness and still blames him for her brother's death. But when Jake's boss and longtime mentor Louis Zabel (Frank Langella) finds his company on the brink of collapse due to vicious rumors and takes his own life, Jake knows whose help he needs. He makes a trade, promising Gekko a reconciliation with his daughter if he can help bring down rival CEO Bretton James (Josh Brolin), the man Jake suspects is responsible for it all.

There are two intertwined stories being told here, one a lot more interesting than the other. The Wall Street power struggle is old hat, just an excuse to bring Gekko back into the picture in a meaningful way and act as a backdrop. That plot is needlessly complicated, bogged down by business jargon and a villain is so cartoonishly over-the-top I half expected to him to grow a mustache just so he could twirl it. But for what needs to be accomplished from a goofy entertainment standpoint it works even if I found myself wishing less time were spent on those details and more on the re-entry of a seemingly more humbled Gekko into society after personally and professionally paying the price for his crimes. Jail has mellowed him, changing his outlook on things and the most fascinating aspect of the character is how Douglas puts on all these different masks to reveal varying shades of Gekko's personality when he's around certain people. A mellowed business titan dispensing sage wisdom as a lecturer. A cutthroat schemer advising Jake. and a pathetically inept father still cleaning up his messes in attempting to earn Winnie's trust. He makes it clear why Winnie wouldn't ever be able to trust him and feels betrayed Jake would even attempt to. The more reversals the plot takes the more appreciation you build up scene-by-scene for what Douglas does to adapt and add even more layers to his original creation.

At first glance the casting of LaBeouf as the protagonist would seem to be a miscalculation, but youth and inexperience count in his favor with the character's early success being explained away with him having the right connections. Given Shia's recent Indy 4 track record I was skeptical, but he brings his "A" game as a young broker green enough to be taken advantage of by the heavy hitters but still confident and determined enough to put up a fight to get what he wants. His role is absolutely huge, asked to carry every scene in the picture and he responds better than anyone could have suspected. Whatever issues there are with the film definitely don't fall on him or his chemistry with Douglas or Carey Mulligan. Good luck finding an actress working today who possesses a lovelier, more natural onscreen presence and I can't say it's wasted at all in this emotional role, which wouldn't have amounted to nearly as much had anyone else been given it.

As James, Josh Brolin's stuck as your typical stock villain but since he's Brolin and looks to be having such a blast playing it, we hardly notice or care. Speaking of having a blast, the unfortunate timing of Charlie Sheen's cameo (reprising his role of Bud Fox from the original), whether by design or not, does more to shine the spotlight on Sheen's celebrity reputation than the character and earns unintentional giggles above all else. Maybe a fun moment, but it should have been left on the cutting room floor as it turns his experience with Gekko years ago into a cheap punchline. Sporting a convincing Long Island accent, Susan Sarandon makes a few brief, but meorable appearances as Jake's mother, a real estate agent in over her head financially along with everyone else. The best creative addition Stone makes is musical, recruiting rock legend David Byrne of The Talking Heads' (whose song "This Must Be The Place" was featured in the first film and reappears here) to provide the soundtrack, which strangely fits the tone of this movie like a glove and feels like a major character.

Many will accuse Stone of wimping out with the ending and he does to an extent but you'd have to be pretty glum to wish for the finale we come close to receiving. That said, Stone carries things on a about a scene or two longer than he should when a more ambiguous final act would have served the story better and driven the point home harder, or at least given us more to think about. The wrap-up's a little too tidy for characters complicated enough to deserve better, especially Gekko. Continuing the action past that point and even through the closing credits (in a particularly befuddling sequence) was an ill advised choice, but doesn't really harm the overall integrity of the film. Anyone going into Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps expecting another Wall Street will feel let down. As it should be, this is far different since over two decades have passed and that movie couldn't be made today, nor would we need it to be. As much as the original stands as timepiece for 80's greed and excess this sequel provides a compelling, if Hollywoodized, snapshot of the recent economic collapse, but more interestingly allows us a glimpse into what one of our most memorable movie characters would have to say about it.

Solitary Man

Directors: Brian Koppelman and David Levien
Starring: Michael Douglas, Mary-Louise Parker, Jenna Fischer, Jesse Eisenberg, Imogen Poots, Susan Sarandon, Danny DeVito, Olivia Thirlby
Running Time: 90 min.
Rating: R

★★★ (out of ★★★★)

It's almost impossible to watch the dark comedy, Solitary Man without viewing it as a biographical account of star Michael Douglas' life, or at least what the public has been led to believe his life is, regardless of whether that assumption is true. You may as well as well title the movie, This is Your Life, Michael Douglas since the events that occur in it bear such an eerie resemblance to past and current headlines surrounding the actor. But focusing exclusively on that would be ignoring the fact that he's long been one of our most under-appreciated actors, only further proving it here with his best performance in years.

In kind of a cross between his slick tycoon Gordon Gekko in Wall Street and disheveled literary failure Grady Tripp in Wonder Boys, this might be his slimiest role yet, as a good portion of the movie is a creep fest featuring Douglas' character engaging in behavior that will be off-putting (to say the least) for viewers. The film's main asset is not shying away from that by presenting an unflinching story about a man with a serious problem that won't go away until he wants it to. While it's a small-scale, modest achievement that doesn't do anything special, it doesn't need to because the lead refuses to plead for sympathy with his portrayal and the filmmakers surround him with an all-star cast, while balancing some tricky material.

Douglas is formerly successful car dealer Ben Kalmen, whose life took a turn for the worse after finding out he could have a heart ailment, made questionable business decisions that lost him his fortune and romantic indiscretions led to the collapse of his marriage to wife Nancy (Susan Sarandon). Now, six years later, he's still feeling the repercussions, as his daughter Susan (Jenna Fischer) wants nothing to do with him until he starts acting his age and stops chasing younger women. Ben's rare shot at selflessness comes when he's roped into accompanying his girlfriend Jordan's (Mary Louise Parker) 18-year-old daughter Allyson (Imogen Poots) on a college interview at his alma mater where he was an important financial donor. Instead, his behavior escalates to even more embarrassing levels on the trip, resulting in a one-night stand with Allyson that might be the creepiest hook-up this side of Lolita. Even his misguided attempts to mentor shy, nerdy student Daniel (played by Jesse Eisenberg) go haywire and the campus visit somehow finds Ben in worse shape than when he left. At a crossroads, he has to decide which direction he'll go.

Playing an aging lothario is nothing new for Douglas but most of the big studio movies he stars in lack the self-awareness he has in playing it, which hurts him as an actor by falsely perpetuating the unfair myth that it's the only part he's capable of playing. Writer (and Co-Director) Brian Koppelman's script share that awareness, fully acknowledging a 60-year-old man scouring a college campus for some action is not okay and extremely creepy. And so does every character except Ben. It always seems that smaller, more character driven films like this are better suited to tap into Douglas' overlooked strengths as a performer, playing a man who's coasts on his charm until it completely runs its course. Faced with his own mortality, Ben chooses not to face it and act out in humiliating ways, yet the actor still manages to make Ben charming and likable enough to root for despite all his character faults.

The film returns Douglas to the academic setting that resulted in his greatest performance a decade ago, but this time under very different circumstances and as half of what should be a dream team pairing with Eisenberg. Just the idea of Douglas prowling dormitory halls with Eisenberg while giving him unsolicited advice on how to pick up girls is alone worth the price of a DVD rental. Had their scenes together comprised the entire movie I wouldn't have complained, but it's just a small part of a bigger picture. The ads and trailers practically imply a buddy comedy with the two but Eisenberg's role, while mildly important, is essentially a thinly drawn cameo variation on his sensitive, geeky characters from Adventureland and Zombieland, but in a lower key. The supporting star is British actress Imogen Poots (what a name), who in addition to flawlessly pulling off an American accent, navigates a tough, complex role in Allyson, the quasi-love interest of Ben who's conniving and damaged enough to meet him at his level even though she's young enough to be his granddaughter. The cast is loaded with familiar faces fighting for screen time but all are incorporated well and make big impressions with what they're given, especially Mary Louise Parker as Ben's scorned girlfriend and Olivia Thirlby who appears late in the film as Daniel's love interest. There's also a nice sub-plot with Danny DeVito, who plays an old college buddy of Ben's, which takes on an extra layer when you consider Douglas' real-life friendship with the actor.

As obvious as it is to point out, the movie's title couldn't be more appropriate for a story centering on a protagonist who's become an island unto himself, pushing away anyone willing to help. Thankfully, the script stays consistent to the end, avoiding any kind of force-fed redemption or easy resolution that would feel like an unearned cheat or betrayal of the film's themes. Outside of Douglas' performance, it doesn't stand out from other efforts in this genre, coming off as neither memorable nor completely forgettable, but it intelligently deals with a lot of issues that had to hit close to home for him, and us. Calling Solitary Man a small character piece may seem condescending, if that wasn't exactly what it is. It's a well written drama about real people struggling with real problems, and it never hurts to see more of those.

You, Me and Dupree

Directors: Anthony and Joe Russo
Starring: Owen Wilson, Kate Hudson, Matt Dillion, Michael Douglas, Seth Rogen
Running Time: 108 min.
Rating: PG-13

*** (out of ****)

Over the past month I've had the pleasure (or in one case the displeasure) of sitting through the comedies Nacho Libre, Accepted and now You, Me and Dupree. If you had told me a month ago that You, Me and Dupree would easily be the funniest and best of the three I'd say you were insane. But it is. It takes a realistic, relatable premise and mines comic gold from it proving that good comedies work if we like the characters and don't mind spending two hours with them, no matter how stupid they may be. It's also the first time Owen Wilson pretty much has a movie all to himself and boy does he ever take advantage of it. More importantly, it marks the first time in six years Kate Hudson is in a movie that's any good and gives us a peek again of the qualities that made her so memorable in Almost Famous. It's great seeing four very talented big name actors having such a good time.

Things couldn't be better for Carl Peterson (Matt Dillion) and Molly Thompson (Hudson). They just got married in a beautiful ceremony in Hawaii, Carl was given a huge promotion at his land development job by Molly's dad (a hilariously deadpan Michael Douglas) and they're all set to start their new lives together. There's only one problem: Randy Dupree (Wilson). Carl's infantile best friend was just fired from his job and living in a cot at the local bar when Carl suggests he move in with him and Molly. With moose head in hand Dupree crashes at their place promising to get out as soon as he lands a new job. Initially this is a good idea, until they discover Dupree is the most annoying, insane individual anyone could ever possibly have in their home. He's essentially the houseguest from hell.

Throughout the course of this film we witness Dupree do the following: Stop up the toilet, sleep bare-ass in their living room, change their answering machine message, masturbate to Asian porn, do unspeakable things involving butter and the school librarian on the couch, build a skate ramp in the front yard, and burn down half their house. All of this makes Dupree sound like he's a sick, depraved human being, but the beauty of the movie is that he's not. The way Wilson plays him you can't help but like the guy and you understand why they'd give him chance after chance. He's like a grown-up kid who's just trying to help and has no idea what he's doing wrong. When Carl suspects Dupree is moving in on his wife the movie takes an interesting and smart turn. Pretty soon Carl and Molly are forced to face the facts that Dupree isn't the problem with their marriage at all. Let's face it: Any guy married to Kate Hudson who feels the need to house a giant collection of Asian porn deserves to be called out on it. Dupree's the best friend he's got. It would have been easy for a lesser comedy to portray Dupree as jealous loser trying to wreck Carl's marriage.

One of the funniest sub-plots involves Michael Douglas, as Molly's dad, wanting Carl to have a vasectomy and insanely urging him to take Molly's last name when they're married. This leads to one of the best jokes of the movie when Carl walks to his office and the door reads: "Carl Peterson-Thompson." Admit it, that's pretty funny. I loved the way Douglas played the character completely straight as he made these ridiculous requests and the put upon look Matt Dillion had on his face the entire film. It reminded me that Douglas, while a great dramatic actor, also has a dry sense of humor that works well in comedies. He should do more of them.

It was so great to fnally see Hudson playing an energetic, exciting, interesting character again. These are exactly the kinds of roles she should be taking instead of depressing dreck like The Skeleton Key. The movie does commit the crime of underusing the hilarious Seth Rogen (The 40-Year-Old Virgin) and having an ending that's contrived and sappy, but honestly, the movie does kind of earn it. I should mention there's a dream sequence in this movie featuring a cameo from Lance Armstrong that literally had me on the floor in pain I was laughing so hard. Nearly everything in this works and that's in no small part due to the efforts of the actors who are all at the top of their games here. With all the crappy comedies out there these days it's a nice change to see one that's, you know, actually funny.

The Sentinel

Director: Clark Johnson
Starring: Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland, Eva Longoria, Kim Basinger
Running Time: 108 min.
Rating: PG-13

*** (out of ****)

Recently a foreign film was made depicting the fictional assassination of President Bush. It hasn't found a distributor and will likely never see the light of day in the United States. Why? Apparently, unbeknownst to me and probably a lot of other people, there's some kind of unwritten rule that you can't assassinate the President in a movie, much less the actual sitting one. The Sentinel doesn't do that, but depicts a believable scenario in which it could actually happen. It also gives us more of an inside look into how the Secret Service works than I thought was legally possible. If everything they showed us about how that organization works was completely ficticious (and for our President's sake I hope it was) they sure did a good job convincing me it wasn't. This could have easily been a mediocre thriller but it's bolstered by a smart script that presents a believable scenario and interesting performances from Michael Douglas and Keifer Sutherland.

Weathered Secret Service agent Pete Garrison (Douglas) is considered a hero in the organization for taking a bullet in the Ronald Reagan assassination attempt. Now he finds himself the primary suspect in an attempt to assassinate the current President. The movie opens with his longtime colleague being killed because for uncovering that there was a mole in the Service plotting to kill the President. Called in to investigate the case is Breckinridge (Sutherland) and his new partner Jill (Longoria), who's as green as grass having only been an agent for all of two days. He says he wants her since she hasn't been "tainted" yet by years in the field.

Everyone in the Service is forced to take a polygraph test and only Garrison fails it. When the evidence starts to pile up that he's the mole (even though he's clearly being framed) Breckinridge becomes obsessed with bringing him down, although we suspect it has more to do with the fact he thinks Garrison, his former best friend, slept with his wife. It's true he's sleeping with somebody, except it's the First Lady, Sarah (Basinger). Before long, Garrison is in a hopeless situation and on the run to prove his innocence, determined to thwart the assassination attempt and clear his name.

What's interesting about this movie is how it reverses your expectations. You expect Sutherland to play a variation on his Jack Bauer from 24, but instead that role goes to Douglas while Sutherland is actually playing Breckenridge as the kind of agent Bauer would hate and rebel against. In the beginning of the film he gives a speech about how following your gut instinct is wrong because it forces you to just look at the evidence confirming that gut instinct. Then, ironically, he all he does is follow his gut instinct and personal feelings, which of course are completely wrong.

Eva Longoria's character may seem useless and just an excuse to bring in the young male audience (which was likely a huge factor), but she actually does serve a purpose in the story. Breckinridge needs fresh eyes on the case to keep him honest and that's what she does. It's not a demanding role, but she gets the job done. No one plays characters who fall from grace or experience some kind of reversal of fortune better than Michael Douglas (see The Game) and it's great to see him in this kind of role again. He's at his best here as a veteran who must now use his years of Secret Service knowledge to outsmart that very same organization he served heroically for years. I liked how he may be older, but used his mind and experience to escape life threatening predicaments.

I also felt The President (David Rasche from the great 80's t.v. series Sledge Hammer) and First Lady were actually excellent in their roles, which goes a long way in adding credibility to the story. If we can't believe the President, we can't believe an assassination attempt on his life. In too many movies the Presidency is treated as a joke, but here the actors infuse the roles with dignity and actually look and act how you'd expect the First Couple to in real life.

The movie suffers having nameless K.G.B. thugs as villains instead of a charismatic loner (like John Malkovich in In The Line of Fire) but in a way that made the events seem a little more realistic, so I understand the decision. While it's fairly obvious early who the mole is, what happens to him in the end, and the turn the plot takes, actually isn't. In fact, the final act has some great action scenes that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I also liked how the film didn't insult our intelligence by pretending Garrison would be promoted for breaking virtually every procedural rule in the Secret Service and endangering the life of the President by sleeping with the First Lady.

There's an alternate ending on this disc and your opinion of it will largely be based on how much you care about the relationship between Garrison and Sarah and where it ends up. One ending tells you. The other doesn't. It really makes little difference. The real draw of this movie is the cat and mouse game that unfolds between Douglas and Sutherland. As far as political thrillers go, The Sentinel is an intelligent surprise.