With the release of Contraband last week and Man on a Ledge next week (not to mention last month’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), a dominating movie trend for 2012 so far is covert ops and big heists. No stranger to the genre, Steven Soderbergh’s Haywire is a spy film with a B movie feel and a Euro-thriller style.

Channing Tatum's usually the one kicking ass. But in "Haywire," it's Gina Carano who does all the ass kicking. Photo by Claudette Barius

From the opening scenes of the mysterious Mallory Kane (Gina Carano) entering a rural New York diner with subtle battle wounds on her face, Carano is a captivating presence in her first starring role. For those not familiar with Carano, she’s not only a badass mixed martial arts fighter, but she was also known as Crush on the most recent incarnation of American Gladiators (hosted by wrestling legend Hulk Hogan and also featuring Total Nonstop Action Wrestling‘s Matt Morgan).

As a spy-for-hire globetrotting from a Barcelona mission to a hastily planned Dublin duty, Carano’s athletic background clearly prepared her for the many fight scenes that dominate Haywire from its onset, through its flashbacks all the way to it’s current-day climax. But Carano also proves to be a charismatic actress, holding her own alongside Hollywood heavyweights like Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor, Bill Paxton and Michael Douglas.

With Haywire, Soderbergh’s cinematography is fast-paced, yet fluid, and is complemented by the spy film score of longtime collaborator David Holmes, giving the film a retro James Bond feel. And in many ways Kane is like a female Bond, with Carano giving the character depth that is simultaneously sexy, sophisticated and strong.

When she's not kicking ass, Gina Carano likes to jump across rooftops and stuff. Photo by Claudette Barius

As she begins to realize things are not going according to plan (or more importantly, that there may be an entirely different plan at play), Carano portrays Kane with confidence, charm and the inventiveness of a survivor. Plus, watching her chase bad guys and evade capture Run Lola Run style through European streets and rooftops, put people into submission holds (with her legs) or showcase her abilities to drive really fast (sometimes backwards), outwit her would-be assassins and generally kick everyone’s ass (while making it look easy) is, for some odd reason, really entertaining. But as she goes about exacting revenge on those who have betrayed her, Kane proves that she’s able to think on her feet just as well as she can kick with them.

Haywire. Directed by Steven Soderbergh. Starring Gina Carano, Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Antonio Banderas, Bill Paxton and Michael Douglas. Rated R. www.haywiremovie.com.

Review by Jonathan Williams