Haywire (2011)

This is a revenge story where a female black ops soldier gives it back to her male colleagues for setting her up in a mission at Barcelona. The motives behind the mission are obviously money. But, she escapes and succeeds in killing the people who were responsible for this

The film has some terrific action and chase sequences thanks to Gina Carano, a trained mixed martial arts fighter, kick boxer and fitness freak. It is fun seeing this busty action heroine strutting her stuff. The film has a good soundtrack too.

Channing Tatum and Ewan McGregor have minuscule roles. Antonio Banderas also makes the cast in another small role. Michael Douglas is there too.

The presentation and theme is similar to Kill Bill, though the motive for revenge here is purely professional.

VERDICT: Simple payback movie with a busty action heroine and her credible fight sequences. Strict one time watch.  

Contagion (2011)

A mystery illness is spreading all over the world and with each passing day, there are more affected people and more deaths. How the world deals with this mystery disease, is the plot. Starting from common people to journalists to doctors, a variety of people are affected and their only goal is to get hold of the vaccine that would get them immunity against the virus.

The process of fear and panic spreading, the way the virus spreads, the various conspiracy theories and the long wait for the curative vaccine are shown well.

Review

• There is a huge star cast giving tremendous face value for the film. Each of them has a small role that could have been done by anyone else. The stars are all impressive, nevertheless. 
• The scientific terms used in this unwavering medical movie are beyond the realms of understanding for a normal human brain. 
• The screenplay is gripping particularly the way the virus propagates across the various cities in the world with the passage of time. The origin of this virus shown in the very end is shocking. Such simple acts leading to catastrophic occurrences. 

VERDICT

An unwavering medical movie which is a warning at how normally inconsequential acts can cause major grief.

Traffic (2000)

The movie is about the war on drugs between the United States and Mexico. Mexico is the major supplier and the drug cartel is controlled by 2 major gangs in the city of Tijuana – the Obregon brothers and the Juarez cartel.

Javier and Manolo are 2 cops in Mexico who are involved in nabbing the drug traffickers. General Salazar secretly works for the Juarez cartel and he uses these 2 cops for his purposes. The DEA is later informed by Javier about Salazar’s involvement in the drug cartel and the general is packed off to prison. Manolo is unfortunately killed by the General’s men after Manolo thinks of informing the DEA. 

Meanwhile, Judge Robert Wakefield is appointed the Drug Czar in the US and he takes a lot of proactive steps to control the situation. But, his daughter Caroline herself is a drug addict. The judge has to keep track of her as well as handle the situation on a country level.  

Ray and Montel are 2 cops who work in the US and they keep a watch on drug dealer Eduardo Ruiz to get hold of the big shots who are involved. One such Carlos Ayala is arrested and Ruiz agrees to testify against him. Helena is the pregnant wife of Carl and she takes all possible steps to free her husband and she succeeds in the end. Ruiz is killed just before he goes to testify.

The judge understands that this war is too tough to tackle on a macro level when his own near and dear ones are involved.

Hits

• Multilayered, many characters and seamlessly integrated. Very complex yet gripping stuff
• The issue that is being addressed is very critical and the movie is highly detailed.
• The camera is very jerky and symbolizes the chaos on the streets of Mexico.
• The ensemble cast is terrific be it Michael Douglas as the high profile judge who has many problems to tackle, Don Cheadle as the strong bald cop who handles Ruiz, Benicio Del Toro as the honest Mexican cop, the hugely voluptuous Catherine Zeta Jones as the pregnant wife who goes to any lengths to save her husband etc. All the other characters like cop Manolo, drug addicts Seth and Caroline, cop Ray and Eduardo Ruiz are very realistically performed.

Comments

• Salma Hayek has the most minuscule role possible.

VERDICT

A critical issue beautifully addressed by Steven Soderbergh. One of the landmark movies on the war against drugs.