It seems that every so often a wrestler, boxer, or martial artist will enter into the acting ring, with varying results. After all, for as unbeatable as someone like Chuck Norris is (insert Chuck Norris joke here), he’s not a good actor. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is a surprisingly good actor, though. And many people love Jackie Chan.

So what new can Gina Carano bring to Haywire? Not only is she a decent actor (if only for the fact that she’s got a good presence and doesn’t over-act), I certainly believed that she could hold her own in the world of black ops. In fact, I haven’t found a woman fighter that convincing since Ziyi Zhang burst onto the scene. After all, as much as I enjoyed the movie Salt, it was a real suspension of disbelief to believe that Angelia Jolie could be a CIA agent capable of taking down anyone in her path.

Carano, on the other hand, has the presence of someone who not only knows she can take down an opponent, but has done so numerous times in reality. It’s a bit of a shame that the plot of Haywire wasn’t better. It wasn’t too bad, but it’s hard to get a story right when it’s told out of sequence.

One should know going into Haywire what type of movie it is–action-adventure, driven by hand-to-hand combat. It’s not a deep movie, but it’s an enjoyable one.

Sometimes there are few things better than a good action movie. The problem is, many directors seem to think that if there are enough explosions, car chases, and or gun battles in the movie, no one will notice that there is no plot. Contraband is one of the action movies that does have a plot. It also has good acting.

The main character, Chris, played by Mark Wahlberg, is a former-smuggler gone straight. However, his brother-in-law is still attempting to be a smuggler, and failing miserably. To save his family, Chris must pull off one last smuggling job.

Chris’s best friend, Sebastian, is played by Ben Foster, and it’s hard to get a read on him, which works perfectly for the part. Giovanni Ribisi is also excellent as a slimy criminal named Briggs.

Contraband manages to combine action with slower scenes in just about the perfect mix. Maybe some people would like more action, but I enjoyed the quieter moments, since they added to the story.

It’s an entertaining and well-done action movie, one worth watching.

I’m afraid that as long as there are humans, there will be war. And as long as we have war, we will have stories and movies about it. Some of them try to speak out against the subject, while others deal with the people in the situation and tell their stories. War Horse falls into the latter category.

It is really a movie about a boy and his horse, and how WWI separates them. The boy believes he will find his horse again, even though it seems likely the horse won’t survive long on the battlefield.

The viewer should realize that since the movie is titled War Horse the horse is not going to die at the beginning, no matter how likely that might seem.

What I found interesting about the movie is how it showed the men, on both sides, relating to the horse (and other animals). Animals do have the power to bring people together, perhaps because of their unquestioning service. The story feels authentic, and is well done.

It is a movie well worth watching. The cinematography and special effects are quite wonderful, and the characters are realistic and sympathetic.