A former Dallas Cowboys QB's daughter, Gina Carano, can succeed where few others have

The new Steven Soderbergh action movie "Haywire" opens today and the early reviews for the flick starring MMA star Gina Carano are mostly positive.

The movie also stars Fort Worth's own Bill Paxton.

FASCINATING FACTOID: Gina's father, Glenn Carano, was a quarterback and a second round draft pick of the Dallas Cowboys in the 1977 draft. Glenn played for the Cowboys from 1978 to 1983 appearing in 36 games. He led the Cowboys to a 10-9 win against the Bears on Thanksgiving Day in 1981 when he completed 6-of-15 passes for 131 yards.
If memory serves, the final margin was provided when Ed Jones blocked a Bears' extra point attempt in the fourth quarter.
Carano was Danny White's backup that season, and on the sidelines when the Cowboys lost in the NFC title game against the 49ers via Dwight Clark's "The Catch". 

His daughter, Gina, has surpassed his popularity and become a massive MMA star/sex symbol for ... well, obvious reasons.
Haywire is her first movie. Historically women have not fared too well as action stars because audiences haven't bought in.

Geena Davis gave it a shot in the 1996 movie 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' with Samuel L. Jackson.  Not a bad movie, and Geena Davis was good, but the movie didn't score a huge hit.

Bridget Fonda wasn't too bad in the 1993 movie, 'Point of No Return'.

Even the very fit and strong Jennifer Garner in the TV hit Alias while fun and entertaining lacked a certain physical element.

Carano, however, possesses a certain weight and a physical element that few female stars have ever possessed. She's good looking, but she also knows how to fight. You can easily buy Carano beating the hell out of someone whereas believing the smaller Bridget Fonda working over a bad guy is harder to believe.

 

 

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Comments

[Son]

Gina Carano is a hottie. This movie looks great. Good article.

[Agassifan]

Long Kiss Goodnight was terrible btw. I agree that certain female action stars lack a certain credibility. Does anybody really think Angelina Jolie and her spaghetti arms could beat up anything? Now, Jessica Biel in Blade Trinity, that's another story. She looked ripped and hot. Carano is hot, Carano can fight, the question is, can she act?

[Jimmy H.]

Loved the movie. Kinda stupid at parts but the star power (Michael Douglas, Antonio Bandaras...) made up for 'story'. Check it out. Worth seeing in the theatres.