In 2011 Soderbergh directed "Contagion" a film about a lethal airborne virus, and this year he released "Haywire" a revenge based thriller. If you see any film in the upcoming weeks, see "Haywire" to catch a director in total command of his talent and craft.
No matter what genre Steven Soderbergh undertakes, he gives us characters who struggle against omnipotent and illusive forces, (whether internal or external) in a naturalistic setting under varying degrees of dark, subdued textures.
Soderbergh is a master at crafting a particular color scheme to evoke the internal struggle of a character and his relationship with his environment.
In "Traffic" Soderbergh casts Michael Douglas's character Robert Wakefield, who works with the President’s Office of National Drug Control, in a depressingly dark blue light to enforce the futility of his pursuit over the “unwinnable,” war on drugs. He casts Benicio Del Toro’s character Javier Rodriguez, a Mexican cop in dark but oppressively bright sunlight to exemplify the corruption surrounding him.
In Contagion we see an array of characters dealing with the effects of an airborne virus. Soderbergh differentiates their realities in different color schemes as well.
He casts a widowed father under a pale blue light and a struggling scientist in shadows to heighten the verisimilitude of their uncertain reality.
Soderbergh uses color to his advantage in Haywire as well. The story concerns a company of special agents, who are hired to do extractions or other grisly work under the radar. Gino Carano plays Mallory Kane, one of the company’s best assets.
The film also stars an ensemble including Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender and Michael Douglas.
Kane is essentially set up to take the fall for a murder of a Journalist who is leaking information of a wealthy businessman. The businessman gives Kane’s employer and other interested parties enough money where Kane will not be missed. Kane than wants her revenge and goes after those who set her up.
Many have said they were “displeased,” by film’s color palette however I see it as another exercise in Soderbergh enforcing a feeling of unease, coolness and success by using different shades of color in his framing.
When another agent turns on Mallory they fight in a dimly lit hotel room, when Mallory dispatches her prime enemy, she does so on a beach at sunset.
When Mallory is described the reality of her deception you only see her silhouette in an airport hanger.
The last few scenes are bathed in an uncharacteristic bright clearness, exemplifying the triumph of Mallory’s travails.
These are just a few examples of how Soderbergh subtly imposes different color schemes to heighten our awareness of the drama onscreen.
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