Young Saoirse Ronan reteams with Joe Wright, her director on Atonement, for the thriller Hanna. Ronan stars in the title role as a sixteen year old girl who was raised by her father in the snowy wilds of Finland. Thanks to the skills her father taught her, Hanna can hunt down, kill and bring back a deer for meat at the dinner table. But there’s even more to her than meets the eye, because dear old dad--a former CIA agent--has also taught Hanna how to be a deadly assassin. Three armed men try to attack her? Not a problem. Hanna will wisely try to avoid them first, and if she can’t, then God help them--because Hanna doesn’t pull any punches. Literally.
If the thought of a sixteen year old girl being a lethal assassin doesn’t make much sense to you, bear in mind that Hanna was also the product of a special program run by the CIA. Her father, well-played by Eric Bana, snuck baby Hanna out of the lab along with her birth mother. A ruthless CIA operative with her own agenda, played with the proper malevolent icy tone by Cate Blanchett, hunts Hanna down across the better part of Europe--which, judging from director Wright’s view, is looking pretty run-down when seen from the point of view of a fugitive such as Hanna.
The thriller aspects of Hanna are extremely taunt and well handled. The fight
scenes are very kinetic and enthralling, usually shot within one take. And the
overall relentless chase is breathlessly done. But Wright also gives us some great character
moments, such as when Hanna encounters a family of tourists (the mother is played
by Dollhouse’s Olivia Williams--and Jason Flemyng,
from the latter seasons of Primeval, plays the father)
during her travels, and they instill within Hanna a longing for a more normal life.
If you’re expecting a wild ride of an action film like Lethal Weapon, you may be
disappointed, because while Hanna has its fair share of action, it still takes a
more cerebral, thoughtful approach to its subject. And the film benefits from
this more sophisticated story telling method, which serves its marvelous cast
very well. I’d recommend this for action fans who’re looking for something vastly
different than the usual B-movie action no-brainer. And if you choose to join
Hanna on her ride, you won’t be sorry.
--SF
Main Review Page | Suspense/Thriller Page |Hanna on DVD
