Hanna (2011) starring Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, Vicky Krieps, Cate Blanchett, Paris Arrowsmith, John Macmillan, Tim Beckmann directed by Joe Wright Movie Review

Hanna (2011)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Saoirse Ronan in Hanna (2011)

Kill Hanna

Once upon a time lived a girl called Hanna (Saoirse Ronan - The Way Back). She was raised by her father Erik (Eric Bana - The Time Traveller's Wife), a former CIA operative, in a remote woodland hut and not only educated to be multi-lingual but taught to hunt and fight both with weapons and hands. Having become a teenager she has a yearning to know first hand of the world she has only heard about in the book which her father has used to educate her. Having proven that she is ready her father sends her out into the world on a mission but her appearance means that CIA boss Marissa Wiegler (Cate Blanchett - Robin Hood) is coming after her and will not stop till she kills Hanna.

I have never been a fan of movies which introduce us to a child who is a trained killer but I find myself conflicted when it comes to "Hanna" as the need for Hanna to be a killer is a matter of survival, well survival and as we quickly discover vengeance. And as such we are given a fantastic start as we are introduced to young Hanna as she hunts a deer and embarks on hand to hand combat with her father who you can instantly tell is training her out of concern for her safety. Yes it's a bit strange with their remote home in the woods being something out of a fairytale but it is curious enough to spike our interest especially when we also learn that her father is a rogue asset.

Cate Blanchett in Hanna (2011)

Now what goes on after this sees Hanna head out into the real world where it is all very alien to her having only known life with her father but at the same time having to deal with Marissa hunting her down. Why you may ask? Well we do learn why as the story unfolds but what we also get is a curious mix of fairytale and action movie. And trust me when I tell you this is not going to be to everyone's tastes as it is easy to watch this under the assumption that it is purely an exciting action movie with a young girl as a trained killer. But it is a lot more artsy and offbeat than your usual action movie and at times crosses over into the realms of feeling pretentious.

Whether or not director Joe Wright's vision and Seth Lochhead's story is your sort of thing the performances themselves are first rate. Considering Saoirse Ronan is acting alongside Cate Blanchett and Eric Bana she delivers a fascinating portrayal of a young assassin adept in survival and combat. Yes some of her character traits seem flawed but you can't take your eyes off of Ronan for a split second due to the intrigue she brings to the role of Hanna.

What this all boils down to is that "Hanna" didn't really do it for me as there was stuff I liked about it but an artsy, quirky side which I didn't. But it is certainly an interesting experience which if you enjoy movies which try to be different but still enjoy mainstream action might work for you a lot more than it did for me.


LATEST REVIEWS