Rating:  

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, Cate Blanchett, Vicky Krieps, Jason Flemyng, Olivia Williams, Jessica Barden, Aldo Maland, Michelle Dockery, Tom Hollander, Mohamed Majd.
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Director: Joe Wright
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 111 Minutes
Release Date: April 8, 2011
Home Video Release Date: September 6, 2011
Box Office: $40.3 Million
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Holleran Company, Studio Babelsberg, and Focus Features.

Written by: Seth Lochhead and David Farr; Story by Seth Lochhead.

Following up his 2007 film, “Atonement”, which scored 7 Academy Award nominations and a win for Dario Marianelli’s original score, director Joe Wright was viewed as a director on the rise, whose 2005 adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice” had delivered Keira Knightley her first Oscar nomination and made her a frontline star.

In 2009, Wright switched gears and made the poorly received Jamie Foxx docudrama “The Soloist”, a film which had a remarkable story to tell about a homeless musician fighting through debilitating schizophrenia, but blessed with incredible musical talent. “The Soloist” was eagerly anticipated and when the film failed to connect with audiences and critics, Wright suffered some of the first doubts as to his own talents and abilities. Nothing Wright has delivered on screen previously compares at all to “Hanna”, his gripping techno mix of a film which finds him reteaming with Saoirse Ronan, who he led to a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination in “Atonement.”

Ronan, now age 17 and age 16 at the time of filming, is stunning as the titular character, raised in isolation in the remote areas of Finland by her father, Erik Heller (Eric Bana). Trained by her father to become an assassin and fluent in multiple languages, Hanna is a skilled and brilliant fighter, with next to no exposure to the outside world. Able to ascertain a sense that the world might be bigger around her, Hanna starts to inquire with her father about why certain things in her life are the way they are. Coinciding with Hanna’s curiosities comes the pronouncement that Hanna is “ready” and her father shares with her a box, laden with a switch. Erik informs Hanna that by simply triggering the switch, the people Hanna has been training to fight and defeat will descend onto their cabin and attempt to capture the both of them. Hanna pulls the trigger, Erik escapes, and Hanna is taken to a locked down United States government facility.

Hanna’s abduction is overseen by C.I.A. agent Marissa Wiegler (Cate Blanchett), who has been tracking the Hellers and is aware of Erik’s having a daughter. In custody, Hanna meets with a woman claiming to be Marissa and very quickly, Hanna not only kills the imposter, but she dispatches a handful of agents who attempt to bust into the interrogation room Hanna is housed in. Hanna handles her foes and escapes the seemingly inescapable underground facility. She surfaces, literally, in Morocco and is taken in by a kind, if not aloof, couple (Jason Flemyng and Olivia Williams) who have a daughter (Jessica Barden) who takes an immediate interest in Hanna.

There is a lot more to “Hanna” than just this premise. Secret identities are revealed, histories involving previous connections between several of these characters come into play, and Joe Wright’s film keeps you guessing the whole time. Punctuated by an impassioned score by electronic music legends The Chemical Brothers, “Hanna”, at times, looks and feels like the coolest kid in the room. To Wright’s credit, and in stark contrast to his previous work, “Hanna’” has an edge and a strut about it. Anchoring the film is Ronan, impressive with her physicality, displaying of emotions, and tightrope walking with different dialects and personalities scene to scene and moment to moment.

Eric Bana has a fine supporting turn and Cate Blanchett works well enough as the operative on a mission to capture Hanna. Blanchett, rather surprisingly, is a bit too over-the-top as Marissa at times. Blanchett is a fine actress, often standing out in every project she is a part of, but here…whether it is her pained attempt at an American accent or her necessity to be the heavy in certain scenes, Blanchett seems off-balance a bit. She is far from terrible, just somewhat miscast I fear.

Razor-sharp editing speeds the film along and although it begins to overstay its welcome with its 112-minute running time, “Hanna’ is quite impressive to take in and watch. Certainly the pulsating rhythms of The Chemical Brothers help with the buy-in, but the cinematography is fantastic, complimenting Wright’s now trademark use of tracking shots and longer takes. Visually, Wright’s spiking in of quick and rhythmic jump cuts along with his more traditional approach adds to the dazzle and the sound mix is impressively balanced all the way through.

One of the more technically accomplished films of 2011, Joe Wright’s “Hanna” is a reminder that you can never judge a book by its cover. An adrenalin rush, with a welcome balance of action, intensity, humor, and some mystery and suspense, “Hanna” is exciting and invigorating. It’s not without its flaws, but it is certainly a film worth checking out, delivering enough memorable moments to keep you smiling after it credits start to roll.

Should I See It?

YES

A unique and high-energy action adventure, “Hanna” spikes in suspense, humor, and adventure and builds wisely around Saoirse Ronan’s character.

Saoirse Ronan. She is terrific and handles the difficulties of the role – the physicality, the accent, the range of emotions – in an expert way.

Most surprising, alongside Ronan’s confidence in the role, is how marvelous this film looks, feels, and sounds. “Hanna” is a tremendous joy to watch and experience, as well as to try and figure out.

NO

The rapid-fire editing, pulsating rhythms of The Chemical Brothers score, and the lighting and visual stylings may be too much, too over-the-top for some viewers. As a result, exhaustion with the story and all the tricks and bells and whistles may prove disorienting.

One argument which can be made is that if you strip away all the glitz and presentation, this is nothing more than a paint-by-numbers revenge thriller. If that is not your cup of tea then this is likely not going to hold your interest.