Some movies are easy to classify (slasher flick, buddy cop comedy, spy thriller, etc.) but others are more difficult. Try to quickly sum up director Joe Wright's Hanna and you'll find yourself doing one of these – "Well, this guy raised his girl in isolation to be an assassin, and she goes off and meets this hippie family and gets scared of electric things and then she learns this stuff but it turns out that…" Whereas other films fall down when they try to blend too many elements together in a single film, Hanna is a beautiful example of how to do it properly.
The film stars Saoirse Ronan as the titular Hanna, a girl who is raised by her father, Erik Heller (Eric Bana), in a forest for reasons which are unclear at the start of the film. Hanna really is, in part, about this girl who is trained for unknown reasons to be an assassin. Cate Blanchett is a part of this story as the wonderfully evil Marissa Wiegler.
It would ruin the movie to discuss too much what happens in this tale, but both Hanna and Wiegler are women on a mission, each gunning for the other. Hanna has nothing at her disposal but that which she finds around her while Wiegler has the power of the CIA (and even less scrupulous individuals) at her beck and call.
This trained teen assassin plot is a hugely intriguing part of the film, and the hook on which everything else is placed, but it isn't the only aspect of the movie. Hanna is equally about this teenage girl coming of age and going out into the world. The stakes are raised more than for the average teen however as Hanna has trained killers—both of the government approved and not-government approved varieties—after her. Additionally, while Hanna is smart (her father read the encyclopedia to her regularly), finally getting first-hand experiences about things like television, music, and electricity provides a daunting new set of challenges.
Despite not being with her father, she is not alone in the world. Hanna meets and befriends Sophie (Jessica Barden) and her Bohemian family who just happen to be on a road trip which will put Hanna closer to her destination. The family doesn't know that Hanna is anything other than a strange girl, and she is not entirely sure what to make of them. However, they not only provide her with some cover, but also with another insight into the world, something she desperately needs.
Article comments
1 - ghotter
What can I say about Joe Wright's Hanna. Well what an amazing film, exuberating, well crafted and pulsing with energy. It’s a gripping chase movie all the way through - the Music by the Chemical Brothers is brilliant- with Hanna's theme, The Devil is in the Details, Container Park and Escape Wavefold, just to name a few. The atmosphere is brilliant something like eXistenZ, with unusual sometimes freaky scenery: from the snows of the artic circle to Morocco, Container Parks and of course the abandoned Children's Theme Park in Germany. The German accents are well done by those who aren't even German by birth. The whistling song is so addictive, I've been whistling it for days. The acting by Saoirse Ronan , Eric Bana and Cate Blanchett are all very good. I want to see this film again and get the Chemical Brothers Soundtrack.