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HANNA (4/08/11; Action, Thriller) Saoirse Ronan, Cate Blanchett, Eric Bana, Jessica Barden, Tom Hollander, Olivia Williams SCR: David Farr, Seth Lochhead DIR: Joe Wright MPAA: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some sexual material and language. 1 hour 51 mins BOX: $44,953,470 |
Ronan adds a pulse and blue-eyed soul to this thrilling tale of 16-year-old raised by her father Erik (Bana) in isolation and trained to be a lethal killer. One would assume this film to be a combination of the Bourne films and Kick-Ass (2010), and that would not be far off. But what sets this European-flavored coming-of-age chase flick apart is the fact that Hanna has never seen anyone else, much less a “normal” family.
Watching Ronan go into the world and sift through her deadly instincts to form tentative connections is what raises this movie up several notches. Ronan plays her like an alien from space.
Blanchett is the corrupt CIA agent behind the effort to track down Hanna and Erik and we can tell from the get-go that she’s no damn good. But she also holds the keys to Hanna’s identity. Wright directed the costume drama Atonement (2007) but reveals some hidden superpowers of his own: turns out he’s a slick action director with a strong sense of how to combine a visual playfulness with sheer momentum. The pumping electronic score from the Chemical Brothers underscores all the slickery but never overwhelms. (Focus)
— DENNIS WILLIS
