Hanna (B or 3/4 stars)
What do you get if you blend elements from Grimm's Faerie Tales with - let's say - The Bourne Identity & Run Lola Run? Well, you get something akin to 'Hanna', an original film directed by Joe Wright (Pride & Prejudice, Atonement). The film's narrative is split btwn. the parallel journeys of Hanna (superb Saoirse Ronan) & her loving father, Erik (Eric Bana); as they try to find each other at a predestined location. Hanna has spent her entire life (16 yrs. or so) deep in a forest in Finland; learning from her ex-CIA dad how to be a super assassin. She has an advantage, though; harboring a strange, enhanced strength, agility, stamina & intelligence in her small body. Hanna's unorthodox upbringing & the training methods inflicted upon her are brutal.
But she's ready for action; deciding to leave the forest & enter society. Her main mission is to infiltrate a U.S. government installation in Morocco & kill Marissa Wiegler (Cate Blanchett), the ruthless intelligence agent responsible for Hanna's mother's death. All this while, Erik travels south so he can reunite with Hanna in Berlin once Marisa ("the witch") & her operatives are dead. Unbelievably (literally & figuratively, but that's acceptable - as this is a sort of faerie tale) ... Hanna is able to elude CIA agents & certain danger. She escapes captivity, but becomes entangled in a high octane cat & mouse game across Europe with Marisa; who's aiming to take out the father-daughter team in tandem. By the film's close, Hanna must not only stay alive, but face revelations about her enigmatic existence.
It's difficult to express my overall feelings for 'Hanna' (forming an opinion based on my strong likes & dislikes). The film opens with a bang. Hanna's enigmatic nature kept me intrigued. It's visceral (more than anything else). It's sometimes perverse, yet often goofy/humorous. There is suspense (Hanna being constantly pursued; edge-of-your-seat chases). I love film's look (kinetic editing, unique sets). Some early scenes in the snow are breathtaking. A tracking shot employed during a fight scene involving Erik is masterfully done. The thumping musical score by the Chemical Brothers gives the film an added pulse that it already had. 'Hanna' is an original story, but I like it's splintered homage to iconic genre pieces (Frankenstein, the aforementioned Bourne, Run Lola Run); creating an odd mix of otherworldly faerie tale & intense spy saga. Joe Wright does an amazing job smoothing out those 2 dissonant genres & creating a stylish film from them. I appreciate the dark allegorical undercurrents. i.e., Hanna is presented as a Frankenstein figure (raised well, but not told what she is); a reindeer motif; the climactic set piece takes place in a faerie tale-themed park; Marissa's bloodied teeth/gums foreshadow the final sequence where she emerges from a Big Bad Wolf head.
Saoirse Ronan's (with her bleached hair & icy eyes) frigid, calculated portrayal (a product of her upbringing) is great, but some of her best moments are when she's sweetly conversing with humanity (like a female friend she makes along her journey. Their friendship is platonic, but the once-isolated Hanna may not know how to place her emotions). Ronan just nails it; whether she's outsmarting operatives, kicking ass, or panicking because she's never seen a TV set. I can't think of another actress as young as she who's impressed me as much in such a small space of time (5 or 6 movies now since '07). As Marissa Wiegler, Cate Blanchett plays up her devilish side with devious delight. And Tom Hollander gets under our skin as Marissa's sadistic, androgynous sidekick.
All that said, though I enjoyed the ride immensely, the ending of this film is both too blunt and not as satisfying as I'd hope it would be; left with a feeling of 'OK, so that was it?'. But that's been a problem with me lately - films that promise more than they deliver (in the end). See, more attention went into the dazzling visuals & satisfying performances than the actual story. There's much more style than substance. And it's a film that is so straightforward (about a ruthless monster) & so loosely plotted ... that anything can happen. Anything can happen plot devices can be dangerous when not handled with aplomb by the director.
'Hanna' is exciting, involving, but exceptionally-made nothingness. There's little to hold onto when it's all over. I suppose you could say that 'Hanna' offers a potent coming-of-age tale, & you wouldn't be wrong. But the superficial excesses abounding around that core narrative only goes to show how simplistic the movie really is. Still, I recommend 'Hanna' as a non-stop actioner that kept things moving, made me chuckle, made me grip my armrest, & offered Saoirse Ronan the chance to wow me once again. I was surely entertained, but more for its bells & whistles craftsmanship than for it's simple, pseudo-emotional storytelling.
But she's ready for action; deciding to leave the forest & enter society. Her main mission is to infiltrate a U.S. government installation in Morocco & kill Marissa Wiegler (Cate Blanchett), the ruthless intelligence agent responsible for Hanna's mother's death. All this while, Erik travels south so he can reunite with Hanna in Berlin once Marisa ("the witch") & her operatives are dead. Unbelievably (literally & figuratively, but that's acceptable - as this is a sort of faerie tale) ... Hanna is able to elude CIA agents & certain danger. She escapes captivity, but becomes entangled in a high octane cat & mouse game across Europe with Marisa; who's aiming to take out the father-daughter team in tandem. By the film's close, Hanna must not only stay alive, but face revelations about her enigmatic existence.
It's difficult to express my overall feelings for 'Hanna' (forming an opinion based on my strong likes & dislikes). The film opens with a bang. Hanna's enigmatic nature kept me intrigued. It's visceral (more than anything else). It's sometimes perverse, yet often goofy/humorous. There is suspense (Hanna being constantly pursued; edge-of-your-seat chases). I love film's look (kinetic editing, unique sets). Some early scenes in the snow are breathtaking. A tracking shot employed during a fight scene involving Erik is masterfully done. The thumping musical score by the Chemical Brothers gives the film an added pulse that it already had. 'Hanna' is an original story, but I like it's splintered homage to iconic genre pieces (Frankenstein, the aforementioned Bourne, Run Lola Run); creating an odd mix of otherworldly faerie tale & intense spy saga. Joe Wright does an amazing job smoothing out those 2 dissonant genres & creating a stylish film from them. I appreciate the dark allegorical undercurrents. i.e., Hanna is presented as a Frankenstein figure (raised well, but not told what she is); a reindeer motif; the climactic set piece takes place in a faerie tale-themed park; Marissa's bloodied teeth/gums foreshadow the final sequence where she emerges from a Big Bad Wolf head.
Saoirse Ronan's (with her bleached hair & icy eyes) frigid, calculated portrayal (a product of her upbringing) is great, but some of her best moments are when she's sweetly conversing with humanity (like a female friend she makes along her journey. Their friendship is platonic, but the once-isolated Hanna may not know how to place her emotions). Ronan just nails it; whether she's outsmarting operatives, kicking ass, or panicking because she's never seen a TV set. I can't think of another actress as young as she who's impressed me as much in such a small space of time (5 or 6 movies now since '07). As Marissa Wiegler, Cate Blanchett plays up her devilish side with devious delight. And Tom Hollander gets under our skin as Marissa's sadistic, androgynous sidekick.
All that said, though I enjoyed the ride immensely, the ending of this film is both too blunt and not as satisfying as I'd hope it would be; left with a feeling of 'OK, so that was it?'. But that's been a problem with me lately - films that promise more than they deliver (in the end). See, more attention went into the dazzling visuals & satisfying performances than the actual story. There's much more style than substance. And it's a film that is so straightforward (about a ruthless monster) & so loosely plotted ... that anything can happen. Anything can happen plot devices can be dangerous when not handled with aplomb by the director.
'Hanna' is exciting, involving, but exceptionally-made nothingness. There's little to hold onto when it's all over. I suppose you could say that 'Hanna' offers a potent coming-of-age tale, & you wouldn't be wrong. But the superficial excesses abounding around that core narrative only goes to show how simplistic the movie really is. Still, I recommend 'Hanna' as a non-stop actioner that kept things moving, made me chuckle, made me grip my armrest, & offered Saoirse Ronan the chance to wow me once again. I was surely entertained, but more for its bells & whistles craftsmanship than for it's simple, pseudo-emotional storytelling.