In this violent world, nothing is as innocent as it seems. Opening in a secluded, snowy forest, an unremarkable log cabin sits idly and quietly, untouched. A deer does what deer do, skulking stealthily in the search for food. Nothing out of the ordinary. Then we see her. A flash from behind a tree. A wisp of a girl, hard faced and draped in hunter's garb. With the most subtle of moves comes the twang of an arrow, a rush of adrenaline, and what looked like a wintry wonderland moments before is now covered in the blood of fresh kill. "I just missed your heart", the girl utters as either a statement of fact or a personal rebuke.
The girl is Hanna(the phenomenal Saoirse Ronan), and her meager survivalist upbringing is also a mirage. Her father, Erik Heller(Eric Bana), has been raising her since birth to fight. To defend herself against danger, to learn to survive using her own wits and skills and whatever nature provides. They train day and night. Even when not training, her life is a constant test. Hanna is as smart as any computer, fluent in multiple languages, and has a memory of numerous cover stories she can utilize at a moment's notice. She's practically a vessel of information. All of this is necessary if she's going to survive what lurks there in the outside world. She's been brought up with one mission in mind: to kill the woman that's hunting her, or be killed trying.
That woman is Marissa Wiegler(Cate Blanchett), a manipulative CIA agent with close(possibly maternal?) ties to Hanna. Her corn-pone southern twang disguising the true viper that she is. When she learns of Hanna and Erik's whereabouts, she pulls out all the stops and spares no lives in achieving her goal, bringing in a vicious, boisterous black ops agent(the scene stealing Tom Hollander) to track them down.
Joe Wright steps into some unfamiliar territory with his latest directorial effort, moving away from the period epics(
Pride & Prejudice
,
Atonement) and into the murky world of wetworks and safe houses. His linear, surreal style proves to be a natural fit for the world Hanna inhabits. Her journey takes her clear across Europe, where she finds herself totally unprepared for the realities of human interaction. Raised totally in isolation, Hanna is almost like an alien from another planet. She hitches a ride with a yuppie British family on a road trip, and becomes fast friends with the talkative Sophie(a fantastic Jessica Barden). Coming from where she does, Hanna has no clue what Sophie appears to be complaining about, and is unprepared to deal with any emotions whatsoever. That part of her has been scrubbed free.
Wright succeeds most in these scenes, as we follow Hanna's unrecognized quest to find her own humanity. The world is a mysterious place for her, where everyone and anyone is a potential threat, and those who aren't are just pawns. Being a part of the world, rather than standing outside of it, slowly changes her. But the people chasing her don't, nor does the mission disappear if Hanna ignores it. Wright wisely frames the film as a sort of fractured fairy tale, with Hanna in the Red Riding Hood role, trying to avoid the wolves chasing her and reach the destination. Wright's films have this dreamy quality to them, and that extends even to a violent production like this. In some ways it makes the story even more terrifying.
Saoirse Ronan is astonishingly good, as she has been ever since her debut in Atonement. It's obvious why Wright has become so attached to the young actress. Her face can portray a myriad of emotions without changing a single wrinkle. Her stare is cold, curious, deadly, and innocent all at the same time. Opposite heavyweights like Blanchett and Bana, Ronan stands above them both. When she's not on screen the film is some what less interesting. That's not a knock on anyone else involved, it's just she's that darn good and charismatic. It's amazing to think that after only a handful of movies, Ronan is already one of the best actresses working today. Period. A lot of people are going to jump on Blanchett for her twangy accent, but it never bothered me or became a distraction. Her role could've used more beefing up. It's a bit one-note for me, but Blanchett jumps into it with her usual gusto.
There are a ton of secrets to be unearthed, and I refuse to spoil them here. Screenwriters David Farr and Seth Lochhead are smart enough to keep the mysteries mostly under wraps. Part of what makes Hanna so interesting is not knowing the full details of her story. When we finally learn everything, I think the film loses a lot of steam. Wright does his best to maintain the energy up to that point, using his textbook tracking camera shots multiple times to craft some truly breathtaking action sequences. One, which I think is now my favorite of his, sees Erik being pursued for blocks until finally being cornered in an abandoned subway, leading to a bone crunching brawl. Eric Bana hasn't kicked this much ass since
Munich
, and I loved every second of it.
On the surface, Hanna has a lot of elements we've seen in numerous hitman movies. But I promise you've rarely seen one quite this thrilling or well-crafted.
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