Hanna
Rating: 7/10
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, Cate Blanchett, Tom Hollander, Jessica Barden
Director: Joe Wright
With a soundtrack by The Chemical Brothers, you would expect Hanna to be something a little bit cool.
And by golly, it is.
The Lovely Bones' Ronan is Hanna, whom we first meet in an icy wasteland as she hunts a deer with a bow and arrow. As she stands over the body, she tells it "I just missed your heart."
Within seconds of that, she's being attacked by a man - Erik (Eric Bana) - who turns out to be her father, training her for potential assassin work.
When Hanna decides she's ready to head out into the real world and not the snow covered wastelands of Finland, she's soon on the run from CIA officer Marissa Wiegler (Blanchett) who'll stop at nothing to bring her in and down.
As if that wasn't bad enough, Hanna's also got an assassin (Hollander) on her tale and winds up with a free loving family on their global road trip...
Hanna is effortlessly cool and stylish - though at times, it feels a little like that's at the expense of the script. It's almost as if someone's storyboarded some stunningly great images and ordered the director to shoe horn them in where possible. That said, while they do stand out, it's a real point of difference in this thriller which is welcome.
An absolutely pulsating and blistering soundtrack from the Chemical Brothers is brilliantly used; one sequence of a break out from a jail is akin to one of the Brothers' early music videos; it's frankly at times a welcome assault on the eyes and ears and will look like nothing else you've seen this year. It's hard to believe this is from the director who brought us Atonement and it really does show a skill at work and there's plenty on screen which you won't forget once the credits go up.
While Hollander, Bana and Blanchett are impressive in their roles (Blanchett appearing the coldest and disconnected as a ruthless CIA officer), this film is once again the showcase of star Saoirse Ronan, whose fragile looking but ass kicking teen assassin is the perfect mix of vulnerability and hard as nails attitude. With fiercely blue eyes, a gentle voice and a pitch perfect performance, it's easily her film to carry off - and she does it easily.
I'll freely admit Hanna won't be to everyone's tastes (there are some lapses in the logic of the script) - but if you fancy a hitman on the run thriller with an eclectic feel and awesome soundtrack, this is really something you'll cherish and love.
Watch
the trailer for Hanna here.
