Hanna
Review by Sean Lynch
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Hanna
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There’s a certain kind of thriller where less is more. Instead of
endless conversations and hurried phonecalls, the hero lets their
actions speak for them.
Your probably thinking of the Bourne
movies by now, but they’re only halfway there – Jason Bourne might not
say much, but he’s surrounded by people who won’t shut up.
Hanna
(Saoirse Ronan), on the other hand, has been raised by her father (Eric
Bana) in snowy northern Europe to be a deadly super-assassin who kills
first and maybe says a few words later.
He’s training her to
be ready for a day she can summon at the flick of a switch: when she
does, a light goes on in CIA headquarters and Hanna’s mission begins.
Marissa
(Cate Blanchett) wants Hanna’s father, dead or alive; Hanna’s mission
is to get to her first. None of them are quite so stupid as to wait
around to die, and much of the film is a global cat-and-mouse between
the three.
While the adults know what’s at stake and give what
could have been cartoon characters a believable wariness (and in Bana’s
case, a soul-crushing exhaustion that underlies his love for his
daughter), to Hanna the human world is one of wonder and excitement.
Her
story quickly turns into a twisted coming-of-age tale, especially once
she hooks up with a quasi-hippy UK family touring northern Africa. But
her murderous training is never far behind (her first make-out session
doesn’t quite go according to plan), and the film’s numerous fight
scenes are brutally efficient. This kind of film works best
by letting the audience fill in the gaps as to any deeper meaning
behind the stripped-back story, so when the various fairy-tale
references start getting heavy-handed towards the end – Marissa is
basically a wicked step-mother, for example – the film is revealed to
not be quite as smart as it thinks it is.
Still, there’s
enough flair on display here to make up for the substance : slick and
quirky action thrillers never go out of style. 4 out
of 5
Hanna
Australian release: 28th July,
2010
Official
Site: Hanna
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, Tom Hollander, Olivia Williams, Cate Blanchett, Jessica Barden, Jason Flemyng
Director: Joe Wright
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