Hanna is a quirky, timeless and very watchable movie.
The film is based around the character Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) - a teen assasin who has lived in a snowy forest all of her life, only knowing what her father has taught her, including how to kill. It turns out that Hanna was a specially enhanced foetus who is now wanted by the CIA especially by Marissa (Cate Blanchett). Hanna sets out to kill Marissa, and along the way learns who she is and what it meansto actually be human.
Hanna has a weird eerie and contradictory feel about it. It is timeless and placeless, yet so many different places and environments are used. One moment you feel like you are in the technological future, the next you feel like your camping with a very english and annoying family in the 60's.This could be disorientating and disjointed, but actually it works very well.
A lot of people were quite surprised when Joe Wright (director of Atonement and Pride and Prejudice) was set to direct this film. But actually, he pulls it off beautifully, using cinematic techniques that were used to emphasise the beauty of his period dramas. My favourite thing about Hanna are the visuals and the soundtrack. There are some truly brilliant and gritty fight scenes, and also a lot of the chasing and running (as dull as they can sometimes be) were actually exemplified by brilliant camera work, and the Chemical Brothers's exciting and edgy soundtrack.
All the actors pulled their weight, delivering what was needed to make a good film. Eric Banner (Hanna's father - Erik) just about pulled off the role without being too annoying, but did lack a bit of emotion, as did Blanchett in her enemy role (which she apparently is getting quite used to).
Of course the star of the show is Ronan, being quite brilliant and realistic as the violent but innocent and naive teen. A shout out also has to go to Tom Hollander and his character of Isaacs. He looks so camp, but is vicious and very well cast in his sadistic and menacing role.
The acting is good, the storyline is interestingt, but what makes this film, is Joe Wright's very good directing, and the often stunning visuals that are placed alongside a stellar soundtrack
4/5
An enhanced phoetus wanted by the CIA?! Excellent!
ReplyDeleteSeems a bit of a change from Ronan's crazy last film (Lovely Bones I think it was called) but to keep her persona across different roles is good, especially if she can pull it off!