Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, Tom Hollander, Olivia Williams, Jason Flemyng, and Cate Blanchett
I admire hunters. I'm not talking about those guys that just pull out a gun and shoot their prey. I'm talking about hunters who have to track and kill their prey by much more challenging means. By going out in the wilderness and braving the elements, they do what most of us don't. By pursuing their prey and taking life without question, they do what most of us won't. By mastering their craft and becoming skilled killers, they do what most of us can't. That's why I have serious respect for hunters and love to watch movies about them. With this in mind, I expected great things from Joe Wright's action film Hanna. After all, it's about a little girl who hunts like no one else. Having seen it though, I can't say I was totally satisfied by the movie.
Sixteen year-old girl Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) has lived a very unique life. Raised in the woods by her father Erik (Eric Bana), she's never been exposed to the modern world or technology and has learned to survive in the wild. Trained to be a deadly assassin, Hanna knows quite a bit about the world she's never seen and speaks several languages. She's waiting for the right time to enter the world so that she can eliminate CIA agent Marissa Wiegler (Cate Blanchett). When Hanna believes she's ready, she tells her father. He gives her a transmitter and tells her to use it to let the world know where they are. When Hanna does use the transmitter, all hell breaks loose as the CIA is out to capture both her and her father Erik. Hanna is now forced to enter a world to which she's never been really exposed.
Hanna is one of those action flicks that's definitely enjoyable. Nonetheless, I've got a few problems with the movie, and the performances by the lead actors in the film are a great place to start. I'll be the first to say that Saoirse Ronan makes Hanna a cold, heartless killer and a damn good hunter. She legitimately makes me believe this teenage girl is a kickass killer. She's Jason Bourne as a little 16-year old girl. I'll also admit that Eric Bana once again shows his uncanny ability to bring a certain nobility to any hero he portrays on the big screen as Hanna's father Erik. That being said, Cate Blanchett's performance is nothing to write home about. For some reason, her awful American accent reminds me of her equally horrendous performance in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Crystal Skull back in 2008. That terrible accent just annoys the hell out of me throughout the film.
The filmmaking in Hanna is generally pretty solid, but there are some issues here as well. The film has decent action sequences but nothing terribly elaborate. It's the story that drives this movie, and director Joe Wright has a rich story to tell here. With quite a few twists and turns, Hanna is the first action movie in quite a while that surprised me. I wasn't quite sure where the film was going, and for that I thank Wright. That being said, I hated the ending to the movie. It's an abrupt, weak conclusion that leaves a sour taste in my mouth. I won't spoil it for you, but I have to make my discontent known.
I'm of a mixed mindset in rating Hanna. Clearly, the film has a lot going for it. For the most part, there are strong performances on screen and smart filmmaking behind the scenes. At the same time, there are a couple of glaring problems that leave me a bit dissatisfied with this one. Having weighed all of this, I have to give Hannaa 0.06% rating. It's a good movie, not a great one. Have a couple of rounds of beer with this one.
