Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, Cate Blanchett
Directed by: Joe Wright
Written by: Seth Lochhead and David Farr
Genre: Action/Adventure

“Music: a combination of sounds with a view to beauty and form and expression of emotion,” a father reads to his daughter in an attempt to educate her of the world. They live a sheltered life in the secluded snowy forest, far removed from society. This fifteen year old girl has never heard music, has never had her first kiss, and has never had a friend. She can, however, hunt, drag, and skin a deer in the wilderness with no trouble at all. She can also kill a full grown and physically capable man in a matter of seconds.

Hanna has spent her entire life training her mind and body in the ways of survival. She knows little of her past, save for the fact that she is wanted by a government organization run by Marissa Veigler. Though she is prepared for any physical threat that comes her way, she is curious and unready for the simple things in life. As teenage curiosity arises in her, she decides that it is time to enter the real world, and perhaps obtain some answers about her mother. And with a simple flick of a switch, she hits the ground running – quite literally.

Visionary director Joe Wright’s dramatic action thriller is a successful experiment in genre blending. Using the conventions of modern action flicks as a template, Hanna imbues the usually testosterone filled genre with an unconventional tender slant of a young girl coming of age. When Hanna enters the real world, she almost immediately puts her training to use in an exciting escape sequence from an underground government facility, her father prepped her for that. But what he couldn’t prep her for is how to act like a normal fifteen year old girl. As she befriends some passing travelers, she is at once bewildered and allured by the simple things in life that she hasn’t experienced – how to dress, how to act, and even working electricity. David Farr and Seth Lochhead’s touching and exciting script is complimented brilliantly by Joe Wright’s beautiful direction. Wright of course utilizes amazing production design, as he is known for, to evoke the world of a childhood broken by the corrupt intentions of adults. (A deserted amusement park provides the backdrop for the exciting conclusion of the film.)

Wright’s other talent is for eliciting terrific performances from his cast. He reteams with Saoirse Ronan (Atonement) to once again prove that she is an actress that will continue to deliver astonishing performances. This is the first time she has dealt with such a physically demanding role, (though her great performance in The Way Back showed her potential for it). If ever there were a role that demonstrates an actor’s ability to surprise with hidden physicality as well as unlimited emotional depth, it is Hanna, and Saoirse Ronan proves that she is borderline prodigal in her grasp on acting. You know when you’re upstaging Cate Blanchett that you’re doing something right.

In the last few years scores by hit electronic artists have become chic, (the pinnacle of which was Daft Punk’s soundtrack for TRON: Legacy and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s Oscar-winning score for The Social Network). The big-break electronic duo The Chemical Brothers provide the tunes for Hanna, which elevates the potential for storytelling within the electronic realm. Their score is a perfect marriage of the themes of Hanna as they capture the pulse-pounding excitement of the action sequences, and the dreamlike poignancy of a childhood lost.

Hanna is a rare addition to a genre that doesn’t usually stray too far from form. It is a beautiful, touching, and exciting film that is deserving of immense praise.

United Kingdom, USA, Germany. 111 minutes. Rated PG-13

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