Slick, thrilling, art-house action film.

Author: gzuhgut from United Kingdom
27 February 2012

Having read some of the more negative reviews on this site, all I can say is that they all seem to have the same complaint in common.Namely, non-acceptance of certain plot contrivances.

So let me say straight off: if you are the sort of person who didn't like Inception because it made no sense, or the sort of person who didn't like The Matrix Trilogy because it made no sense, or indeed the sort of person who didn't like any of David Lynch's films because (ahem) NONE OF THEM MAKE ANY SENSE...in short, if you are an incurable pedant, you will not enjoy this film and you might as well stop reading this review. Seriously, stop reading, don't watch the film and go calculate Pi or something.

If, however, you have an appreciation for tightly-edited, emotionally engaging, aesthetically pleasing cinema with a brilliant soundtrack and at times breathless pacing, please allow me to take a few minutes of your time. Hanna is the story of a teenage girl who lives in total isolation with her father. She has vague memories of her mother, and these memories combined with her (literally) encyclopedic knowledge fuel her desire to leave the relative safety of her father's protection in the frozen hinterland of northern Finland.

In a way, I don't want to say any more than that. If you've read the other reviews on this site that give away more, then I'm very sorry for you, but if not then suffice it to say that her father's motivation for keeping her in this state of isolation appears to be protection, combined with a desire to train her in survival/assassination skills, in preparation for...well that would be telling. Of course, you don't need me to tell you that she leaves her father's protection and the story proper begins. As Chekov said "One must not put a loaded rifle on the stage if no-one is thinking of using it" and boy, does that rifle get used.

Saoirse Ronan is brilliant as Hanna. At times seemingly invincible, at others pathetically vulnerable, owing to her complete inexperience of the world. We see the world from her unique perspective as she struggles to understand non-familiar interaction, the natural ease of recreation and even the basic electrical appliances that we all take for granted. The story moves us from one location to the next, painting a rich tapestry of colour and culture, whilst simultaneously (and somewhat comically) contrasting Hanna's desperate need to traverse these territories with the bourgeoisie's seeming obsession with "experiencing" as many of them as possible.

The acting is solid throughout. The only truly great performance comes from Ronan, but Tom Hollander, Cate Blanchett and Eric Bana all turn out good performances that serve the picture well. However the true credit for this film has to be laid at the feet of Joe Wright. None of his previous films could possibly prepare you for Hanna. Wright's mastery of both a tight, intricate plot such as in Atonement, combined with his incredible skill in making this beautiful, thoughtful, action-packed coming of age story mark him out as a director of real class. It is true that Hanna suffers from a few plot holes, but that plot is delivered in such an appealing, exciting and above-all entertaining film that anyone who isn't compiling continuity errors for some god-awful TV programme that relishes in the fact that THIS ISN'T REAL LIFE, IT'S ACTUALLY ONLY A FILM!! should have a blast letting this film take them along for the ride. If you want reality, watch a documentary. If you want a very good fiction, watch Hanna.

Not what I expected but .... WOW!

Author: kristin_riding
29 March 2011

A friend got me tickets to an advance screening, telling me it was a spy thriller with Eric Bana and Cate Blanchett. I hadn't seen a trailer and was expecting something along the lines of Mission Impossible. Was I wrong.

I'm not great at doing reviews, but I feel I need to say something about this amazing movie! During it, I was very aware at how engrossed I was, hanging on every scene. It was visually stunning-some of the scenes or transitions between them were so beautiful.The title HANNA on the screen reminded me a lot of Kill Bill. In fact, I felt Saoirse Ronan's Hanna is a teenage version of The Bride from Kill Bill and Leeloo from The Fifth Element.

I've seen Cate Blanchett in a couple of movies, but was impressed by her portrayal of a ruthless agent. I hate to say that Eric Bana's character (Erik) was "almost" forgettable - in the end, the movie was really not about him. But he did show up once wet and without muchclothing and that was just fine by me. I am not a fan of violence (and Tarantino's bugs me a lot), but I was OK with the quantity and visibility of it in this movie. Fans of Kill Bill should enjoy Hanna.(Tout à fait..j'ai vachement enjoillé)

Fantastic Character Driven Action Piece

Author: cadillac20 from Culver City, California
8 April 2011

Hannah is a wholly unexpected, but entirely enjoyable film. However, this is not the all out, balls to the wall action film the trailer might suggest. There is a high art house value to the film, and it takes it's time letting you get to know the characters, most notably the titular character Hannah, as she explores the world for the first time. What we have is the kind of action film that comes around every once in a while that values it's characters, but also demonstrates some great action pieces.

Hannah tells the story of the 16 year old girl who, after living her whole life in the woods, is set upon the world. At the same time, her release into the world sets in motion a man hunt by a CIA agent with her own agenda. I've read many comments comparing this to Kick Ass, and I couldn't figure it out for the life of me. While these two films share loose ingredients, they are wholly different films, with Hannah arguably the superior film.

Beautifully shot and fantastic all the way around, the film elevates itself to art by successfully balancing Bourne-style action and a beautiful coming of age story. Through the film, we see the world as Hannah sees it, with a sense of wonder and beauty, but also a sense of confusion.

Sound is used to great effect to depict this as well, and I will be very disappointed if this film doesn't get nominated for every sound award next year. The cast and talent behind the film also help to elevate it above the standard pic. Particularly Joe Wright, who treads into different territory, but nonetheless proves that he is an extremely versatile director. Saoirse Ronan also excels as the lead here, playing up the hardened, but vulnerable character. It's not an easy role to fill the shoes of, with both a physical and emotional demand on the characters, but in Wright's hands, Saoirse nails it.

While the film does have moments of drag here and there, even these moments are filled with something visually or audibly interesting. If it's not the Chemical Brother's fantastic soundtrack or a unique shot here and there, it's the stylish editing and unique focus. I will say that this won't be for everyone. This is not a film that's constant action and it does have an independent quality to it. But for those that take the journey, you'll find a very rewarding film here that succeeds where many action films don't. I'll even go so far as to say that this is my favorite film of 2011 so far.