Hanna

The film Hanna (2011) is an Action Adventure piece in which a 16-year-old girl, Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) has been raised by Erik Heller (Eric Bana), former CIA agent, to be the world's most perfect assassin. He has taught her to be strong, to kill for her food, to hunt, to be stealthy, and above all, to think on her feet, "even when I'm sleeping." He has done this so that when she flips the switch on his signal radio, and Marissa Vilders (Cate Blanchette) learns of where Erik has been hiding all these years, they will find Hanna instead of Erik, and take her into the belly of the beast. What Erik doesn't expect is that Marissa is clever enough to send another woman in her place to meet the young Hanna, and Hanna believes she has killed the "witch." She flees from capture by the CIA and embarks on an almost Road-film-esc journey to return to her father in Grimm's Fairytale Castle, Berlin Germany, but something isn't right. The DNA analysis they did on her reflects information that is making the CIA uneasy. Hanna cannot read the paper, but she takes it with her on her journey to find someone or something that can. "I also have a dog called Trudy."

The story was developed by Seth Lochhead, who also wrote the screenplay with David Farr. This is Lochhead's first feature-length screenplay, to date, and Farr's first as well, though he's currently part of another project, Paani, which is in pre-production. It was directed by Joe Wright, who also directed Pride and Prejudice and Atonement. This is the only his fourth film in directing, though he has several television series, or mini-series under his belt at this point. The scenes of Hanna and Erik's life in Finland were actually shot in or around Finland, sometimes in Germany, where temperatures could and did reach anywhere to -33 degrees. The actors comment however that despite the chill, it really helped to capture the fantasy, fairytale feel of the modern day motion picture.

Cinematography. The shooting in this film is really nice, and semi-unique. At this point there's not a lot a cinematographer can do that we've NEVER seen before, but they took some non-commerical risks in this film and in my opnion, it paid off. There are certain shots I remember, such as the upside down spinning scene of Hanna running through the CIA base, and it's remarkably similar to Sherlock Holmes, where you don't need the fancy camera work to get into the picture, but you have it anyway, and it's surprising and satisfying.

Acting. The acting in this film was really spot on, and it's important to be that way in a character piece. The most memorable performance was undoubtedly Ronan's portrayal of Hanna, which is no surprise to those who have seen The Lovely Bones because she may be young, but she's very talented. Her characters are easy to get into and explore, and she has a very memorable face.

The Score. The Chemical Brothers are responsible for this awesomesauce. The score is thumping and grinding, electric, funky, and creative, and it PERFECTLY fits the tone of the film. I'm already a fan of The Chemical Brothers, personally, so this is just one more reason to love them. This is a soundtrack I will most likely spend money on.

In general, I was very surprised to learn that most of the dominant contributing forces in this film are pretty new to the experience, not having a lot to say for themselves yet. Hanna does NOT watch like an amateur piece, it watches very well. It's smooth and easy to look and and listen to. The story itself isn't the most unique thing you've ever heard of, but the CHARACTERS are great. I would definitely reccomend this film to a friend, and I think more people should go see it! Especially since it's main opponent at this point is Arthur, which is TANKING the box office. Save yourself $11 and go see Hanna! (PS: What's up with all the first name pieces?!)