Wow...I disappeared there for a bit. Lots of chaos in the real world right now. I'm back though and with a vengeance. This film is freaking amazing. Director Joe Wright did so much right with this it's unreal. Honestly I felt his "The Soloist" was trying too hard to shoot for an Oscar nod. THIS is the kind of film I expect from the director of "Atonement".
Basically, the plot is a young girl, raised in the wilds of Finland to be a perfect killing machine by her former CIA father finally comes into the real world to seek vengeance for the murder of her mother. Saoirse Ronan plays the title character. She also worked for Wright on "Atonement" but this is sure to be a breakout role for her. She is spectacular. Similar to the chops he showed in "CHOPPER" (pun intended), Eric Bana is phenomenal as Hanna's father, while Cate Blanchett (probably the greatest living actress and the female Gary Oldman) kicks serious ass as the film's villain.
Kudos to anyone who recognizes Blanchett's sadistic Aryan henchman Issacs as Cutler Beckett from the "Pirates of the Caribbean" films. Tom Hollander plays a decidedly less refined role in this flick. I also had a hard time placing Olivia Williams, though I knew her from something. She was the female lead in "The Postman" (one of my favorite Costner flicks) and "The Sixth Sense". Jason Flemyng plays her husband in the movie and has been in so many of my favorite flicks. He is a Ritchie staple from "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels", "Snatch" and he was Azazel in "X-Men: First Class" (WHAT?!). You might also recognize him as Calibos from the newer "Clash of the Titans" film.
Besides the badass fight sequences (knife work is beautiful), this film also sports a wonderful immersion into culture. A globe-hopping adventure, Wright does a great job of dragging you into the culture and helping you lose yourself in the film. You feel like you are wherever Hanna is. Also, the soundtrack by the Chemical Brothers is seemlessly integrated into the experience. The haunting, throbbing, industrial tones definitely are a strong contributor to the film's badassery.
Probably the best assassin film I've seen since "The Professional".
HANNA ON IMDB
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