The espionage thriller is a tired genre, and such films often suffer from clichés and a dearth of fresh ideas. With the successful execution of “Hanna,” who would have guessed the recipe for success called for a brutal 16-year-old protagonist and elements of a bildungsroman?
Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) is a girl living in a remote woodlands cabin with her father (Eric Bana), who spends her days being taught combat, survival skills and numerous languages and geographical facts.
When her training is complete, Hanna sets out to eliminate the merciless CIA officer (Cate Blanchett) who killed her mother and ruthlessly pursued her father to keep secret a failed Agency project.
The film owes much of its success to the impressive talents of its two main actresses. Ronan has the uncanny ability to effortlessly portray an emotionless killer in one scene, and then convey a sense of childlike wonder in the next. Blanchett also brings a sense of cold, calculating evil to her role as the antagonistic Marissa Wiegler.
Much of the movie incorporates surreal elements, reminiscent of “In Bruges.” This creates an overall darker tone, but it also helps to create some of the most memorable fight scenes in recent memory. The foot chase sequences are particularly notable, as they contain some of the most impressive camerawork and cinematography this side of Roger Deakins.
At times, these odd characteristics can become overwhelming. Jumping from a gun battle to a bizarrely outfitted playhouse in Germany can be not only jarring, but detrimental to the film’s pace.
“Hanna” is an unexpectedly complex thriller that departs from many of the genre’s trappings. Like its titular character, it alternates between violence and precociousness, and breathes new life into what should be a by-the-numbers affair.
