Besides action heroes, assassins feel like a staple of action, and that’s where Joe Wright’s 2011 film, “Hanna,” comes in. Starring a then 16-year-old Saoirse Ronan as the titular Hanna, she is trained by her father (Eric Bana) to become the perfect assassin and is dispatched on a mission to avenge her mother and then meet back with her father in Europe, all the while being tracked by an intelligence agent, Marissa Wiegler (Cate Blanchett), and her operatives.
Directed by Joe Wright, known for period dramas such as “Pride and Prejudice” and “Atonement,” brought his style to a different type of assassin movie, and visually it’s stunning. As soon as I felt the mood that it sets up in its first shot of the cold German wilderness—it feels desolate and lonely—I felt like I was in for a treat. It’s made even better by the strong character work given to Hanna, who lost her mother at a young age and has only known her father and what he’s trained her to do: kill. She also only knows what she’s supposed to recite if someone asks her identity.
This is all made more interesting when she sets out on her solo journey and “Hanna” takes on an edge of self-discovery and coming-of-age. This isn’t your average teenage angst kind-of film, however, but the friendship she creates with a random tourist, a girl her own age named Sophie (Jessica Barden), and her family brings some laughs and some earnest moments as this is the first friendship she’s known. About Barden, who is best known for this film, as well as Netflix’ “The End of the F***ing World” and “The Lobster,” it’s nice to know that she has always been this funny even in one of, her earlier roles.
As for the action in the film itself, Wright’s style really is great and I loved how everything was shot. I often have problems with action films where the editing is too hectic where you just can’t see what’s happening, and that happening in this film was a rarity. However, at one point when she’s escaping a facility, the camera flips around at all kinds of angles and that was headache-inducing.
Otherwise, the style is all very solid here and the action thrills. Hanna kicks the most ass, and Saoirse Ronan really shows her chops for what has helped make her the star she is today with the action and the smaller moments of drama, but Eric Bana as her father Erik Heller also gets his chance to shine in a couple scenes. This is most notable in a well-choreographed fight against agents in Germany in an underground area, which takes place in one take and showcases some of the picture’s best filmmaking. The writing—by Seth Lochead and David Farr–is notable and I think their opening lines of dialogue and closing lines of dialogue are brilliant.
Their story is also well-paced, keeping the action flowing and story flowing at the same time. We learn fascinating developments when we have to, and there are a couple of surprises in store. By the way, Cate Blanchett also does well as the film’s primary antagonist as she tries to bring Hanna in or kill her. That chase is thrilling and I really like where this film went in its third act.
