Acclaimed director Joe Wright (Atonement) tries his hand at the action genre with this fast-paced (perhaps a tad too fast) thriller about an extraordinary-looking girl with equally extraordinary powers. However, aesthetic concerns occasionally get in the way of character development, resulting in an entertaining but ultimately shallow tale about genetics, vengeance and redemption.
Sixteen-year-old Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) lives in snowbound Scandinavia with her father Erik (Eric Bana), honing the fighting skills she will need for a perilous mission to kill ruthless CIA agent Marissa Wiegler (Cate Blanchett, trying too damn hard to evoke evil here, coming across like a very naughty schoolteacher instead). Hanna embarks on her quest to kill Wiegler with a couple of trained assassins on her trail. Ditto Erik, whom we later find out is one of the masterminds behind Hanna’s unique conditioning.
Fueled by a speedy electronica soundtrack courtesy of The Chemical Brothers, Hanna is a welcome addition to the action film genre. Ronan captures both steeliness and vulnerability in her role here, although Blanchett over-relishes her role as the villainess. But the film’s over-stylized themes and plot are things we’ve seen before—it comes off like Gattaca meets Run Lola Run. Definitely one for the boys only.