Movie Review: Hanna (2011)
Now this is what I want to see
Photo: Focus Features
Hanna is electric. It's exciting. It's a mood piece filled with a pulse and the energy of life. And just upon seeing the trailers for Hanna you can't help but think to yourself, This is from the guy that directed Pride and Prejudice? The answer is yes, it is. And the result is a film that provides immediate proof Joe Wright has more up his sleeve than corsets and long walks on the English countryside.
The cast includes Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, Cate Blanchett, Olivia Williams, Tom Hollander, Jason Flemyng and Jessica Barden. For more information on this film including pictures, trailers and a detailed synopsis choose from the following menu.
Review
"Hanna" is a Focus Features release, directed by Joe Wright and is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some sexual material and language. The running time is 1 hour 51 minutes.
Trained as an assassin from an early age, Hanna is deadly whether it be hand-to-hand combat, a bow or a gun. She's Jason Bourne, but in the body of teenage girl. Quickly we hear the name Marissa Wiegler (Cate Blanchett), learn Hanna's father is an ex-CIA operative and are bouncing from Finland, to Morocco to Spain as Hanna has a mission with an endgame that's not entirely clear.
Propelled by a heart-pounding score composed and performed by the Chemical Brothers, Hanna rarely stops for a breather, but when it does is when the other side of this film begins to show its face.
Amidst the story of a girl on the run, Hanna carries a societal message, whether intentionally or organically as a result of its conceit. As Hanna branches out into the world, societal excess is clearly on display whether she is bombarded by modern day technology or slamming down game she's hunted and skinned for breakfast. Her small conversations with Sophie (energetically played by Jessica Barden), an English tourist on vacation with her family (Jason Flemyng, Olivia Williams and Aldo Maland), resonate as Hanna's clearly wise beyond her years when it comes to killing, but when it comes to knowing who she is and connecting with others she's akin to a newborn, seeing the world for the very first time.
Ronan is a powerhouse. From Atonement to The Lovely Bones, you could say you've seen some growth in the young actress, but here she delivers on a whole new level. At once an adult and a second later a child. Fierce and innocent, it's a character that defines her youthful career and sets the wheels in motion for her future.
Around her, Ronan is surrounded by talent. Beginning with Blanchett and her steely gaze as Marisa Viegler, the CIA agent that knows more than she's letting on concerning a past that involves Hanna and her father. Bana is also given the task of playing the tough guy as well as concerned parent with a goal to protect Hanna and ensure she is able to live a life outside of the confined walls she was brought up in.
One of the pleasant surprises was a supporting performance by Tom Hollander (In the Loop), playing an assassin for hire of sorts, charged by Viegler to hunt down Hanna. Dressed in either a vintage track suit or tennis shorts and a polo, Hollander is menacing thanks to his straight-faced approach, impish glare and unassuming visage. His orders I won't mention, though this is a movie as much about its story as it is about the jolt it gives you every few minutes as Hanna flees captors, evades her predators and stalks her prey as the score from the Chemical Brothers buzzes in your ear.
Hanna is about the fight for survival and the search for what it means to be human. What is it that defines us? What in life is necessary? Hanna asks the questions, offers a few answers but leaves you wanting much, much more.
Links from Other Sites You May Like
Showing 50 Comments
~ PLEASE NOTE ~
If, in any way, your comment is an attack on the author of this post or a previous commenter, your comment will be deleted without question.
Add a New Comment |
Click to Read Our Commenting Rules & Guidelines
That's it, I'm going to see this movie.
Hope you like it as much as I did. At this point I also hope I'm not overselling it, but I went and saw it again last night and still loved it so at the very least know my opinion is set. Excited to hear what others think of it.
A film like Hanna needs either mind blowing action, or an unconquerable villain – and both are conspicuous by their absence. The action though slick and thankfully minus gore, leaves a lot to be desired. It doesn't help that in addition to the inevitability of the end, the climax turns soft – primarily because at no point does Cate Blanchett, despite all her mannerisms and bloody flashbacks, evoke that air of insurmountability. In the end, she is just Marissa Wiegler – a woman with a cold heart and a flaming gun.
Check out My Review on Brains4Sale.
Wow, really? I'm not sure when it will come out in the Philippines, but I knew that this movie was gonna be good. Hopefully I'll have the same opinion…
However, Rio was released here yesterday, and I can tell it's quite a colorful, fun film…Not to many people in the theater though.
Can't wait to see this – I love this director, the music sounds brilliant, Blanchett looks freaky as hell – what more can you want?
I wasn't very impressed by the trailer, but I suppose now I should give this film a chance.
An "A+"? I can't recall another movie off the top of my head you gave such high marks to. Did it get that grade out of personal satisfaction or do you feel it is a GREAT film in the sense of a film that lasts and changes the game and gets awards and all of that malarkey?
I would have to honestly say more out of personal satisfaction. I went with Laremy to see it last night and he liked it too, but thought there was "a lot of running".
I appreciate such an honest reply to what was, admittedly, a somewhat dangerous question. There is something to be said for what we love and what we appraise. I often ask my students what is the difference between their favorite movie and the best movie they can name. They never name the same film in each category. Curious.
It's a good sign your students can differentiate between favorite and best, it's an important distinction. I'm also happy to see people even thinking to ask me the question you asked, it tells me I got a little bit of that sense of personal satisfaction across in my review.
I debated hitting the A or A+ button because I know a lot of people realize how infrequently I give out an A+. Had I not gone to see it a second time I probably would have given it an A or A-, but seeing it twice affirmed how much I enjoyed it and to have given it less would have been dishonest.
The Rotten Tomatoes score has lowered my expectations slightly (hopefully it will augment later today) but I will probably see it tomorrow.
Wow! A+? You understand I have to go see this now. I read a lot of reviews from a lot of critics. But Brad, you're one that I tend to respect more often than even some of the more famous ones. You gave The American an 'A' and I went to go see that and I fuckin loved it. I was baffled with all the negative comments about it afterword but your review was right on.
You got me excited about this one for sure. Even if I don't enjoy it as much as you I know that there's got to be something about it for you to give an A+.
I'm turning 40 on sunday. This will be my birthday movie.
Thanks Brad
HEY BRAD…
i also enjoyed "Hanna" very much.
A kick-ass role — literally and figuratively — for Saoirse Ronan…
"Hanna" and "WIN WIN"… my two favs so far
Brad, do you think it's a awards-worthy performance from Saoirse Ronan, or is it too action-based for that?
Way too action based: Focus Features has decided to campaign for Jane Eyre for the Academy awards as well as a BAFTA. It's the studio's best chance to get a trophy so far.
The important thing is that the film is a different take on the action thriller genre, and that Ronan's performance has received acclaim.
I'll go as far in saying that Hanna has a chance to become a cult movie, if not, it'll be a gem when discovered by those who haven't already seen it in the cinema.
I KNEW IT!:-)))
Can't wait to see this movie.
*SPOILERS*
Without doubt the movie of the year so far. But the backstory was really confusing to me. Can anyone explain what exactly Marissa and Erik had to do with the experiment? Are the other modified kids still alive somewhere or did they try to kill them all for some reason? Why did Marissa kill Hanna's mom, and why is she so motivated to kill Hanna? Why does the CIA want to kill Erik and why did he run away with Hanna in the first place? I got the feeling that Erik was in love with Hanna's mom, and he raised Hanna so she could kill Marissa and he would get revenge, but he obviously cared for Hanna, and I'm sure he could have killed Marissa himself if he wanted, so that might not be the case…
I know this doesn't seem like the mindscrew kind of movie that requires explanation, but with all the fairy tale metaphors and Freudian sexual undertones and ambiguous backstories and character motivations, it would be cool if you did a post explaining your thoughts on all of this. I absolutely loved the movie, but I think I would like it even more if I understood it.
thast's the curious question–why do they need to kill Hanna
Because they were growing human beings in test tubes and after shutting the secret experiment down one of them escaped. Not exactly the type of news the government would want to get out. Not really all that curious at all.
A+? Wow. I was not expecting that. I was already going to watch it and I wont go in there with expecting a masterpeice but good to know it'll be worth the money and time.
this has to be some persoanl satisfaction, ive never seen Brad give an A+ to a movie that is averaging a B on metacritic and rottentomatoes. At least it goes to show that every critic has a weak spot now and then
Or….you know, an opinion of his own.
no, of course every review is an opinion but usually for the most part Brad's has been in line with the rest. Its nice to see an A+, im really excited to see this movie.
Yes, but you said that "every critic has a weak spot now and then"
An opinion of your own is not a weak spot. Films are subjective.
I meant "weak spot" like say chocolate cake. Brad was REALLY looking forward to this movie and I'm sure had tons of positive thoughts going into his head about it much like I have had about certain films and came out loving it, and I'm sure his anticipation helped a lot in that regard. Where as with a movie like Sucker Punch (I'm not defending it) Brad already had the notions that the movie was going to suck and be terrible just in all his posts leading up to its release, so he had a lot of negativity going in, like say I would when going to see Cats and Dogs 3D, and I'm sure that impacted the F review instead of the C/C-/D review which the film more likely deserved
Jack, I posted accidently under Jim_A so read my response there as well, even before you read the one above
Think the only complaint I have read was my local critic saying it was a "bit ridiculous" but still giving it 2 1/2 stars. (EW gave it a B+).
Brad finally likes a movies. I must admit, this is fairly shocking. lol
this is probably a better way for me to word what I was trying to say lol
Trust me I'm not insulting his opinion, I plan to see the movie even more now than I did before as I have for many of Brad's reviews. I'm just saying that this is like Inception, where it didnt do so well on metacritic and rotten tomatoes but Brad loved it and so did I. I guess weak spot was a poor choice of words
oops, the above comment was meant for Jack, sorry about that!
Great review Brad. I didn't have too many doubts about how the movie would turn out but this piece further confirms that the film is worth my seven bucks. Maybe more if I decide to see it again.
Brad,
I was a bit confused when I read the article on Hanna and watched the Chemical Bros. composition clip from that you posted a few days ago. I really enjoy the way a score can work in harmony with the visuals of a film (TRON Legacy is a good recent example) but as I viewed the scene form Hanna I found myself thinking “am I missing something here?”. At this point I had yet to see the full trailer for Hanna so I took a look at the various incarnations that have been posted on-line. I then came back to your page and read your review. I was surprised to see that you've rated Hanna an A+ (higher than Black Swan and True Grit!). I really don't understand why you seem to be so high on this film. Hanna appears to be another derivative and lackluster take on the “unwilling assassin” storyline . Haven't we already seen this scenario countless times in films like La Femme Nikita, Salt, Point of No Return, The Long Kiss Goodnight and Kill Bill (and that's just the ones with female protagonists)?
The film currently rates a very average 69% on Rotten Tomatoes and an even less impressive 65% on Metacritic. I'm not arguing that your review is invalid and I certainly don't have a problem with anyone expressing their own personal opinions. I have yet to see Hanna so I am not in a position to counter your assessment of the film. But your rating of A+ seems curious to say the least especially in light of the fact that you gave Sucker Punch an F. I'm not suggesting that Sucker Punch is a good film (it's not) but if I had to make an assessment of these two film based solely on their trailers (without knowing the pedigree behind each of these films) then I would have to say that Sucker Punch looks like a more interesting film.
I opened your page today and was surprised (SHOCKED!) to see your home page is plastered with ads for Hanna (the whole page is literally covered). I'm sure that it's just a coincidence that you gave an A+ and a “Now this is what I want to see” quote to a film that has been rated as mediocre by the critical community. I'm not suggesting that your review was influenced by anything other than your own personal tastes…but it sure is suspicious.
The last paragraph of your comment is insulting. If you think for an instance I was influenced by anything other than my own opinion I would suggest you never read my reviews again.
Racer X, just to show you're wrong, Ropeofsilicon was plastered with Skyline ads and Brad was pretty clear that he hated that movie and didn't even see it when it first came out. So its not bias
I'm being sincere when I state that I'm not trying to insult you or insinuate that you're a “sell out”. But try to see this from my perspective. What conclusion would you draw if you saw an online critic GUSH over a particular film, one which has received middling reviews and appears to be fairly mediocre, and then go on to heavily support that film through revenue producing promotions? Be honest, you know it would raise a few questions. At the very least you would say to yourself “well, that's interesting”. I'm sure that it's just a coincidence that you happen to LOVE the film that you are currently promoting (honestly). It just seems a a bit peculiar and ill-timed that you happen to be featuring it in your primary ad spaces especially since the film doesn't really look that good.
"I have yet to see Hanna so I am not in a position to counter your assessment of the film."
Yeah, so you pretty much have no idea what the fuck your talking about.
I am going to have to side with Brad. I have seen and read most of his reviews, and when i seen the preview for Hanna, my first thought was i have a huge feeling Brad will be giving this movie and A… at the least. I guess i see all the things he likes in this movie. But hey i have been looking at ropeofsilicon since it was a forums and people talked about the movies and what have you. So what you said is insulting not just to Brad but a lot of his readers as well.
@ Racer X:
Suspicious it isn't. What's suspicious are your comments.
You made your comments before you saw Hanna, so your argument fails there. It's one thing to take a recycled concept but it's another to execute it to make it different.
I would hardly take Metacritic as a way to judge a film, let alone question a single glowing review because the consensus at was 'mediocre'. If you did your research on this film it was going to be polarizing. It's a film that walks that impossible line between action and art house. Even before it's release people were degrading it due its much recycled concept.
I'm not sure how much stock you put on critics to rate films (and it seems you put a lot of stock) but if you must look at the overall rating, collectively, Hanna's reviews are above average – hardly mediocre.
*Maybe Brad's page was covered with Hanna ads because he really liked the film. I mean, it would disastrous to not promote a film one liked, right?
Wow I had not even heard of this movie up until a few weeks ago and when i saw the trailer it looked like a standard thriller mixing Salt and the Boune movies, but now i will definitely check it out
I have always relied on Mr. Brevet's opinion to influence my movie choices. So far, I have not been misguided. This is why I continue to personally advertise this site and will go see this movie in the near future.
Great Review. I am a fan of Ronan, so I have been waiting to see this.
I am glad you like her performance. She is only 16 too and does so many amazing performances is awesome.
This movie won't be for everyone, and some critics don't like it; however, it doesn't take away from the fact that it could be a great movie. I've read many positive reviews that aren't even on RT.
Was a very good movie, the intended audience was clearly older, as viewed by the screening I saw. Will be a tough sell in the US.
Is this little teenage sensation EVER going to produce a bad performance?? Not anytime soon.
Thanks for the review, Brad. I'm watching this now.
Saw this today. Great cinematography and music but story was definitely lacking. I did think Cate Blanchett was great in this. I actually started rooting for her character to kill Hanna. I found the Hanna character totally uninteresting and full of cliches. Bana was okay but his role was definitely limited. There were times in the film where I could actually feel time wasting. Almost like they had to fill time up with sunsets and cars traveling. I personally detest travel films like the LOTR series and Clash of the Titans so this film was giving me major travel fatigue. Decent movie but no way in hell I would rate higher than a B or B-.
I liked it. Incredibly vivid. However I do agree with Mr. Burger about the unanswered questions – can anyone answer them?
I have been trying to figure those things out ever since the movie ended. I have to say the Big Secret about Hanna was disappointing. It would have been better to reveal that from the start since there wasn't much to it. But I do not understand why Cate was so motivated.
I agree 100 f'in percent on this review. Saoirse Ronan is ON point! Personally my favorite flick so far this year. A+
I thought it was great, it was nice to go to the cinema and leave feeling entertained for a change!
Brad, unfortunately this is one of the few times I have to disagree with you. I had high hopes for this film and was completely disappointed. It certainly had moments of greatness but more or less fell flat with me. In my opinion, many parts of the film were just plain silly and pointless. It kept pulling me out of the movie by making me think "what the heck was that for?". The movie had great potential but the execution was problematic. I would give it a C+ or B- at best.
So I saw Hanna and enjoyed most of it but there are three points that I think ruin the film. I say I think because I'm not entirely sure and am hoping to get some clarification on. The first two are somewhat trivial but the third just might be fatal.
Spoilers.
1. Hanna's frantic escape from the facility lacked any sense of geography. I get the feeling that that was the point, that she didn't know where to go and neither did we. If that was the case then the scene lasted too long for my liking.
2. Erik's run in the the police after coming to shore. This was a perfect moment for some action after a relatively quiet section yet we got nothing.
And then 3. the ending after the ending.
I would have been completely satisfied if the movie ended on the rail bridge or in the tunnel. Instead, we got a clumsy shooting scene where Marissa shoots everything and anything that'll spark except for Hanna, gets the upper hand, then slips and falls. The movie was a build up to a show down that ends with the antagonist slipping? Did I miss something or was that it?