A stylish actioner Producers: Leslie Holleran,Marty Adelstein,Scott Nemes Director: Joe Wright Writer: Seth Lochhead Cast: Saoirse Ronan,Cate Blanchett,Eric Bana,Tom Hollander,Olivia Williams,Jason Flemyng Joe Wrights Hanna is about a blonde,teen hit woman with Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan in the starring role. Raised in the frigid forests of Finland,Hanna is clearly no ordinary 16-year-old. She lives in wintry seclusion with her widowed ex-CIA father,Erik who has reared her to be a soldier,prepared to run or fight at a moments notice. While Erik fears for her safety in the outside world,Hanna has grown impatient with their fugitive existence and craves the adventure for which she knows shes been groomed. So she ventures out into the real world. But before her appointed reunion with Dad in Berlin,Hanna is abducted on the orders of Marissa,an intelligence agent with a special formidable interest in Hanna. The latter soon proves how ruthless she can be,dispatching a succession of armed guards and escaping from the CIA compound. With myriad back- stories and identities,Hanna is on the run. Marissa puts Isaacs,her key henchman,on Hannas trail. Hanna and Eric meet,albeit briefly and he persuades her to get away holding out her pursuers. In a finely-matched denouement Marissa and Hanna match wits. Joe Wrights Hanna is an exuberantly crafted chase thriller that pulsates with energy from its adrenaline-pumping first minutes right to the finish. It is gripping throughout. Joe Wright has proved an outstanding director of action,and Saoirse Ronan,in the title-role of a teenage assassin,proves to be a consummate and spirited actress. She is well matched by Eric Banas tough-but-tender dad and Cate Blanchetts menacing presence. The actress brings yet another dimension to her art as the conniving agent. Tom Hollander plays Isaacs with just the right tone of menace in his speech. First seen stalking a deer through the woods in northern Finland,armed with a pistol,knife and bow and arrow. Hannas key in the deer-hunting prologue I just missed your heart could easily be the films emotional leitmotif. Though a bit unsettling in the first few minutes,Hanna proves to be the most stylish actioner matched by commendable performances,cohesive script and good overall production values. RATING:*** One star each for performances,script,direction and action.
