Tricky one this hence why it's taken me a week to get around to writing it. Tricky because I'm not quite sure what to make of Joe Wright's new movie Hanna.
In an interview he said he wanted to create a film that wasn't easy to pigeon-hole into a particular genre. So maybe it's me reacting to the fact that I can't decide what type of film it is or maybe Joe Wright has got it wrong.
To rewind a little, the story is that Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) has been raised by her father Erik (Eric Bana) in isolation, in the frozen north of Finland, to be an assassin. The time comes when she must go and complete the job she has been trained for which is to kill CIA bigwig Marissa (Cate Blanchett). But there is more to Hanna's past and her mission than meets the eye.
You could describe it as a chase movie as Hanna is pursued across Europe, discovering the truth along the way.
First, the problems I have with it:
a) It is very violent and brutal for a film which is essentially about a teenage assassin and this isn't in the comic book vein like Kick Ass.
c) The flaw in Erik's plan is that he has so ill-prepared Hanna for life outside her basic home she stand out like a sore thumb. As a result her lack of knowledge about things like electricity feels like a filmic devise rather than a genuine part of the narrative.
Secondly what I liked about it:
a) The underlying concept is a good one, the reveal and ending are satisfying.
b) Tom Hollander plays such a wonderfully, wonderfully evil character he steals the film, it is worth seeing just for him and his tracksuit.
c) It is beautifully produced and acted. Ronan shows great accomplishment at such an early stage in her career and as a result is a convincing lead.
So in balance I don't think Joe Wright has got it wrong but he hasn't got it quite a right as I'd like. It's getting 62% from me and Tom Hollander has a lot to do with that. Rotten Tomatoes is giving it 72% from 177 critics and readers have given it 70%. Metacritic gives it 65% while its readers are rating it 7.2/10.
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