Hanna

So it seems to me that what attracted Joe Wright to Hanna was not so much the opportunity to film action scenes (not that he couldn't, not by a long shot), but rather the chance to plunge a girl with perfect encyclopedic, yet theoretical knowledge into the maelstrom of civilization and see whether she would make it or not. And that's what I liked most about the film. In the end, it wasn't so much about revenge, spies or super soldiers. I was most interested in the main character, played by the devilishly likable Saoirse Ronan, her getting to know the real world, getting close to people and so on. The music, I must say, was not great, but the visuals with long shots and many excellent scenes (both the fight scenes and human scenes, like the conversation under the duvet) trumped everything. (24/03/2013)

An interesting way to create a film. I had the feeling that someone had come up with a very smart story, sent it via “Chinese whispers” through several morons and then they filmed the result. The border between genius and idiocy can be very thin sometimes and this film steps on both sides of it throughout. It is superbly made, but all too often I shook my head at the stupid things happening on screen (and yet it would be enough to correct the script a little). By the end I laughed out loud several times. Also, the way the final chase with the two female protagonists is put together is nonsense and confusing. PS: Mild thumbs up only for Blanchett’s character – that’s how a charismatic villain should look like. 5/10 (07/06/2011)

The initial showcase of hunting in the style of native hunters built up my expectations, but the following scenes, where Hanna first demonstrates her murderous abilities, hit me like a cold shower. Then, after Hanna massacred the numerous inhabitants of the super-secret military base full of elite agents, my interest fell similarly to the mercury in a thermometer placed in a freezer. This film is not artsy or at least alternative-looking by intent or through its casting. Yes, Saoirse Ronan and Cate Blanchett belong to the top league within their generation of actors. But then what? The content is just as foolish as countless other action films produced purely for commercial reasons. I don't find anything original or intelligent in the film, the point feels like it's from a sci-fi C-movie, and some of the characters, such as the albino killer, relegate Hanna to the realm of pure trash. It takes itself too seriously to be a parody, and if Wright attempted to deviate from the usual genre paths, he desperately failed. Soderbergh went much further in Haywire, and yet he, too, only remained halfway. For me to take a film seriously, it must have a solid foundation and a plot - and in that aspect, Hanna loses on all accounts and only confirms my biases towards the action genre. So I categorically discard it. I'm sorry, Ronan, maybe next time. Overall impression: 10% for both actresses. (04/10/2015)

Progressive, superb work by the director, an excellent soundtrack by The Chemical Brothers and a goodlooking cast meet a mediocre B-movie script. Hanna could have been the most intriguing action blockbuster of the year, if someone had bothered to back it up with a correspondingly interesting story. The story that it does have is no better than that of Salt, for example. Nevertheless, it remains a cool, dynamic experience. If Tom Cruise wished to truly revive the M:I series, he should have entrusted Ghost Protocol to Joe Wright! (08/07/2011)

This action B-movie/Grimm fairytale cross about a girl assassin in the hands of Joe Wright turns into a visual gem. His direction is perfect and when I say perfect, I mean precise in all ways. In places he raises Hanna into an art form. Such a pleasure to watch. The story suffers from imbalance. The sequence with the “normal" family should have ended up packed in a container at the port together with a couple of other things. Saoirse Ronan’s acting is flawless, as always. Eric Bana as her slugger dad manages to show his best moves even in the little room he get (the one-shot scene after getting of the bus is genius). I hated that whistling bad guy from the moment that he began to whistle that revolting melody, and Cate Blanchett didn’t do anything special in this movie. The action scenes were a joy to watch. Adapt or die. (17/06/2011)