Review

Review Date: 10-April-11
Spoiler Rating: Medium
Juju Judgment: Juicy

Hanna (2011)

The protagonist of Hanna is a teenage girl (Saoirse Ronan) who has been raised in isolation by her father and taught how to fight and kill. Though modern in tone, her story is grounded in fairy tales, those nasty bits of oral tradition which speak of dark forests and stepmothers who wish poor children dead. Hanna's father (Eric Bana) has made her a hidden assassin because they are hunted by a CIA agent named Marissa Wiegler (Cate Blanchett). There can be no ever-after for Hanna, happy or otherwise, unless Marissa is removed from the picture. To this end Hanna must leave her sanctuary, and thus her childhood, and enter the adult world of independence, sexuality, and treachery.

Director Joe Wright (Atonement) could not have found two actresses more suited to portray the rivals. Ronan expresses both hardness and innocence as Hanna travels through Morocco and up into Germany with Blanchett — looking gaunt, gorgeous, and cruel — on her tail. At first Hanna allows herself to be caught in order to gain access to her target, but Marissa, knowing the girl's father and past, avoids her own murder. Then the cat-and-mouse chase begins. Marissa hires a killer to help with the dirty work (played by Tom Hollander, who often fills unlikeable roles but here unleashes his inner psychopath). Hanna, on the other hand, must rely on the kindness of strangers, having no money and scant knowledge of civilization. She hitches a ride with a bohemian family that has a girl her own age, experiencing her first date (unaware that it's impolite to pin a suitor when he moves in for a kiss) and proudly presenting the family with a skinned animal carcass for breakfast. When Marissa questions this family later she appears capable of eating the small boy who knows Hanna's whereabouts; indeed, Marissa's face twists into a mask of bitter fury at the mere suggestion of children. One suspects that the flashback detailing her history with Hanna's father only scratches the surface of her unhealthy mind.

Like Marissa and all adults in fairy tales, Hanna's father is an imperfect protector. Yet he proves that there are more ways than one in which a parent might give life to his child. This lesson learned, Hanna goes to meet her enemy at an amusement park with ties to the brothers Grimm. The image of Marissa emerging from the jaws of a big, bad wolf could have been hokey in another movie but is just right for Hanna's assertive style. Having escaped the forest and faced down a witch, the title character seems ready to tackle whatever ogres and enchantments the future may hold. Might I suggest a sequel?

Copyright © 2011 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.