Hanna

I'll admit it, I've been at a bit of a loss at how exactly to review 'Hanna'. [and it doesn't help that the Stanley Cup Playoffs have been doing their best to distract me] There's a lot going on in this movie, and I really feel that words can't particularly describe it. Director Joe Wright [Pride & Prejudice, Atonement] whets his action chops with his usual visual style and fantastic cast.

The movie centres around teenaged Hanna, who has spent her life being trained to be the perfect assassin by her father[Eric Bana]; who then puts those incredible skills on display as she searches for revenge against the woman who killed her mother [Cate Blanchett]

Saoirse Ronan [pronouced seer-sha] is angelic in looks but fights like Jason Bourne, as Hanna, taking out men [with guns] three times her size. The fights are crisply choreographed, Hanna is an extremely efficient killer, not expending any extra energy. She also manages to capture the wonder of a girl who is seeing the world for the first time. Her wide blue eyes take in everything both assessing danger and appreciating the beauty at the same time.

The visuals of this movie are fantastic, going from the blinding white of the Northern forest where Hanna was raised to the scorching red desert in Morocco where she ends up after killing her way out of a holding cell. You get the feeling that nothing that is captured on film was there by accident. Wright also has a fondness for long one shots. There are two fine examples in this movie. One follows Hanna's father Erik outside a train station and down underground, all in one steadycam shot. There aren't a lot of things that bring out the extreme film nerd in me, but that type of shot certainly is one of them. The second occurs amid massive containers on a dock, that also bring to light the absolutely fabulous sound design of this movie. The music following the camera and accentuating characters and their actions.

A little more about the sound design. It's one of those things I think gets ignored by audiences because they don't know what it is. If you want to find out, watch 'Hanna'. The music is very unique, [it was scored by the elusive Chemical Brothers] and sometimes hides in the background, but often an essential part of the action.

This film was unique and well done, and actually has an interesting Vancouver connection. The idea for the story comes from Seth Lochhead, a Nanaimo native who attended the Vancouver Film School. If 'Hanna' is any indication of the type of movies he's going to write, I certainly hope he has some more up his sleeve.

Until next time....GO CANUCKS GO! Sorry. Couldn't help it.