Hanna

For years I was the master of trailers; indeed, I downloaded them every day and stored them for future use. My mouth watered with anticipation on the thick, raw blockbuster previews, many of which would prove disappointing. In the past few months I've slowed down to a standstill, and haven't downloaded a trailer in ages. I've left it up to other means, mainly the previews before a movie in the cinema, and the odd internet trailer. So now sometimes a film comes out and I'm caught completely off guard; for whatever reason I'm not in tune with the marketing machine and I miss it. And then I see these movies, and am pleasantly surprised. I can't help but feel that this has helped many films, but it's bigger than that: it's brought the joy of going to the movies back. Sometimes you see, without really knowing it, 10 minutes of a film - spread over three or four trailers - and lots of plot; indeed, most are spoiled.

Hanna is such a film that I had no idea was coming until twenty four hours before release (April 8). Oddly enough I heard about it on the radio more often than anywhere else; I saw a headline or two in my RSS feeds that described it as a Bourne-style film about an assassin travelling through Europe, but this time, Bourne is a woman. Then I come to understand Eric Bana is in it, and I'm further intrigued. To call his movie "Bourne-style" would be an insult. We get some great performances from everyone involved, including the young Saoirse Ronan, starring as the title character. Basically, to sum up the plot, you have Hanna being raised near the arctic circle in complete isolation, by her father. She's being trained, and educated, to be an efficient killing machine. There comes a time when Hanna decides for herself to leave the nest, so to speak, and begin her mission. What we get is Hanna being on the run, piecing together bits of her life (how she came to growing up in the woods) and interacting with others.

In her journey, she befriends another young girl and her family, learning how things work in ways that an encyclopedia can't teach you. Take for instance, this very subtle, underlying sexuality occurring between Hanna and her new friend. Hanna is young and the film tries hard to push it in your face and make you question it at the same time. Extreme closeups reveal so much character in her eyes, and allowing you time to analyze every detail in her face. Brutal fight scenes punch you in the chest and make you do a double take: how is someone so young, so small and unassuming, doing these amazing things? I don't question the realistic nature of it: a lifetime of training in anything can make you an expert. She's unassuming, fast and well trained; it's a work of art watching her move.

So, this is a great film that pleasantly surprised me. It's not a knock-off, and it's not your typical action film. It has a steady pace and is a great "coming of age story" (I ripped that from somewhere). And, to top it all off, the film was scored by The Chemical Brothers!