Hanna (2011)

We loved this thriller in which everyone and everything is tightly wound, as a girl raised by her widowed father to be a super warrior leaves their shack somewhere near the the Arctic Circle and goes out in the world for the first time. It's neatly edited; not a shot is wasted. For example, a close-up of a foot on a car hood is included in a chase scene. The immensely talented Saoirise (pronounced SEER-sha) Ronan (nominated for the tightly wound 13 year old Briony in Atonement, and I loved her theme music with the clacking typewriter--more on that in a moment), who just turned 17 in April, was 15 when this was shot, but can easily portray a woman-child, too burdened to be carefree. In Atonement, words were her weapons, in this, they are bows and arrows and hand to hand combat. Oh, and she runs a lot. Ronan (whom Jack has dubbed Ronan the Barbarian) was the first person "attached" to this script, written by Seth Lochhead (with David Farr--the first feature for both) and listed on the  Black List, the best unproduced screenplays, of the years 2006 and 2009. She suggested her Atonement director Joe Wright (Pride & Prejudice (2005), The Soloist), after Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, much more) and possibly Alfonso Cuarón (Y Tu Mamá Tambien (2001), Children of Men (2006), more) left the project. Wright had not yet directed any action movies and brings a fresh perspective to the genre. The same can be said for cinematographer Alwin Kuchler (some that I've seen are The Mother (2003), Proof (2005), A Solitary Man, and Morning Glory), who gives us one gorgeous scene after another.

Eric Bana (best known for Hulk (2003), he was also great in Troy (2004), Munich (2005), and as Henry VIII in The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)) plays Hanna's intense (ya think?) father Erik and Cate Blanchett (favorites: Oscar and Lucinda (1997), Elizabeth (1998), Pushing Tin (1999), as Katherine Hepburn in The Aviator (2004), Babel (2006), The Good German (2006), Notes on a Scandal (2006), as a male Bob-Dylan-like rock star in I'm Not There (2007), which won her her Oscar, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) is the driven adversary of both Erik and Hanna. A note about accents: Ronan is Irish, Bana and Blanchett are Australian, but Ronan and Bana use German accents and Blanchett goes deep south (as in "y'all"). I must mention Tom Hollander (I wrote about him in In the Loop) as a particularly slimy villain that Wright said in this spoiler-filled interview is an amalgamation of bullies who tormented him in school.

And then there's the music. I had heard of the Chemical Brothers but didn't really know them from anyone else. Go ahead and open this link in a new window to stream the soundtrack album while you read the rest. There are a couple of tracks, especially "The Devil is in the Details" and "Hanna's Theme." that remind me of Briony's typewriter song in Atonement. In the movie, the camera is circling (as I recall--it's been at least 10 days since we saw it) and the soundtrack is clacking and it's all good. This movie may not be relaxing nor free of violence, but you will escape your troubles because it's nothing like real life and is a highly satisfying cinematic experience. I hope it's not too late for you to see it on the big screen.

This is my busiest time of year with my own music, so I haven't been able to get caught up with the blog. Three more are unwritten (and we're seeing something tomorrow--we haven't yet decided what). In a few weeks I should have them all in. Bear with me, please!